When my Turtle became a Shark!

Sebastian has been swimming with Turtle Tots since he was a few weeks old and his water confidence keeps going from strength to strength.

A few months ago he went through a bit of a wobbly stage about being underwater and was physically resist being put under the water but it seems he is back to his best and is as happy under the water as he is on top of it. If your child is having a wobbly phase my advice is to persevere as they will get through it.

Sebastian is now at the Level 4 stage in the Toddler program and our lessons have changed progressively over the last few weeks and we are now focussing on swimming with floatation aids. We started with a woggle and we went very quickly from me guiding him around the pool to him jumping in from the side on to the woggle and swimming across the pool to me unaided.

Turtle Tots

In the last two weeks we have started having some lesson time with the Swimfin, which is a floatation device which is strapped around his body and sits on his back. Swimming with the Swimfin or back pack is very different to swimming with a woggle as Sebastian has to learn to reposition his body and point his legs downwards which in turn will keep his head out of the water.

On our first session, he really didn’t like it and hang onto me for dear life to stop his face going in the water, but on our second attempt he was more confident and was happy to hold just one hand.

Turtle Tots

We did have a couple of face in the water incidents but he came back out giggling so seemed unfazed by it all. You can see he is already starting to change his position in the water but he needs to build up his core strength to hold it there.

We spent around 10 minutes using the Swimfin and then it was back to the woggle, chasing Konfidence swim balls around the pool, singing songs and leaping off floating mats. We have also started jumping in the pool to Jaz, our swimming teacher, without any aids at all. She then lifts him up, we simulate a big breath to encourage him to take in air and then he swims to me unaided. I am only two or three feet away, but to see him swimming unaided at just 2 years old is really impressive.

I cannot wait to see what the next term brings!

10 thoughts on “When my Turtle became a Shark!”

  1. Ah, how lovely that his confidence has grown – he looks so cute with that little fin on his back, amazing what they have to help to learn to swim these days! My dad just threw me in the water :p

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  2. Wow, he is doing really well. I used to take my boys weekly from 4 weeks old until they were around 6. There is something joyous about seeing kids having fun in the water

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  3. I really really need to start Wilf at swimming lessons! I was so good on mat leave and used to take him to water babies but life got busy and I stopped going when he was about a year. I think it might be something Tom starts up with him again when the baby is born! x

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