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Swim Lessons

9/15/2014

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I am writing this entry because I have safety on my mind.  A local child drowned this past Labor day.  He was a student at the school I taught at.  It is the second child in this calendar year that has been lost to drowning at my former school.  It scares me to think about the number of children and adults who cannot swim or at least rescue themselves in a water environment.  It is very important that parents teach their children to swim or how to rescue themselves in South Florida.  There is water everywhere!  The following is an account of our experience with swim lessons.  We have experience with two drastically different programs.

United States Swim Academy

     When my son was four months old we started taking him to a free class in Coral Springs.  It was held at a local swim school which had an indoor pool.  It was a nice experience.  I got in the pool with him, we sang songs, got them used to the water, and had fun.  We were even featured in their Water Smart Baby Commercial.  At 5 months old, the freebies stopped.  I also went back to work which made it more challenging to get to the classes.  We decided to take a swim break.

     This past January we decided to re-enroll him in the program because he was nearing one year old.  With him running around we were afraid that he could possibly run in to a pool, lake, or canal.  So in late January we started going to the same swim school we had been to in the summer.  The cost was $99 a month, classes were once a week, and he progressed to Level 2 after two months.  So we paid our dues and went week after week.  My son would cry every time I put him on his back. He would cry when he did the monkey crawl on the wall.  The only time he wouldn't cry was when I was holding him.  June came around, I took a leave from my job and I was home with him every day.  I had more time to think and realized that my son wasn't progressing at the pace we had hoped.  $600 later and his only real skill was holding on to the wall of the pool.  He was unable to float, unable to swim, and unable to much of anything for himself in the water.  We stopped going to the classes at the end of June.  I then set out on a search for one on one lessons instead of group/ mommy and me lessons.
Itty Bitty Swimmers
ISR with Liz Goldring


     I had heard about ISR for a while.  I thought that it wasn't for us.  It sounded very regimented, very demanding, and very expensive.  In the middle of this past summer I decided to go watch an ISR lesson at the local YMCA.  I watched three lessons that day.  I never once saw anything objectionable.  ISR seems to have a reputation for being harsh.  We found nothing of the sort happening during the lessons.  So I did some research on it.  It boiled down to most kids would be able to self-rescue themselves after about six weeks of lessons.  Now six weeks of lessons meant every day, for five days a week.  Each lesson is about ten minutes in length, so it isn't overwhelming for the child.  I thought that driving to the pool every day for six weeks would get annoying, I didn't mind it.  After a week and a half my son stopped whining during lessons.  Personally, I think he was whining because he was with someone he didn't know.  Once he became comfortable with Liz he began running to the side of the pool and smiling at her before lessons.  My son graduated from ISR this past Friday.  $730 later, my son swims, floats, and best of all, smiles!
Here is the summary of how it works.  
  • BUDS.  Each day you fill out a form tracking your child's bowel movements, urination, diet, and sleep.  No eating before class and certain foods are recommended to be avoided on lesson days.
  • Lessons every week day for 10 minutes on average.
  • Lessons for approx. 6 weeks.
  • During the final week your child will practice their skills wearing summer clothes and winter clothes.
  • The opportunity to get in the water with your child so the instructor can show you the best ways to work with your child after lessons have been completed.  As you can see in the video below I was able to work with Connor :)
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RearFace those Babies & Toddlers!

8/12/2014

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     This is one of the few soapbox topics I have.   I vaccinate my kid (and have no problem with people who choose not to); breastfeeding is best but it doesn't work out for some people, neither mother should be shamed for their situation; and co-sleeping works for some and not others.  To each their own.  I have friends in all different places on the mommy map.  All of our kids will turn out just fine.  But, one thing I have a hard time understanding is the range of opinions on car seat safety! Apparently 3 out of 4 children are not in their seat properly or are in the wrong type of seat entirely!  The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends rear facing until at least two, longer if the seat allows for it.  

     Below is an info-graphic from the NHTSA.  It shows the recommended age ranges.  Within each range, the farther to the right, the safer the kid.
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Birth - 12 Months
Your child under age 1 should always ride in a rear-facing car seat. There are different types of rear-facing car seats: Infant-only seats can only be used rear-facing. Convertible and 3-in-1 car seats typically have higher height and weight limits for the rear-facing position, allowing you to keep your child rear-facing for a longer period of time.

1 - 3 Years
Keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. It's the best way to keep him or her safe. Your child should remain in a rear-facing car seat until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat's manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, your child is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness.

4 - 7 Years
Keep your child in a forward-facing car seat with a harness until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat's manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the forward-facing car seat with a harness, it's time to travel in a booster seat, but still in the back seat.
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A Common Reason for Turning a Kid too Soon
     Believe it or not, your child is safer sitting rear-facing with their legs froggy style, criss-cross applesauce, or hanging over the sides than turning them to face forward.  There is a saying that goes along with this as well- "Cast It or Casket"
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LATCH or Belt, Not both!
     I used to think that using both the seat belt and LATCH together will secure the seat better.  In fact it works against your favor because the seat does not have any rebound or wiggle room.  Choose one or the other, if you have a choice.  In my RDX I do not have a choice.  My son's seat is in the middle so that he is away from any side impact.  The RDX does not allow LATCH borrowing.  Meaning I can only use the seat belt to install the Marathon in the middle position.  If you don't know about LATCH borrowing, he's a quick explanation.  Many cars have LATCHES on the outboard seats and not the center position.  Some cars will allow you to use the LATCH from the side seats to secure a car seat in the middle, but most do not!
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Bent legs are A-Okay!
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Britax Marathon secured by the seat belt, not LATCHES.
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What About the A/C?
We had an air flow problem, then I found out about the Noggle.  What a life saver!  If your car, van, or SUV doesn't have rear vents you can buy an attachment called the Noggle that will direct the airflow to your kiddo.  Check out my little guy with his.
And now I will step down off of my soap box and get back to regular life :)
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    After teaching elementary school for nine years I was given the opportunity to stay home with my son. To learn more about what brought me to this point- read my About Nicole page.  This blog is dedicated to the adventures of being a stay at home mom and how to fill the days with fun and love.

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