When we bought a house with a pool in 2010, we had a 2-year-old daughter and a son on the way. Before we even moved, I’d lay awake at night thinking about the pool and the danger it posed to my children. The statistics are scary. The Texas Department of Family and Protective services reports there have been 19 child drownings in the state already in 2012. There were a total of 90 in 2011 and 78 in 2010. When you look at the statistics, most drownings occur with children 3 years of age and under and in a pool.
I knew the steps we could take to help prevent drowning: install a fence, cover the pool, put an alarm on the door, have high locks on all doors that lead to the pool, and of course, enroll the kids in swimming lessons. So, as soon as we moved, I started asking other moms in the area where to go for lessons. I’m so thankful I had a friend that referred me the Floating Kiwis Swimming School.
Floating Kiwis Swimming School is an Infant Aquatics swim school that provides survival swimming lessons to children in the Dallas area. When I first looked at the website, I was skeptical that my 2-year-old, Chloe, could learn to float in only 4-5 weeks. But, my friend’s children had all been through the program and she said it worked for them, so we signed up and started lessons soon after we moved. We went Monday-Thursday for 15 minutes per day.
Well, by the end of week five, Chloe was able to float and breathe for an infinite amount of time. She was also able to swim to the side of the pool and get out without assistance. It was truly amazing what all she had learned. Was it hard to watch? Yes. She screamed {loudly} through every lesson. Did this cure all of my anxiety about the pool? Certainly not. But, did it make me know that if she were to get outside by herself she would have a fighting chance? Yes. Now, three years later, we are believers in survival swim lessons. Chloe, now four-years-old, just finished her third year with Mrs. Tracey, and you should see her now! She is swimming like a fish and is so confident in the water. She has learned to swim, float, swim and is having so much fun in the pool this summer. And Jack, our 2-year-old son, is now in his second year of lessons and is doing great! We are hopeful that he will pass the “survival test” in the next couple of weeks. This is where teacher puts him in the water with his clothes on to show that if he were to fall in, he would float and call for help. We are so thankful for Mrs. Tracey and what she has done for our children! I can’t say enough about what a great experience we’ve had at Floating Kiwis Swimming School.
If you are a little skeptical {like I was}, go here and read stories from other clients telling about their great experiences with survival swim lessons. And, here are a few more quotes from parents that have enrolled their children in Tracey’s classes:
Had to tell you the interesting thing that happened in Florida…First night we were at the pool Paige was “exploring” the steps…there were three, She was walking (squatting) back and forth on the middle step teaching her doll to swim (on tummy and then floating, then loving it and patting it on the back.) We are all right there but she steps backwards and the next thing we know she is floating. Since I was actually closest & in the water, I praised her float then rescued her. YOU DID GOOD!!!!!!!! Karin, Grandmother of Paige 18 months and Graham, 33 months.
First I wanted to thank you for every thing you have done for Grant, Reese, and me, too! I have always known deep down that I was doing the right thing, but there were definitely times of doubt because of Grant’s reaction to swimming You helped both of them swim & taught them the skills they need for “survival” and also continually gave me confidence & reassurance that I was doing the right thing. You helped me see the line between being sensitive to Grant’s fears & not “feeding” into them. So a big thank you to you!!! I also HAD to tell you we went to the pool tonight and Grant decided on the way he was going to swim in the big pool. By the time we left he was jumping off the side & swimming to Reid. Reese also did everything he did. If he swam to the steps, she swam to the steps…it was AMAZING!!! a definite breakthrough night. Jenny, mother of Grant 4, Reese 20 months
We cannot tell you enough how impressed we are with how much Grace learned in your class… this weekend, she did SO good swimming underwater to us AND was flipping over to float when she realized we were farther away than she could make it. All the family in town was blown away by how much she could do at 18 months old! – Jamie, mother to Grace
If you are contemplating enrolling your child in survival swim lessons, take a look at Tracey’s website. It is full of information and includes a slideshow and videos of students during swim class. Taking our kids to survival swim lessons with Tracey was one of the best decisions we’ve made for them. I sleep a little better now knowing they have the skills not only to swim, but also float, breathe, and survive!
*NOTE* Dallas Moms Blog was not compensated in any way by Floating Kiwis Swimming School. I just wanted to share with you my positive experiences in hopes that it might help you make a decision in enrolling your child in survival swim lessons.
It only works if you keep practicing!! Spent $600 and 2 months later my daughter couldn’t do anything she learned and became terrified of the water. We had done ISR classes.