This post was sponsored by SwimWays as part of an Ambassador Program for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
The water has been a huge part of my life and my husband’s life. We both grew up constantly on the lake, at the pool, or at the beach. I swam competitively for over 10 years, and well, we LOVE the water. Our kids learning how to swim at a young age is very important to us. We are always by water, so we want to focus on safety first and share our love of water with them. As National Learn to Swim day approaches on May 19th, we have been talking more and more about our kids journey with learning to swim.
We have already introduced Brooke to the water at an early age and we are beginning the first stages of teaching her principles of swimming. This summer, Baby Kevin is entering into the next phase in his introduction to the water and we are excited to see how does! We decided to introduce our babies to the water in two phases:
Phase 1: The Bath
Did you know that introducing your baby to the water is perfectly fine as soon as they are old enough for a bath? Yes, thats right! The first step to swimming is getting comfortable in bath water. Of course, always in a safe environment with an adult in reach. We started out with a baby bath tub and low water until our babies could sit unassisted well. Next, we introduced our baby to sitting unassisted in the low water with floating toys. As our babies started loving playing in the bath, we taught them how to splash in the water. We also got our kids used to the feeling of water on their face by softly dripping it over their head with a wash cloth. As they got older, we then raised the water level to slowly acclimate them to feeling of being waist deep in water. We also slowly got them use to pouring water over their head. By age one, both of them loved the bath and playing in the water.
Phase 2: The Pool
The next phase for us was introducing our babies to the pool. We decided to purchase a SwimWays floaty for this experience. SwimWays is an industry leader in helping children learn to swim and promoting water safety. They also happen to have started National Learn to Swim Day in 2012 (each year it is the 3rd Saturday in May) which is dedicated to educating parents and children about water safety and the importance/benefits of learning to swim. The Baby Spring Float Sun Canopy is for babies 9-24 months. It is the #1 selling baby float in the U.S and consistently receives 4 & 5 star ratings by consumers.
We love it because it is safe and convenient. It folds flat for portability and storage in a nice carrying bag. It has great stability and fabric covered inflation with a soft mesh seat. The SwimWays Baby Float is very durable and has safety valves and dual air chambers for enhanced security. I also like the added feature of the removable canopy with 50+ UPF sun protection to keep my baby’s skin protected! Brooke used a pink one when she was little and had an amazing first experience. However, all babies aren’t created and her brother struggled during his first pool experience. He was scared of how Brooke and Kevin jumped in the water. It took a few minutes to calm him down and start showing him he could splash in the water.
While his first experience didn’t go as well as I would have liked, I know with consistency, he will learn that is safe and fun! The whole idea is to slowly acclimate them to the water and make it a fun experience that opens the way for eventually swimming on their own. SwimWays Baby Spring Float Sun Canopy is an essential in our house for the journey of learning to swim!