After writing about all the types of warmers that my son wore at different ages to keep him from getting cold in swimming pools, I wanted to write about the best floaters that we’ve tried. Wings and arm-floaters didn’t really work for DiploBaby, but there are other options that really helped prepare him for swimming on his own
TIPS FOR FIRST BABY’S FIRST POOL EXPERIENCE
On of my son’s first experiences of going into the pool, when he was around 6months old, was with a grandparent and they dipped into the pool too fast. He started freaking out.
Imagine you are a new human being and then suddenly you are dipped in water. You don’t understand what the feeling is.. and it’s starting to cover your whole body! It must be freaking scary!
So to help DiploBaby get comfortable with the water, we sat beside the pool together and he could see me dipping my toes and feet into the water. Babies love to copy, so he did the same and in no time he was kicking and playing with the water using his feet.
Once he was comfortable with the water. We moved to sitting on a step inside the water. I was inside the water holding him so he didn’t slip. It was very shallow and now he would touch the water with his hands.
I would tap the water with my hands and it would splash a bit. He started copying and it was a lot of fun for him. Once he was laughing and giggling I could tell him was more comfy.
This is the only time I carried him into the pool, very secure in my arms. And I was slapping the water gently and encouraged him to do the same. He was more focused on creating little ripples and splashes instead of worrying about the water that was enveloping him. The latter can be pretty scary if you are just dunked into it!
Every time we took him into a pool, we always did it this way so it’s slowly introducing him to water without overwhelming him.
SWIMAVA STARTER RING
After a few times, he became very comfortable with water. I researched the best floater for babies and found the SWIMAVA STARTER RING!
Swimava allows for free movement of arms and legs so your infant can develop this ‘treading movement’ early and naturally.
Suitable ages 3-18 months
Minimum weight 5.5kg (12lbs)
Maximum weight 13kg (29lbs)
It’s amazing! He loved it so much! I highy recommend it!
SWIMAVA BODY RING
Once he outgrew the starter ring we moved him up to the Swimava Body. Which again he loved so much! He loved jumping into the pool with it and would tread the water.
It really allowed him to be more independent and really enjoy pool time.
In conclusion, I highly recommend the Swimava floaters from the neck ring to the body ring. There are a lot of fakes or copy cats out there, which I would caution parents about because the original is something that has been tested for safety – not just the design but also the material.
WHAT’S THE NEXT STEP
Late in his 2nd year, he already wanted to remove the Swimava Body Ring and jump into the water without any floatation device. It was pretty scary because he would swallow water.
I guess he felt ready for the next step or outgrew the Body Ring already. We always take our cues from our child instead of looking to others or external metrics for what he is ready for.
We decided to start him on Swimming lessons so he can swim by himself and for our peace of mind. In Germany the ability to swim is one of the life skills that they teach in school that’s why for me it’s so strange that we are in an archipelago and there are pools everywhere, yet swimming is something that is optional to teach.
UP NEXT: AMAZING SWIMMING TEACHER FOR KIDS
READ: WARMERS & SWIM LESSONS FOR TODDLERS
SWIMAVA PH
0915 044 1369 • swimava.ph@gmail.com
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