Swimbabes

Last year for Christmas, Grandma Doris gave Riley and Tyson swim lessons through a program called Swimbabes (swimbabes.net). The focus is on infant/toddler swim survival skills, so eventually the kids can learn to jump in the water fully clothed and turn to their backs to float for at least 5 minutes. The course the kids are in right now start at the basics and will teach them to turn and float on their backs for a 10 second count, in case they ever fall or walk into water over their heads. We'll take them two nights a week (Mon. and Wed.) for the next four weeks and hopefully be able to continue on with lessons beyond that.

When we attended the initial safety seminar on Saturday, we brought Cooper along rather than getting a babysitter. He just sat quietly in his carrier next to the pool, but the instructor commented that he was at the perfect age for the program... It was actually amazing to watch video of such young babies swimming and floating on their backs with their head above water. I suppose they lived in water until they were born, so it would seem more natural to them. They had openings for the infant course on Wednesday, a half an hour after the kids' class, so we signed Cooper up! I'm a little nervous, but I think it will be great for him- I can already tell it's going to be wonderful for Riley and Tyson! They both did really well tonight. The one drawback to the program is there are no cameras allowed while the kids are doing the lesson, only on the "Blue Ribbon Day" when they achieve the goal of turning over on their own in the water and floating independently for 10 seconds. So, hopefullly I'll have a few "Blue Ribbon" photos to post in the near future!