Teaching a toddler to swim
Monday, June 13, 2011
We've spent nearly every evening at the pool. Marin is loving it. He's becoming quite the little fish and garners quite a bit of attention at the pool from other parents and the lifeguards. Everyone keeps asking how we've taught Marin to swim as well as he does for a 2 year old.
Since being in the pool and hanging out at the beach are our favorite things to do, the earlier Marin can swim, the better! Plus, when your name literally means "of the sea" you can't be a land lover. :) So, we started early.
Here are some of the things we've done with Marin in case anyone else is interested. These things may not work for every child and the earlier you do them the better. If you start when your child is born, teaching them to love the water, it will be so much easier on the both of you.
1) Learn to swim yourself. There are many adults who don't know how to swim. This is nothing to be ashamed of! Many pools and health clubs offer adult swimming lessons. Children feed off of their parent's emotions. If you are afraid in the water, they are going to pick up on that from a very early age.
2) From the time your child comes home from the hospital, pour water over their head and let it run on their face while giving them a bath. Don't grab for a wash cloth. Just let it run down their face. You don't have to do this with the baby shampoo if it makes you nervous. Just do it with clean warm water. Babies live in"water" for 9 months. So when they come out, they are already used to it. You don't have to drown the poor kid. Just let it run down their face like you do yours in the shower. You would not believe how this one simple act will give your child an edge in learning to swim. If they grow up thinking water in their eyes and on their face isn't a big deal, they will easily translate that to water on their face in the pool.
3) Limit the time you spend in the baby pool. Sure, the baby pool is a fun place to mingle with other kids and give parents a break but you aren't learning to swim there. We did not let Marin in the baby pool at all his first year and now we limit it to 10 min or so of every hour that we are at the pool.
4) Get them in the "big pool" early! Yes, even if your baby was just born this summer. Marin was born in April and come Memorial Day he was in the pool. No, we weren't dunking him at 8 weeks, but we did carry him around in the big pool. We supported his head and let his little legs float in the water. We got a lot of weird looks and even comments from some people. But Marin could go under water in the pool before he could walk. He just never knew anything else. This also keeps a child from learning to be afraid of "the deep end". When you are a baby, every end is the "deep end".
5) If you already have an older kid and are looking for a place to start, please don't teach them to hold their nose when they go under. This is such a hindrance to learning to swim. Children are very capable of learning to hold their breath under water without holding their noses. You need your arms and hands to swim!
6) Water toys are fun, but you should not rely on them as flotation devices or as a substitute for learning to swim. Marin does not own a plastic swim ring or a "noodle" and will not until he can already swim.
7) We have never used water wings or a life jacket with Marin, but that is a personal choice. This means we have to have hands on him at all times or be less than an arm's length away.
If you have a child that you don't want to teach to swim this summer, then by all means a life jacket is a safe alternative. And, yes, we did use one of the baby floats when Marin was first born, but not his 2nd summer.
8) I'm not of the toss them in the pool against their will set. If you start as a baby your child will never be afraid of the water and you won't have to do this. Positive reinforcement and praise work wonders.
9) Do not let your fears and phobias rub off on your child. If you baby senses that you are nervous about them being in the water, they will pick up on that! Yes, a child needs to be taught to respect the water and water safety, but being in the pool should be fun, not scary! It is o.k. for a toddler to put their face in the water. It will not kill them. Let them try it if they want to. Don't push too hard and make them cry though. Make it fun!
10) Research swim lessons carefully. Some swim lessons are nothing more than play time while you sit on the side of the pool. Most "real" swim lessons don't start until 3 years of age and by then a child is more likely to be afraid. Look for baby swim lessons or a do-it-yourself approach way before 3 years of age and you'll be doing your child a huge favor.
------------------------------------------------------------
Now Marin is far from Michael Phelps. He's not magically gifted. I'm not trying to brag on him too much. He's just simply been given the tools to succeed in the water. With all my screw ups at being a mom, at least this is one thing I can be proud of. :)
Since being in the pool and hanging out at the beach are our favorite things to do, the earlier Marin can swim, the better! Plus, when your name literally means "of the sea" you can't be a land lover. :) So, we started early.
Here are some of the things we've done with Marin in case anyone else is interested. These things may not work for every child and the earlier you do them the better. If you start when your child is born, teaching them to love the water, it will be so much easier on the both of you.
1) Learn to swim yourself. There are many adults who don't know how to swim. This is nothing to be ashamed of! Many pools and health clubs offer adult swimming lessons. Children feed off of their parent's emotions. If you are afraid in the water, they are going to pick up on that from a very early age.
2) From the time your child comes home from the hospital, pour water over their head and let it run on their face while giving them a bath. Don't grab for a wash cloth. Just let it run down their face. You don't have to do this with the baby shampoo if it makes you nervous. Just do it with clean warm water. Babies live in"water" for 9 months. So when they come out, they are already used to it. You don't have to drown the poor kid. Just let it run down their face like you do yours in the shower. You would not believe how this one simple act will give your child an edge in learning to swim. If they grow up thinking water in their eyes and on their face isn't a big deal, they will easily translate that to water on their face in the pool.
3) Limit the time you spend in the baby pool. Sure, the baby pool is a fun place to mingle with other kids and give parents a break but you aren't learning to swim there. We did not let Marin in the baby pool at all his first year and now we limit it to 10 min or so of every hour that we are at the pool.
4) Get them in the "big pool" early! Yes, even if your baby was just born this summer. Marin was born in April and come Memorial Day he was in the pool. No, we weren't dunking him at 8 weeks, but we did carry him around in the big pool. We supported his head and let his little legs float in the water. We got a lot of weird looks and even comments from some people. But Marin could go under water in the pool before he could walk. He just never knew anything else. This also keeps a child from learning to be afraid of "the deep end". When you are a baby, every end is the "deep end".
5) If you already have an older kid and are looking for a place to start, please don't teach them to hold their nose when they go under. This is such a hindrance to learning to swim. Children are very capable of learning to hold their breath under water without holding their noses. You need your arms and hands to swim!
6) Water toys are fun, but you should not rely on them as flotation devices or as a substitute for learning to swim. Marin does not own a plastic swim ring or a "noodle" and will not until he can already swim.
7) We have never used water wings or a life jacket with Marin, but that is a personal choice. This means we have to have hands on him at all times or be less than an arm's length away.
If you have a child that you don't want to teach to swim this summer, then by all means a life jacket is a safe alternative. And, yes, we did use one of the baby floats when Marin was first born, but not his 2nd summer.
8) I'm not of the toss them in the pool against their will set. If you start as a baby your child will never be afraid of the water and you won't have to do this. Positive reinforcement and praise work wonders.
9) Do not let your fears and phobias rub off on your child. If you baby senses that you are nervous about them being in the water, they will pick up on that! Yes, a child needs to be taught to respect the water and water safety, but being in the pool should be fun, not scary! It is o.k. for a toddler to put their face in the water. It will not kill them. Let them try it if they want to. Don't push too hard and make them cry though. Make it fun!
10) Research swim lessons carefully. Some swim lessons are nothing more than play time while you sit on the side of the pool. Most "real" swim lessons don't start until 3 years of age and by then a child is more likely to be afraid. Look for baby swim lessons or a do-it-yourself approach way before 3 years of age and you'll be doing your child a huge favor.
------------------------------------------------------------
Now Marin is far from Michael Phelps. He's not magically gifted. I'm not trying to brag on him too much. He's just simply been given the tools to succeed in the water. With all my screw ups at being a mom, at least this is one thing I can be proud of. :)
