Swimming With Aqua-Tots

It’s becoming that time of the year where the weather is getting warmer, and pools are about to open. All of us mamas start to think about our kids swimming in their pool and wondering about their safety. We want our kids to love the water, respect it, be cautious, and know how to swim well!

Five weeks ago, both of my girls started their very first swim lessons at Aqua-Tots here in Charlotte. When I signed them up, I was made very well aware of what was going to happen in the lessons, and that they’d probably be a little nervous the first two weeks, but the third or fourth week would most likely be better. They’re a pro-submersion swim school, which I love. I have no clue how to teach a kid how to swim under water, and I know that Hallen just listens to teachers better than me sometimes.

Sure enough, Hazel went under the first week. She didn’t like it, but I didn’t expect her to. Hallen got her chin wet, and then the second week she went fully under. I was SO surprised by how comfortable Hallen felt in the water. Hazel cried the whole 30 minutes for the first two weeks, and maybe only 15 minutes the third week! So, a little improvement for sure!

Hallen comes home every single week talking about how brave she is, and what she accomplished in the water. She was so excited when she swam to the bottom of the pool and grabbed the ring! Today, she came home and said, “mom, I didn’t grab the ring today, but I touched it! I was still so brave!” That just made my heart swell up! These lessons aren’t just teaching her how to swim, but they’re instilling confidence and self-love into my babies. We also bought her a new suit and her very own goggles to start off her 5th week. She was shaking with excitement when we got there!

Today before her lessons, I even asked her if she wanted to go to the beach and swim with her cousin, showing her how to swim under the water (we’re going in a couple weeks), and she responded, ” No, mommy! I want to go to my swim lessons with my friends…and my teacher in the blue shirt!”

I expected Hallen to hate the swim lessons and Hazel to love them, just because of their personalities, but Hallen seriously loved them from day one. The fourth week was the BEST for Hazel. She had a smile on her face, giggled throughout the lesson, and didn’t swallow any water when she went under! She couldn’t go in today, because of her minor surgery last week, but she’ll be in the water next week for sure! I want her new found love of swimming to stay.

In the classes, they teach every age group the safety rules and how to respect water. Both Hallen and Hazel know to grab onto the wall now, and “monkey” their hands down the wall until they find the stairs or the little safety bench to sit on in the water. I couldn’t give their teachers higher praises for how patient they are with them (especially those first couple weeks of Hazel’s non-stop crying 😬). The classes are structured the same each week where the kids can build on their skills that they’ve learned, but know what to expect as well. And I’m all about structure and routine!

Y’all! I didn’t know that they would pick it up that quickly, but to see such a quick change in both skill an demeanor, I am just upset we didn’t start these lessons sooner. We’re definitely going to keep the lessons up year round. Right now, the girls only go once a week, because I only found one overlapping time slot that worked for both of them to be in the pool at the same time, but it’s recommended to go twice a week, so that they learn quicker. Hopefully, we’ll be able to do that one day. I’ve honestly never seen Hallen so excited to go to an activity…and deny the beach! Ha!

I’m thrilled to see the growth that’s to come with both of them. Pools open this week here in the Carolinas, so I know that these lessons will really pay off.

And if you read this far, you’re in for a treat!

***NEW and RETURNING customers (cannot currently be enrolled) can get 10% off your FIRST month’s tuition just by mentioning my name (Kristina Williams) at the Charlotte, NC locations! That’s huge! And I promise you won’t regret it! Maybe we’ll be in the same class 🙂 Learning to swim is crucial, so I really encourage you to take this opportunity with Aqua-Tots! ***

Shop Hallen’s suit and goggles: