It is extremely scary, as a parent, to hear the statistics of child drownings. Down here in Florida, pools are as common as driveways in homes so having the necessary precautions to protect your child is a must. We’ve had my daughter in the pool since she was 3 months old, with mommy & me classes and just splashing around. Getting them used to the water at a young age is key but what I found is that teaching them survival is even more important over all.
Back in the 80’s, my parents put me in a survival swim course at age 2 and I have been swimming ever since. I knew I had to get my daughter in one of these ASAP, especially since she loves being in the water. I didn’t want her to rely on flotation devices to keep her safe, because lets face it, they aren’t THAT safe. So I hit up Google to find a place that would be the most effective for her. There are plenty of swim schools around the area, as you may imagine, but I found Baby Otter Swim School and did my research and they had kids, as young Ava and even younger swimming with in 5 days. I had to give it a shot…
Not only was the owner of Baby Otter Swim School accommodating and extremely prompt on information, she got us set up in a private class with in a week. For 30 minutes, 5 days a week, we met with her and she worked with Ava. Ava was used to the pool, but hated getting her head wet or even going under. We put a toddler swim vest on her and she would wade around the pool in that and absolutely loved it. I didn’t think the vest was the safest for long term use and giving her a sense of false security. So off to school we went!
Day 1
They worked with her on how to get used to holding her breath and kicking her feet. As you can see, she swims vertical but as the kids get used to the exercise, they begin to level out horizontally and use their arms/legs.
Day 2
She was swimming underwater to the stairs-all be it she was crying the entire time! They also repeat everything they teach them in day 1. After each class, they bring you in the pool with them to teach you how to practice with your child.
Days 3 & 4
She got more confident swimming to the stairs and to the wall as well. Wailed like a baby the entire time. Repeating techniques of days 1 & 2.
Day 5
This where a lot of parents have their differences when it comes to swimming/survival lessons. They dropped her in the water to see if what was taught all week took and she would swim to the edge. Many parents I have spoke to and even read about discourage this in fears they will traumatize their child. Frankly, I feel instilling fear and coddling kids in the pool is the worst thing you can do. The last thing you want is your child to be afraid of the water, you want them to be confident. It’s not like they tossed her in like a bag of potatoes, they dropped her in and she found the wall and swam right to it – just as if she fell in on her own. I was so happy/proud of her and the program, because it did exactly what they said they would do: teach her survival skills.
Over 1 Month Later….
Her swimming confidence is through the roof! She takes charge of that pool like she owns it. Jumps in all by herself, swims to the wall, stairs or me/my husband. Each time she goes swimming she gets better and better and I couldn’t be more happy about it. She even loves to show everyone how she swims and she can’t wait to get in a pool. Makes me feel better knowing she knows what to do if ever she gets knocked or falls in. But like anything, practice prevails! So if you do put your child into a class like this, you have to be committed to practicing as much as you can with them so they excel!
I recommend this class to anyone in the South Florida area, I saw such huge results and the warm, caring instructors will teach your kids the fundamentals of swimming.
water baby!!
Details:
Baby Otter Swim School – Andre Dawson Aquatic Center
8200 Peters Road, Plantation, FL 33324
954-704-0080 or 1-888-SWIM-KID
To see what classes they offer (private or group) check out their website www.babyotter.org
– Amanda
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with this swim school, just had a fantastic experience and had to share it!
