I'm going to eat your fingers - shark

Once your child will willingly glide underwater to another person, we can say that he is "swimming"!  Now your job is to have your child gain more control in the water.  He is not water safe, and needs you every second.

Thanks to my friend Linda for sending me this video that I want to share with you.  Here, little Andrew is being a shark.  Listen as Andrew yells: "I eat your fingers"  while he swims back and forth between Grandma and Daddy, never tiring, doing more and more.

Practice Swimming in the Ocean

Children need to feel confortable swimming in any type of water: pool, ocean, or lake.  Practice with them and teach them how to be safe always enjoying every moment!

Watch my grandchildren practice swimming in the ocean on St. Simons Island, Georgia.

Baby sees YOU under the water when he swims to you!

The underwater world is strange to a baby and has weird sounds.  Everything is blurry if you don't wear goggles.  It can sometimes be scary to a young child.  But if he sees your face when he is under the water he will get excited and forget all his troubles.  Your child will just kick and dig and have fun while "swimming" to your face!

Don't worry about your hair, or makeup.  It is all worth it! You will be amazed at how he will love going under the water!  And the best thing is that after a few times it won't matter if your are under there or not.  Your child will love it!

Water Safety Month- Teach your baby to swim!

May is National Water Safety Month.  

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.

Order today.

What do Googles for Guppies and Make a Splash have in common?

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%.

How to teach kids to kick effectively when swimming

The Kick:

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.
• Do The Bumper Fish
• Have the child jump in and kick to you, making sure that he splasheswith his feet.
• To strengthen the kick, try "the rocket" in the Swim Solo lesson. 

  

Start your own Swimming Business?

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!

Baby's First Bath

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 the blankets 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.

Now are we ready for the pool?

 

Not forgetting to love the water during the winter months!

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.

Go Swimming, Don't let your child forget!

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.