Disclosure: As part of the 2013 Swim Steps Swim Team, Swimways provided products to help teach our children how to swim.
My husband never really learned how to swim, so this summer he has been determined to learn how to swim as well as teach the boys how to swim. Since we spend almost every weekend just steps from the water at my grandparents lake house; learning how to swim has been a top priority with our two young sons. For the past couple of months the boys have been learning how to swim with the SwimWays Swim Steps. Both Jacob (Step 3) & Tyler (Step 2) have been doing great and I have noticed significant progress.
Jacob Step 3 – Power Swimr Swim Trainer
Jacob has been doing such a good job kicking his feet and moving his arms so two weeks ago we took two of the pads out of Jacob’s Power Swimr Swim Trainer, and this past week we took two more out. He soon realized that he needed to kick his feet and move his arms more, in order to stay afloat. He never got scared, but instead was more proud that he was on his way to swimming by himself. He even got so confident that he wanted to jump in and try to swim without his Power Swimr, but he soon found out that he needed a little more practice.
There are eight removable flotation pads included in the Power Swim and as the child progresses you can remove the pads. Jacob is now down to four, and this weekend I plan to take out two more and see how he does.
Tyler – Step 2 -The SwimWays® Swim Vest™
Tyler has been learning how to swim with The SwimWays® Swim Vest™. He has become quite the little fish and loves to jump in. From the moment he wakes up in the morning till the moment he goes to bed, he wants to swim. When he first started using The SwimWays® Swim Vest™ his mouth would always be in the water, one time he even swallowed so much water that he got sick, but he has learned to close his mouth and to keep his head up above the water. I used to always have to tell him to close his mouth and keep his chin up, but the past couple of weeks I have not had to remind him. He’ll just swim along paddling his arms and kicking his feet.
Unlike the traditional swimmies that the boys have used in the past, the Power Swimr forces Jacob to have to move his arms or legs in order for him to stay afloat, especially now that we have taken half of the pads out. The SwimWays® Swim Vest has taught Tyler valuable pre-swimming skills including balancing while he learns how to paddle his feet and move his arms. He has caught on pretty well with the kicking and paddling and I’m excited to see him advance to Step 3. He is quite happy to be like his older brother and looks forward to learning how to swim with the Power Swimr & Sea Squirts Swim Assist Vest.
To learn more about Swimways products and the Swim Steps learn-to-swim program, visit www.Swimways.com and www.TeachMeToSwim.com.