Summers Are for Swimming
Today’s blog post is in partnership with Sunsational Swim School to educate about drowning prevention through swim lessons. Did you know that drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children age 5 and under? And 88% of these deaths could have potentially been prevented with formal swimming lessons and water safety education.
A mother in my community lost her little girl in a drowning accident, and it was in a group setting with multiple caregivers present. A majority of drowning accidents happen in children’s own pool, and 9 out of 10 of these incidents happen while a caregiver is present. These statistics haunt me. Drowning prevention is something I am extremely passionate about, and I am excited to do my part in spreading the word. And sharing some cute bathing suits for the fam while I’m at it! 😉 Sorry that was my attempt at adding some light-heartedness.
My suit + hat | Lily’s suit | Max’s suit
I grew up in Bakersfield, which if you are not familiar is in central California and freakin’ hot. In high school, we even had “hot days” where we had to go home early because temperatures were in the 100’s. One of my favorite things to do in the summer was swim. I would literally spend all day, every day in the pool. My best friend and I would make up synchronized swimming routines (probably to Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” LOL) and practice for hours. Some of my best childhood memories involve swimming.
Now that I have kiddos, I want them to be able to enjoy swimming like I did. Unfortunately some of my personal feelings about swimming have changed. Superficially, I no longer like getting my hair wet. Yes, I am that mom, But deeper, I have an enormous fear and anxiety about my kiddos drowning. Especially Max, because he isn’t swimming yet.
Max started his swim lessons just this summer, and he is 4. At Sunsational Swim School, you can start as early as 6 months. My stepdaughter Lily is 10, and she is a good swimmer but never had any formal lessons. We would like to get Max swimming before the end of summer and improve Lily’s stroke and technique so she is a more confident swimmer.
Sunsational Swim is the biggest provider of in-home private swim lessons in the Unites States. We don’t own a pool (which for me is a relief), so they come teach at our community pool. They have instructors across the U.S., and the instructors are trained, certified in CPR, and background checked. They offer a swim guarantee for kids ages 3 and up which is so very cool.
We set up the schedule based on our availability, and the teacher spends 30 minutes with Max one-on-one while Lily free swims. And then Lily has her 30 minute lesson while Max plays in the kiddie pool. Our instructor Katie is super sweet, and both kiddos really like her and have already learned so much in just a few lessons. It’s especially amazing to see Max go from not swimming at all (I had his floatie super-glued to him anytime we were at the pool LOL) to being able to dive for rings and float on his back.
I didn’t know this before we started Max’s swim lessons, but a lot of the training surrounds what to do if you accidentally fall in the pool. It only takes a few minutes (and two inches of water!) for an accident to occur. It is a great peace of mind knowing the kids have this skill set. I am thrilled with the results of the lessons so far, and I will keep you guys posted when Max actually starts swimming. He is making great progress from lesson to lesson… it’s really fun to watch!
Thank you so much for stopping by the blog for today’s post! xo, Missy
Photos by Sara Tinnelly.
In collaboration with Sunsational Swim School. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
