The Learn to Swim with Miss DVD can give parents knowledge to teach their children to be safe in the water from their first bath. Many parents don't think about swimming until their child can walk. But early water safety skills can save your baby's life! The most basic skill is for your baby to be familiar with having water on the face, knowing not to swallow water. Even without going to swimming lessons, parents can play games with their baby in the tub and pool that can save their life.
Babies can hold their breath for even more than 2 minutes! This is longer than adults. Many drowning rescues occur in that time frame. If a baby can hold his breath, he will survive. The Learn to Swim with Miss Bea DVD has many more activities for the bathtub and for the swimming pool for children up to 4 years old.
Don't wait till you child is ready to swim; there are things you can do to make your child want to swim, even if your child is scared of the water. You may believe that you can't teach your own child, but that is simply not true! Parents will feel confident in teaching their own children following the simple step by step demonstrations by parents and their children on the DVD.
Two twelve year old boys started a nonprofit organization called Goggles for Guppies. They are making a big difference, one child at a time. Here is the Goggles for Guppies facebook page When you watch the video, watch especially the first and last parts.
This is from the Goggles for Guppies website: Goggles
for Guppies, a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation, was founded in 2011 by
southern California twin swimmers Chris and Matt Hales. We are a
volunteer organization that distributes donated swim equipment to
underprivileged children while providing community service opportunities
for athletes as well as for intermediate and high school students who
need to fulfill their community service requirements for graduation. Since
our beginning, we have distributed well over $250,000 worth of swim
suits, caps and goggles to encourage underprivileged children to learn
to swim. We solicit and accept all sizes of donations of unsold
inventory from sporting goods manufacturers, distributors and retailers
for distribution to learn-to-swim programs throughout America that
provide basic, life-saving swimming skills to disadvantaged kids. Today,
we are proud to be the exclusive distributor of donated swim equipment
for the USA Swimming Foundation's Make-A-Splash initiative.
Goggles
for Guppies, a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation, was founded in 2011 by
southern California twin swimmers Chris and Matt Hales. We are a
volunteer organization that distributes donated swim equipment to
underprivileged children while providing community service opportunities
for athletes as well as for intermediate and high school students who
need to fulfill their community service requirements for graduation.
Since
our beginning, we have distributed well over $250,000 worth of swim
suits, caps and goggles to encourage underprivileged children to learn
to swim. We solicit and accept all sizes of donations of unsold
inventory from sporting goods manufacturers, distributors and retailers
for distribution to learn-to-swim programs throughout America that
provide basic, life-saving swimming skills to disadvantaged kids. Today,
we are proud to be the exclusive distributor of donated swim equipment
for the USA Swimming Foundation's Make-A-Splash initiative.
"The Make-A-Splash initiative has experienced exponential growth since its
inception in 2007 and has granted $2.5 million to provide free or
reduced cost swimming lessons to children who might not otherwise have
the chance. To date, more than 1.5 million kids have received the
life-saving gift of swim lessons through the Make-A-Splash Local Partner
network, comprised of more than 550 qualified lesson providers across
the nation".
Here is their facebook page and video that highlights their efforts. Be a part of it!
TAKE STEPS TO BE SAFER AROUND THE WATER
- Learn to Swim!
- Follow pool rules.
- Never swim alone. Use the buddy system and choose locations with certified lifeguards whenever possible.
- If someone in the water is in trouble, reach, throw, but don’t go!
WHY MAKE A SPLASH? - Drowning is the 2nd leading cause of childhood accidental death
- Ten people drown each day in the U.S.
- Seven out of ten African-American children cannot swim
- Six out of ten Hispanic children cannot swim
- 40% of Caucasian children have low or no swimming ability
- Children from non-swimming households are eight times more likely to be
at-risk of drowning
- Participation in formal swim lessons can reduce the likelihood of childhood drowning by 88%.
BABIES UNDER 6 MONTHS:The swimming reflex makes
babies look like they are swimming. Babies will naturally move their
arms and legs underwater. You won't need to teach your baby any
underwater motions. That is why you want to start your baby swimming
very young!
FOR CHILDREN 6 MONTHS TO 2 YEARS OLD:
If your baby doesn't naturally kick, get low in the water and have him lean on your shoulder.
Move your baby's legs up and down at the knees while you walk backwards.
Have another adult move your baby's legs up and down.
Hold your baby securely. As your baby kicks, you walk backwards towards a toy or another person.
FOR OLDER CHILDREN NEEDING HELP: Use a floatie
Place your child's hands on the float.
Use your arms to move your child's legs up and down, bending the knees, flopping the feet, while moving to a toy.
Try to achieve a happy medium of bending and splashing.
You can also place your arm just above your child's knees to prevent his legs from going too deep.
You child will continue to kick until he reaches the toy. This is the beginning of swimming!
FOR OLDER CHILDREN A BETTER KICK:
Hold the child facing you. Have the child kick really hard, while you pretend to crash the wall.
Hold the child under the arms and tell him to kick to the toy while you walk toward the toy.
Have the child push off the steps and kick to you getting in a horizontal position.
I had my own swimming lesson business in my back yard for over 30 summers! If you have a pool you might be able to have your own swimming lesson business. I can help you!
In this article by Aquatics International swimmers are encouraged to "Jump in!
The industry has lucrative careers for young people passionate about swimming."
If you want to make it a full time career, I agree with the article that it is complicated and can be expensive to start. But, you can do this for the summers only and don't have to invest a lot of money.
"Once you’ve decided you can handle the high-octane environment that is a
swimming business, you’ll need to thoroughly explore all the options.
Opportunities in this industry aren’t often exposed, resulting in a
highly unrecognized career path. However, there are multiple arenas out
there, and you must be brave enough to step out of your comfort zone to
scrutinize each one individually and determine what is right for you."
From my own experience, I had very little overhead and lots of profit. I can teach you how to keep it simple and fun! I am retired and not in the pool teaching swimming myself any more. I want to help others now. I have my dvd with the swimming lesson steps, for the instructors and parents and time. I would also love to have excuses to travel and would come to your town for free advertising when you start.
Why? "The most common reason people give for their love affair
with swimming instruction is the instant gratification factor. You can
teach a child to read, play music and dance ballet, which are all great
things, but they also are long-term processes that can take years to
acquire. With swimming, however, one day the child is frightened; the
next day, they can do it. It’s the best feeling in the world, which is
perhaps why it draws people back year after year." Email me or call me!
When it’s time for baby’s
first bath we get nervous because the baby is slippery, she might get cold, we
have to be careful about her belly button.When we google "baby’s first bath” we find all kinds
of suggestions and rituals.But I
know that my baby was in a liquid environment for 9 months, why shouldn’t he
love his bath?I would get all prepared
and go for it!
So, how best to approach
the baby’s first bath? This is Julie's story:
My baby was born in January and it was cold so I
put a space heater in the bathroom until the bathroom was toasty warm.Then I filled the baby tub about 5
inches with water that felt warm to my elbow (because I read that
somewhere).Then I laid my baby
into the baby tub that holds her in a reclined position and covered her with
the “babyluve towel” (a great gift from my aunt).
I promise you that she seemed to give me the most peaceful
look.She just laid there!! I sang
to her and talked to her as I poured more warm water over her chest to keep the
towel warm.When I washed her
gently, I was confident as she kept her eyes on mine.Good thing Daddy was around to help me get her out of the
tub with her hooded towel.Then we
wrapped her up in several warm blankets.Until I felt that she was dry and her body “normal”.I’m glad that she didn’t pee on
me.Next time I will put a diaper
under her bottom with theblankets just in case.
In later baths I started
to gently pour water on her face with a washcloth and wipe her nose so she
would get used to water on her eyes and face.Then with a small cup, I would count to three and pour about
one ounce of water over her face.Then, gently wipe her nose.
This week was the first chance I've had to take Caroline swimming. It's been about 8 weeks since we last went to the indoor pool. I was so worried that she had forgotten and would not want to get in the water with me. She knew just where we were and to enter the water where it's like a beach. Oh no! she did not want to go under the water nor swim to me like she was willingly doing the last time we were there. But I did not give up! I had to swim to her under the water lots of times, get the toy from the bottom and watch her walk all over the shallow end. Finally I just carried her to the deeper water and let her push my head under the water. Well, she did that over and over and over. Finally she started to have fun herself and soon she was jumping in the water just like before.
We were in the pool for about an hour and she cried when it was time to go get out. She wanted to jump in to the part that I couldn't reach. I think that she was remembering jumping off the diving board at her other grandma's house. Watch the video of her jumping and swimming to the side at 2 years old.
I can't wait until Summer when we can go swimming more often and she can develop her swimming skills. Right now I just want her to be able to start at the same place we left off last summer. I can't take her swimming more often because the indoor pool is pretty far away.
But I know that is is worth all the effort we are taking this winter so that she doesn't forget and will be ready for more when it warms up outside.
The sunrise on St. Simon's Island this winter reminds me that there is a Spring coming! Just like the tide, the seasons change and soon it will be Spring and Summer again. Time to think about swimming lessons.
Hopefully you have been "swimming" in the bathtub.
If you haven't taken your child swimming all winter - do it soon! Your child may have already forgotten much of what he learned. You need to treat the time at the pool as a new adventure! Don't have expectations. Your child will look at the water with more mature eyes. His attitude of joy and excitement will depend on you! Show him how you like the water. Go under the water first and swim to him. Laugh and enjoy it.
Turn on my Learn to Swim with Miss Bea dvd, and watch it again and again and your child will see himself in one of the kids that are having fun and learning how to swim.
