BABY & ME

 
This is a pre-swimming class with parent participation! 
Parent and child work together with the instructors to learn skills including back floats, submersions (not forced) & rollover breathing through fun positive reinforcement, cues & lots of hugs and kisses, family environment with expert instruction.
You'll be amazed at how comfortable your child can be in water at this age.

This is also the PERFECT seque to swimming for parent and child that have already achieved the rollover to backfloat - see our ADVANCED toddler description 
  
    2013 Learn to Swim and Baby/Me schedule
   contact coachcindy@sarasotaswimacademy.org
  
Why BABY swim classes

Class Goals

DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN BEGIN TEACHING YOUR NEWBORN AS EARLY AS 1 WEEK OLD?
CHECK out the video from our friends down under at "KIDS ALIVE".......NEWBORN STAGE

The infants & toddlers enrolled range in age of 10 weeks - 36+months. 
A parent or caregiver will learn to coach their little one. Our main goal is to teach you the parent, how to teach your child, these important skills. You will learn hand holds, cues and promoting confidence in your child while they learn about their place and bouyancy in the water. 

THIS IS NOT A RACE, BUT A JOURNEY!

There is no time limit teaching these skills, but a constant daily practice, which can be viewed as playtime, with lots of hugs, kisses, smiles and positive happy reinforcement. ..
...if you do not have access to a pool...Daily practice should continue in the bathtub....independent hands, holding onto the side of the pool, back floating with ears in the water, Water on head and face.........

The pool is not a place for play.  If your child is in the pool, we urge parents to incorporate ALL SKILLS and lessons as an interactive practice, encouraging your child to work on their water adaptation, holding their breath, kicking and independent mobility on the surface of the water. 
A CHILD MUST NEVER BE IN OR NEAR WATER OF ANY KIND, WITH OUT AN ADULT'S TOTAL EYES ON SUPERVISION!

 6 skill Levels

Infants and Toddlers are taught the same skills, but are adjusted for age .

LEVEL 1. CONDITIONING: Teach the child to be comfortable in the water, to allow water on head and face. Water adaptation, Independent arms, mobility in the water, Monkey/Monkey support on side of pool 

LEVEL 2. FRONT FLOAT: Teach the child to front float, independently. Front Float with full face in the water. Teaching to hold breath/close mouth (BUBBLES IS TAUGHT AT 36+ months) , independent mobility and front float in the water.

LEVEL 3. BACK FLOAT: Teach the child to back float. Back float with full ears in the water, maintaining independent backfloat body position in the water. Toddlers may move to next skill if they are having difficulty with back float, as long as you continue to practice the back float.

LEVEL 4. SUBMERSION: Teach the child to recover from deeper water levels. Teach the child to front float to parent or poolside, introduction of kicking. "Pass the Baby" front float pass from parent to parent, parent to side of pool, parent to stairs, gradually introducing the child to deeper levels of water. 
NO more than 5 times/5 seconds submersions within a 24 hour period for INFANTS, 
when child is not yet controlling their breathing.

LEVEL 5. TURNING AND RESURFACING: Turning and independent resurfacing from side of pool to Monkey/Monkey position or resurface to a noodle. Reinforce kicking. "HUMPTY-DUMPTY FELL OFF THE WALL"

LEVEL 6. BASIC SAFETY: Safety lessons, climbing out of pool, fall in the pool to a front float and roll over to back float.

ADVANCE TODDLERS will be introduced to double paddle arm motions and kicking, proper swimming body position, streamline, etc.
Introduction to "BUBBLES", proper air exchange with blowing out breath in the water and resurfacing to take a BIG BREATH,  Station 1 in our SwimAmerica Learn to Swim curriculum. 

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS WATER SAFE!!! CHILDREN MUST BE SUPERVISED AT ALL TIMES
WHILE THEY ARE IN, AROUND & NEAR WATER!

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Infant FAQ

How old should a child be before they start swimming lessons?

There is no set age, however we recommend all parents and caregivers begin the swimming process soon after a child is born. The earlier a child is introduced to water the less chance they have of developing aqua phobia. Please read more on our 'Swim Info' page. 

What age can a child swim by themselves? 

This question needs you to define what you mean by swimming. If you mean “Dog Paddling”  without a breath, children as young as 2 years can paddle 12 feet. If you mean Freestyle, we have children under the age of 4 swimming Beginner Freestyle with breathing for 60 feet.

I have never learned to swim myself, how can I teach a child if I can't do it?

You do not need to swim to be able to teach swimming. Some of our best teachers over the years have been non-swimmers. As long as you are comfortable in the pool, and able to stand with your head above the water and move around freely, you can communicate with the child and show them the correct actions and give appropriate support.

When should I feel confident leaving my child in a pool on their own? 
Never! Accidents can happen around pools all the time, even to great swimmers. Parents and caregivers should always supervise children.

My child is scared of water and will not get into a pool, what should I do?         
Every child is different and there are many forms of fear or as we prefer to call it, a healthy caution. In general this needs to be addressed over time. We have found that the majority of children respond well when they witness other children enjoying water. This needs to be complemented with consistent, positive sessions in the pool where effort is rewarded and confidence is built.

If my child is scared should I  just wait until they get older to start swimming lessons?
In most cases No. Often the fear becomes more entrenched the older the child gets. They will simply avoid water for the rest of their lives. Addressing the problem properly with a strategy will not only get them swimming, but teach them the invaluable life lesson that difficult tasks can be overcome with hard work and patience. This does not mean forcing your child to swim. It means gradually getting them used to being in and around water, then using the correct step-by-step swim techniques to build confidence. They will also thank you next time a friend has a pool party.

Are flotation devices (floaties) a good idea for children learning to swim?

It depends on the flotation device. Sarasota Swim Academy feels anything that encourages an upright (vertical) body position only slows down the learning process, hence is a negative. Children need to learn the habit of placing their eyes into the water, creating a horizontal body position when swimming from where they can paddle to safety. Flotation devices can be great fun, however we caution against using them every time your child swims to the point where they depend on them.  We feel that noodles are a very positive tool to assist with swimming skills.

When should I use goggles, or should I leave them off?

To speed up the learning process, the Sarasota Swim Academy advises the use of goggles when teaching new or challenging swimming skills. Goggles stop eyes getting irritated allowing the child to swim longer and in comfort. The goggles also relax the child due to the ability to see where they are going, with targets becoming clearer. However for safety, children must learn to swim without goggles also. We recommend removing the goggles from time to time and see if children can perform the activities without them. Another good rule is to use goggles in lessons, and take them off in free or play time.

Why can some kids swim well while others struggle?
Everyone is born with varying abilities. Some of the things which influence swimming ability include:
Coordination, Strength, Bone density (buoyancy),  Balance,  Relaxation,  Fine motor skills,  History or past experience in and around water

INFANTS REQUIRE WARM WATER TEMPERATURE of 87 degree F or warmer. 

A 3-5 degrees F. difference between air and water temperature  

HYPONATREMIA: Infants will drink the water. Too much consumed water is extremely dangerous, convulsions & death are possible, we need to be conservative & follow this  “no more than 5 for 5 rule”.  NO more than 5 times/5 seconds submersions within a 24 hour period, when child is not yet controlling their breathing.

WE DO NOT TEACH INFANTS TO SWIM!

The GOAL of the infant class is to promote a positive response to the water environment, to teach the infant to float on their back and get a breath of air. The emphasis is on water adaptation and on training the child to react in a constructive manner should they find themselves accidentally in the water.

There is no time limit teaching these skills, but a constant daily practice, with lots of hugs, kisses, smiles and positive happy reinforcement.

The pool is not a place for play. If your child is in the pool, we urge parents to incorporate ALL SKILLS and lessons as an interactive practice, encouraging your child to work on their water adaptation, holding their breath, kicking and independent mobility on the surface of the water. NEVER MUST A CHILD BE IN OR NEAR WATER OF ANY KIND, WITH OUT AN ADULT'S TOTAL EYES ON SUPERVISION!

 THIS IS NOT A RACE,
but a journey for a more enjoyable, health, happy and safer experience