Since we live in Florida and are always around water it was time to enroll the girls in some sort of strict swim schedule. Long story short, I was hesitant to do so because Charlotte had a horrible experience at a local YMCA when she was 18 months old, they terrified her and did not take the swimmers seriously. Fast forward to now and we have done it and enrolled in a basic four week course. If you live near water I highly recommend spending the money on a course, it is worth it.
Course: 5 days a week for 10 minutes a session (repetition, repetition, repetition)
Week 1: It was a struggle to get them their, cue the tears, but once in the water they did as expected and listened to their instructor, Mrs. Maureen (she is a godsend with the little ones). By the end of the week my oldest, Charlotte, would walk over sit on step and get in the water to begin the lesson. Caroline, is still a slightly different scenario, but getting the hang of it. You would be surprised how 10 minutes of constant learning techniques, floating, etc. in the water tires the little ones out. Both usually fall asleep on the way home after the late afternoon lesson.
Results: Charlotte could float and swim back to the wall by Friday, Caroline would only float on back with the assistance and constantly kicking her legs (she is not a fan of being on her back and it is no surprise as she never liked to be on her back as an infant).
Week 2: It became easier to get the little one to get in the water without crying. Mrs. Maureen introduced a lesson with the girls swimming together and this helped tremendously. By the end of the week both girls could not wait to get to swim to learn and see their favorite teacher. The excitement on their faces said it all.
Results: Charlotte grew in the water knowing what to do and learned to swim better to and from her instructor. Caroline learned to float without crying/kicking like a maniac due to her legs being controlled by a band.
Week 3: Both girls could not wait to get to swim everyday. This is the week I saw so much improvement by both. Controlled breathing in the water, floating like mermaids (straight, little movement and toes to the top of the water, and a love for being in the water. Caroline was introduced to being flipped into the water and turned right over and floated. Charlotte improved in her swim techniques and swimming to and from her instructor to the wall or another instructor.
Results: I could see a huge difference with both girls in the water, both were now little fish or mermaids, if you will. At the end of this week I was now 100% confident both would had the skills and techniques to know what to do in a situation that they fell in water without an adults assistance there to help them get to safety.
Week 4: Started the week knowing this was the last week of daily lessons, this was our new norm and we were so used to it being part of the daily routine. Mid-week the little one went through the survival test, going into the water dressed from head to toe in clothing. She did awesome and knew exactly what to do and floated like a champ.
SHOP THE POST:
This is an excerpt of the training the girls initially received:
"PediaSwim I is our Basic Infant Survival Training Course. It is our Basic Training Course for infants, toddlers and children. Infants, toddlers and children will learn appropriate swimming postures to allow them to swim facedown in the water, rotate onto their back to a floating position that enables them to rest and breathe, then return to a facedown swimming posture. This sequence of swim-float-swim can be continued until a desired location is reached. This important skill will prepare your child should he/she accidentally fall into the water. Children also learn to swim between adults, pool steps and the pool edge for fun and recreation."
Course: 5 days a week for 10 minutes a session (repetition, repetition, repetition)
Week 1: It was a struggle to get them their, cue the tears, but once in the water they did as expected and listened to their instructor, Mrs. Maureen (she is a godsend with the little ones). By the end of the week my oldest, Charlotte, would walk over sit on step and get in the water to begin the lesson. Caroline, is still a slightly different scenario, but getting the hang of it. You would be surprised how 10 minutes of constant learning techniques, floating, etc. in the water tires the little ones out. Both usually fall asleep on the way home after the late afternoon lesson.
Results: Charlotte could float and swim back to the wall by Friday, Caroline would only float on back with the assistance and constantly kicking her legs (she is not a fan of being on her back and it is no surprise as she never liked to be on her back as an infant).
Week 2: It became easier to get the little one to get in the water without crying. Mrs. Maureen introduced a lesson with the girls swimming together and this helped tremendously. By the end of the week both girls could not wait to get to swim to learn and see their favorite teacher. The excitement on their faces said it all.
Results: Charlotte grew in the water knowing what to do and learned to swim better to and from her instructor. Caroline learned to float without crying/kicking like a maniac due to her legs being controlled by a band.
Results: I could see a huge difference with both girls in the water, both were now little fish or mermaids, if you will. At the end of this week I was now 100% confident both would had the skills and techniques to know what to do in a situation that they fell in water without an adults assistance there to help them get to safety.
Above is a video made by Southwest Aquatics with the girls during a maintenance lesson.
Since the girls loved every day lessons once they completed the course, we decided to put them in weekly maintenance lessons for the month of May. It has been the best thing for the girls to grow in the water. Charlotte can now swim like a mermaid with her flippers and goggles and Caroline has learned to swim at a close distant, float and then turn over and swim to her target.
This is a video of the girls first time swimming in public outside of lessons.
Thank you Southwest Aquatics for a wonderful experience and teaching the girls to swim and techniques to survive in the water. If you are local to the Orlando area I highly suggest signing up for a course or maintenance lessons. Visit: Southwest Aquatics
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