This post was sponsored by SwimWays as part of an Ambassador Program for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
Did you know that National Learn to Swim Day is on May 19th of this week? Now that I’m entering the summer season with a toddler, I am realizing that teaching her how to swim is more important than ever. Growing up, I was a summer Lifeguard and swim lessons instructor. To pass my love for the water onto my daughter is truly special to me! While I don’t expect Annie to join the swim team any time soon, my realistic expectations are for her to get comfortable in the water and be able to have safe supervised fun while swimming this summer.
We recently headed down to Galveston for a stay at Hotel Galvez and you better believe the highlight of our trip was taking a soak in their beautiful pool! We packed our Swimways float along with us and had a relaxing morning poolside. I’m sharing how I’m getting Annie comfortable in the water & on her way to learning to swim this summer with the SwimWays Baby Spring Float Activity Center below!
Tip: If you find yourself staying at Hotel Galvez any time soon, take advantage of an early morning dip in the pool. You may just have it all to yourself! We donned our suits and headed down right after breakfast and felt like we were in our own personal piece of paradise.
Say “hi” to Nana, Annie!
Right now, it’s all about getting Annie comfortable and confident in the water. We don’t have a pool at home, but we do travel a lot and will be exposed to the water quite a bit this summer. Last year, Annie did just fine when swimming but goodness gracious so much has changed in a year! This was our first pool visit in a while so we brought along our new Swimways float to make it more exciting.
A few things Annie and I are doing to get her comfortable in the water is practicing blowing bubbles, splashing with our hands and kicking her legs while I hold her. Each successful attempt is filled with oodles of praise and smiles. Seeing Annie smile back just warms my heart too! Playing with toys in the water also helps her become more comfortable and assured. For example, tossing a dive stick in 1 ft. deep water and having her pick it up on her own.
You can find more resources on how to teach children how to swim here. While I feel confident in teaching Annie to swim on my own, we truly don’t have day-to-day access to a pool. We are planning on enrolling in swim lessons at a nearby pool soon and I can’t wait to add this class to our weekly calendar!
Swimways not only creates safe and thoughtful swim floats that encourage sparking new skills, but the brand is also an industry leader in helping children learn to swim + promoting water safety. As a former lifeguard, that is something I can totally get behind! Annie’s floating in the Baby Spring Float Sun Canopy, for kiddos ages 9 to 24-months, & available at Target. It’s actually the #1 selling swim float in the country and the sun shade provides SPF 50+ which puts me even more at ease while in the water on those sunny Texas days.
What I think sets it apart from all other floats is that it comes with a little interactive play station that keeps her entertained while we’re swimming about the pool. Oh! Last but not least, if this float can’t get any better it’s also great for traveling too. It zips up into a small circle-shaped pouch for on-the-go use.
After a morning spent in the water, my mom, Annie and I relaxed poolside for a good bit. We were even able to read a handful of pages in our books thanks to an exhausted little one who was content to just sit back and chill with us. Those after swimming naps sure are great, aren’t they!?
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How have you mamas gone about teaching your little ones to swim? Swim safety is so so important and I’m so thankful that there are products available to make enjoying the water all the easier. Can’t wait for many more summertime adventures with this sweet girl! And hey, if you have a pool … want to invite us over!? haha!
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xo, alice
