Sunday, June 27, 2010

Swimming with Sharks, or Babies

Okay, so here it is about 3 weeks after this blog started and it's going really well.  I appreciate all of the comments we've received, both good and bad.  Don't forget to e-mail me question/topic suggestions for posts in order to keep it interesting and exciting.  Thanks again for all your participation.

Today (Saturday) we took Sara swimming and I was reminded of what it was like to take her swimming when she was just a teeny tiny thing. She has always been very comfortable with the water and loved her baths from day 1.  We took her to Hawaii when she was just 7 months old and spent most of the time playing in the water.  I bought her one of those little flotation devices that is oval shaped.  It had a little seat in the middle and a sunshade over the top.  I think it was about $20 at Target and totally worth it.  We went swimming at least 4 times a week last  summer and she loved cruising around in it. 

When this summer came, she was not interested in it - at all.  Our neighborhood has a pool and a kiddie pool, which is perfect.  She loves to walk around in the water and climb up and down the steps.  I have tried putting her in a round tube, but she slips right out.  Yesterday, I tried arm floaties and those seemed to work really well actually, but after a while she wanted them taken off.  I feel lucky that she is so comfortable in the water and we hope to get her in swim lessons next summer.

Water safety is always a hot topic in Arizona in the summer time.  There are drownings reported weekly.  In a few weeks, Sara will start her drowning prevention class.  This is a class where they teach babies who fall in the water to recover by floating.  There are several places around town that offer the classes.  A friend of mine teaching 1 on 1 lessons and I am hoping Sara really benefits from them.  You can never be too careful when it comes to being safe at the pool.

Just a reminder... never leave your baby in the bathtub alone and never turn your back on them at the pool.  All it takes is a second.  Happy Swimming and Happy Summer!!

1 comment:

  1. A friend of my family did these lessons with her son and liked it. Below is the link of their final swim lessons if anyone wants to see how it works. They did them in their full winter/summer clothes to practice with clothes on because that is normally what they would be wearing if they were to accidentally fall in.

    http://stuwilsonfamily.blogspot.com/2008/06/final-swim-lessons.html

    ReplyDelete