Splashing- August 8, 2013
Maybe it’s because it’s Shark Week. Maybe it’s because of that scary story that came out this week about Usher’s son. But, water safety has been on my mind this week. We have decided we officially have a water baby. I swear our child is part fish. She LOVES being in the pool. She loves summer and our little daredevil is happy to push away from us as she learns to jump off the side of the pool into our cautiously open arms. I in no way want to squash this enthusiasm. I love the fact that my 2 1/2 year-old loves kicking, blowing bubbles and dunking her whole head in the water. I remember to my younger sister wailing during swim lessons at the pool because she didn’t want to get her face wet. I was far from a super swimmer myself, even though I was on the swim team for a few years.
As my daughter grins and giggles, inside I am reeling with anxiety that she will go under and we will not be able to get to her. I have horrible flashbacks to my early days of motherhood with Postpartum Depression when I was forever worried that she would drown in a pool, the ocean 2 hours away, lakes 20 miles away, the bath, a puddle or a heavy rain. I often let my husband take the lead on swimming in the big pool. I usually relax after a little while and we have a great time. The pool we joined rocks and we always have fun with neighborhood events on Friday nights.
It seems to be a trend that every toddler wears a Puddle Jumper. Have you heard of these? They’re like an arm floatie/life jacket hybrid. I felt like a sorry excuse for a suburban pool mom for not having my kid stuffed in one of these. I held off on buying any type of floatation device because I heard it stunts their swimming progress or whatever. I’ve also heard “No! You can’t buy those because then they might not know when they aren’t wearing one and jump in and sink!” Huh? I mean, I think she’s going to know when she’s wearing one. We don’t own a pool because of my anxiety. (Okay, right. We don’t own a pool because that shit is expensive and we would never clean it.) I feel like that’s a problem for pool owners. She’s never going to wander into our backyard pool and sink, nor will she ever be at the neighborhood pool by herself.
I bought a life jacket anyway. Why? Because it made me feel more secure. It reduced my mama anxiety, which made it worth every penny of $24.95. I didn’t get a Puddle Jumper because we tried arm floaties and she hated having something on her arms. I went with a Speedo life jacket for toddlers. She calls it her “puffy vest.” We had a very serious conversation about how she can float above the water with her puffy vest on and how she needs to always hold on to Mama and Daddy when she doesn’t have it on. I think she has a pretty good grasp of this concept and it has made pool time much better for me.
What do you do to ensure water safety with your little one? What do you think of my life jacket decision? Any thoughts? Did I do the right thing?
Alright, let’s get through Shark Week with no water injuries, shall we?
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I see (and don’t dispute) the logic behind not using flotation help so that they will learn to swim sooner. However, we chose to use puddle jumpers and/or water wings. My oldest son (5) is FEARLESS in the water and wanted more freedom than having to be held all the time. He was launching himself off the side of the pool before he turned 1, whether we were ready to catch him or not. And he has never slowed down. At the beach he will go out into the waves up to his chest without a second thought. Until a wave mows him down and sends him tumbling through the surf. We keep an adult on close standby and sometimes put him in a life jacket when playing in the ocean. And the lake terrifies me because you can’t see much below the surface. When we take the boat out life jackets go on when we get to the boat ramp and they don’t come off, EVER, until the boat is out of the water. Considering Travis will throw himself off the side of the boat into 25 feet of dark water, I may make him wear a life jacket until he’s 16.
After private lessons this summer he is learning to swim properly. He can jump off the side and swim a good distance across the pool but he still can’t last very long when stationary in deep water without some help. So, in summary, I think your life jacket decision is great. It eases your fears and Charlotte is happy and comfortable. She’ll learn to swim on her own when she’s ready.
Charlotte is fearless too. I’m glad I did it. I think it was the right decision. We’re going to do swimming lessons at 3. Her school has a pool and they do them at 3. I want to do them at our pool too. I want to be able to see what the instructor is teaching her so I can practice the same things with her.
My husband and I both grew up on lakes and now we have a pool in our backyard. This is the first year our daughter even attempted to climb into the pool by herself and she can’t get it into it unless we are out there because we take the steps away each and every time we get out. She wears life jackets when the boat is moving and out in deep water but when swimming near shore or in our pool she doesn’t wear one. I did buy her a puddle jumper last month for when she started wanting to jump into our pool and she liked it fine but it won’t be on every time. I guess swimming has never been a fear of mine because it has always been a part of my life. I feel horrible that I haven’t gotten her into lessons yet but I don’t think she will be harmed by that. 😉 3 is as good as time as any to start!
3 is totally fine to start lessons! That’s what we’re doing next year!
Admittedly, I got nervous when I was reading your piece.
I know. I feel you. I’m a swimmer. My husband is, as well. And so is our kiddo. But I get it. It’s a weird adjustment. I really suggest having her take some swimming lessons, you’ll be surprised at how it helps lessen YOUR anxiety to see that she knows more what she is doing.
Maybe we need to take you guys out on the lake sometime. *C* can play off the boat with *I* and their life jackets, etc. 😉
Aw! Love the lake! Totally! I think the swim lessons will help. We’ll do it next spring/summer when she’s 3.
Bill was a lifeguard on the Long Island Sound and on ocean beaches for a long time. His family is full of hard-core swimmers. He won’t let the kids wear floatation devices because of the discouraging swimming thing. He does encourage using kickboards, thiough. Every time we’re in the pool, he works with Will and John on swimming, particularly floating. Will has always been more cautious in potentially life-threatening situations while John has the death wish. In the water, we’ve let John walk off into the pool and flounder a bit (while we’re in arm’s reach) so that he can see that he cannot, in fact, breathe under water. Since then, John’s been pretty clear that you have to be careful in water.
We don’t have a boat or spend time on them. If we did, we’d wear life vests, but in the pool and ocean, our kids go floation free and they obviously aren’t in the water without us. I don’t knock other people for using floaties though. I cherish my memories of splashing around my cousins’ pool in my orange water wings. I’m not a strong swimmer, but I did eventually learn despite my floatation devices. I get the fears though. Every mom has her thing. Mine is heights. I’ve had many a nightmare/obsession/compulsion about my kids falling off piers, bridges, staircases, etc. As we speak Bill and the boys are looking in caves and exploring the Shenandoah Valley and I’ve been a nervous wreck.
Ugh! Heights are rough too. Good luck! I didn’t even think of kickboards. That’s a great idea. We’ll do formal swimming lessons next year. She’ll be 3. I think that’s perfect.
We use the puddle jumpers in the pool and then a life jacket in the lake. We made the decision based on the fact that Raegan has no fear and last year, every time she got near water she fell in. So, from the beginning they have just been a part of our swimming experience. I think both options offer the safety that we as parents are looking for and the freedom that our little dare devils are looking for. We also do swimming lessons and have talks about how “reaching & pulling” and “kicking until you reach the side”. We have done some swimming without the puddle jumpers, but only in small increments and with a talk before hand about how we don’t jump in the water or get in the water without our puddle jumpers unless we are with Mommy or Daddy. So, far it has worked. We had one scare where she was standing on the steps of the pool without the puddle jumpers on and she slipped off. I couldn’t reach her arms, so I ended up having to pull her up by her hair. Ouch – I know – Mom of the year, but that was all I could reach and think of at the moment. She came up and after swallowing the lump in my throat, I acted like it was the best thing she had done all day. She said ” I was reaching & pulling & kicking, but I wasn’t going anywhere” I told her we would continue to work on it and to let’s jump in again. She said ok. That was in the beginning of summer and she is still swimming away. I think the biggest things that we can do as parents is first help them to no be afraid of the water by giving them the swimming lessons, the safety gear, pep talks etc. And then just keep a watchful eye and help them grow into the little fish they want to be. I think you’re doing the absolute right thing because it makes you feel comfortable and therefore you aren’t pushing your fears into your child’s mind. It is all about what works for your family so kudos for making it work! Happy swimming!
Thanks! Yeah, the last thing I want to do is show my fears. I just want her to be safe. Good for Raegan! Good swimming! We’ll do swimming lessons next spring/summer. She’ll be 3. I figure that’s as good a time as any.
[…] to take them to the pool without someone with me. Charlotte swims with a flotation device due to my extreme water anxiety. We’ll start swimming lessons next summer when she’s […]