Our Mommy and Me Swim Class Experience

You all may remember when I blogged some months ago about wanting to begin the Mommy and Me swim class at our neighborhood YMCA.  Chase was around three months then, which was the minimum age for enrollment, and I was so pleased to have discovered an infant swim class that started so early.  I excitedly shared the news with Derek (expecting him to be equally thrilled), and he was... that is, until I told him where the classes were to be held.  He very quickly vetoed this plan... 

He stated that this particular Harlem Y was a "suspect" establishment and he didn't want our baby taking his lessons there (that's the kind version, lol).  Apparently, in addition to offering lessons to kids, this Y also houses homeless men - lots of them.  Not judging or anything, but..... Moreover, Derek described how local ne'er-do-wells can frequently be seen loitering around the building. I was of course turned-off, but also a little skeptical (since Derek has been known to exaggerate) and needed to see for myself.  We visited one day and, sure enough, the area was rather seedy and the building dingy and run down.  I didn't even need to go inside.  I was frustrated and a little sad that swim classes had to be delayed, but Derek promised to find a more suitable venue for us.

Fast-forward several months ahead... so Derek found a really wonderful swim school near his job in mid-town Manhattan!  We called them up to find out more about the program and they were super nice on the phone!  What's even better is they are quite affordable.  We quickly enrolled Chase in their Swimfants Class (for ages 6-15 months), held  Saturday mornings at 9:00 am.

Skills Attained:
Familiarity with the water

Beginning breath control

Begin submersions and back-floating

Description:
This
class is the introduction to the aquatic environment. Through
exploration and age-appropriate games the child learns about water
pressure and beginning breath control. This fun, structured class
facilitates the learning process through movement, sound, and tactile
stimulation. The student/teacher ratio is 6 to 1.

Today was our first class!  We arrived on time and, per instructions, made sure Chase had on his swim diaper and trunks.  The temperature of the pool was 90 degrees, and I was really glad about that.  I was definitely a bit nervous, because I wanted very much for Chase to enjoy the experience, but also excited.  As he's gotten older he enjoys bath time more and more, but that's in a small space and with both mommy and daddy holding him securely. Chase has a "thing" about boundaries and being able to see/feel them... it's hard to describe, but he likes to feel safe and contained, in a visibly present way.

Anyway, so the class began promptly at 9:00 am (very impressed by that - no bootleg operations over here!).  There were about five other babies and their parents (one dad, which I thought was cool!)  The other moms/dads were sooo nice and the babies so cute and confident in the water!  There was a small range of ages, with Chase right in the middle.  The other babies were apparently "veteran" swimmers who had been enrolled in the class last session.



Chase adapted to the pool well!  This was his very first tine in a pool ever, and he was a natural - he really seemed to feel at one with the water. 



Initially our instructor had indicated that she would wait to begin submersion with Chase, but he did so well that she felt comfortable going forward with it.  Wow, that is when the fun really began for Chase.  Derek got that first underwater submersion recorded, and you can see that, once the initial surprise wears off, he is so tickled with the experience.  I noticed that before the instructor (and parents) dip the baby under, they say, "1-2-3 Bubbles!" then they blow out their cheek, and submerge. Little bit of classical conditioning - love it!!!



The class was so organized and structured, yet loads fun!  Lots of songs and nursery rhymes, games, and water play. I don't know who was having more fun - the kids or the parents! *smile*


  
Aaaah, the entire experience was great!  I'm so glad we're doing this.  I think the lessons will help with his coordination and
strength as he learns to walk.  And of course, it's never too early for him
to learn swimming/water safety. 



I spoke with a few folks
who did similar "Mommy and Me" swimming programs, and each of them
noted that the classes seemed to foster a new found sense of
self-esteem and independence in their little ones.  It seems that as a
child’s ability to freely move through the water increases so does
their sense of confidence and well-being.



I loved the class so much and it by far exceeded my expectations.  I'm so looking forward to next week!  Moms (and dads) if you haven't enrolled in a parent-and-me class with your little one yet.... I'd highly recommend it!

Whew!!!  I can't believe I finally finished this post (I've been working on it since noon today). *smile*  Be sure to check out my YouTube channel, as I uploaded lots of new videos from today!

CLICK HERE to return to the Homepage.