Hellobee

Long before I was a teacher by profession, I worked as a lifeguard in my little hometown. It is a time of my life that I look back on positively for many reasons, but one of my favourite things to remember is teaching the Parent and Tot classes.

I loved working with the smallest of patrons who came to us with Mom, Dad or another caregiver at the beginning age of only 3 months old. I loved the smiles when they discovered how much fun the water could be, the pride on the parents’ faces when their little one did something new, and the thrill of handing them their first swimming progress report at the end of the session, covered in stickers with the “completed the level” box checked. At that age, everyone completed as long as they tried. It didn’t matter if their belly wasn’t at the surface when they were floating or if they had pointed toes when they kicked; it just mattered that they had experienced and hopefully enjoyed the class. Wouldn’t it be nice if more things in life were like this?

From the beginning of my journey in motherhood, I looked forward to putting Little Tea Cup into swimming lessons  and eagerly awaited the first time we would walk down the deck of a pool to the instructor calling out “parent and tot 1!” I hoped she would love the water as much as I did and hopefully one day she will want to follow in my footsteps and become a lifeguard herself.

Lucky for me she loves the water as much as her Mom

My top ten ways to make swimming enjoyable for your little one:

1. Don’t make your first day of swimming lessons the first time your little one has ever been in a pool. Swimming pools are loud and busy places and they can be quite overwhelming for little ones. Choose a recreational swimming time at a local pool or go swimming at a family member’s or friend’s house first to help get the little one used to the new environment.

2. Don’t try swimming in cold water. As adults we don’t like it and babies really don’t like it! Find a pool that is temperature regulated and go there. If the water happens to be very cold that day, it may be a day to skip the lesson.

3. Look at the requirements for the course you are taking with your little one. You do not want to do anything that you are uncomfortable with because your anxiety will carry over to your little one. For example, I would never sign up for a parent and tot class that said you HAD to put your child under water. I do feel that it is important for them to try it, but I don’t think you should do it until the parents feel they are ready. Again stressed parent means stressed baby.

4. The change room after the class can be the worst part. It is cold, busy and you probably will have a tired baby on your hands after all that fun in the pool. If your little one cries, don’t stress. They will not be the first and they will certainly not be the last. If you have to, wrap them up in a towel, cuddle them and take them home that way. Which leads me to my next point…

5. Don’t take a baby swimming in the winter, at least not for the first time they are trying it out. Nothing is worse then being cold and tired and then heading out into the snow. If you can wait until the warmer weather comes, do it! It is so much better not having to bundle them as much to go home.

6. Know your little one. When I started swimming lessons with Little Tea Cup, we were going through a “mine” phase. If she had a toy and you took it away, you would end up with a very upset baby. To avoid this disaster taking place in swimming class (this will change when she is old enough to understand of course), we do something else during toy time. She practices her kicks and bubbles and never realizes that she could have had that little floating turtle toy that would have created a melt down.

7. Have your little one rest their head on your shoulder when they are floating on their back. Many, many children are uncomfortable floating on their backs and this is the best way that I found to help them. They will feel more secure when they know you are close to them.

8. If you can, have both parents come in the pool. The more smiles and encouragement the better!  Some pools will allow you to do this if you ask!

9. Bad week? Don’t give up! I have seen so many Moms and Dads pull their child out of swimming lessons because their little one cried or didn’t seem to like it. Of course we don’t want them to do something they truly dislike, but sometimes it takes weeks for them to get used to the new environment. Don’t give up on them yet. Try taking them swimming on your own between lessons to get them used to the water in a calmer environment. Repeat to yourself: they are not the first baby to cry and they will not be the last!

10. Life jackets are wonderful and important things. They do not, however, replace the ability to swim. When you put your child in swimming lessons, you are teaching them valuable life skills. If you are reading this and thinking “my baby is not learning anything long term,” you simply have to look at the bigger picture. They are learning how to enter and exit a pool safely with a grownup, they are learning how to kick their feet and be comfortable on their front and their back without panicking, and they are learning how to breathe in the water by blowing bubbles and not inhaling it, just to name a few.

Practicing our bubbles

It is always a great idea to be prepared in order to make your trip to the pool as enjoyable as possible, so these are my swimming essentials:

1. 3 Sprouts Cotton Hooded Towel – These are super soft, absorbent and large enough to wrap around your little one after they get out of the pool. Not to mention they come in tons of fun colours and different animals.

2. 1-Piece Polka Dot Swimsuit  – One pieces suits for swimming lessons please! Bikinis do not stay put!

3. Bummis Swimmi Swim Diaper – If you are a cloth diaper user like me, here is a cloth swim diaper that works great! These also come in tons of fun patterns and colours!

4. French Terry Hooded Cardigan – When getting baby dressed after swimming, bring something easy to put on. This hooded cardigan is easy on and off and will keep them nice and warm after their lesson.

5.  Badger Baby Sunscreen – If you are taking lessons outside, sunscreen is a must! This one is fantastic for baby bodies and has a great safety rating too!

6.  Bummis Sun Cap – This hat has a great long back to cover baby’s neck. It fits snugly so they can even wear it while in the pool for leisure swimming. Not to mention it coordinates with the swim diaper above!

7.  Huggies Little Swimmers Swimpants – If you use disposable diapers, these are fantastic for the pool.

8. French Terry pants – Easy on after lessons and very cozy for baby.

9. Banz Adventure Baby Banz Sunglasses – These sunglasses are great, especially if your little one likes to pull their sunglasses off. They have a wide band that wraps all the way around the head and they fit closely on the face. Little Tea Cup made a good effort to get these off and couldn’t. She now wears them without complaint.

10. Bummis UV-Tee – For those very sunny days, this will give your little one some extra protection  You can throw it over their swimsuit or they can wear it with their cloth diaper swim diaper!

11. Bummis Fabulous Wet Bag – This wet bag is huge and perfect for swim lessons. It will fit all the little one’s wet gear, plus Mom and Dad’s wet gear without any trouble! I love the zipper so there are no leaks. A must have for swimming for the whole family!

Happy swimming everyone! Have you or do you plan on taking swimming lessons with your little one?