punia@uvm-gen.UUCP (David T. Punia) (08/06/85)
Our 2 year old started a swimming program at the 'Y' at age 9 months, with no ill effects. She absolutely loves swimming, and there have not been any negative effects in her or any of the other kids in the class, as far as I can tell. One might think ear infections would be promoted, but this has not been the case. Do be mindful of temperature, though. Little ones lose heat rapidly in water (small thermal mass), so keep an eye out for chills. A t-shirt can help, but the 'Y' where we go keeps their program pool at about 85 degrees. We always shower afterwards to get the pool chemicals off us. Really, there were no other cautions that come to mind. Whether or not to actually submerge your kid seems to be a matter of policy. When we first started, they said don't, but now they've incorporated quicky dunks into the regular program. We were kind of determined that our kid not develop a fear of the water. I started swimming at a young age, and love the water. My wife did not, and has regretted it. I usually take Tess, so none of Mom's apprehension rubs off. Mom's taking lessons, too. Soon, she'll have conquered it, too. Hope our experience helps! -- David T. Punia, Dept. of Computer Science & Electrical Engineering The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405-0156 802-656-3330 USENET --> ....!decvax!dartvax!uvm-gen!punia CSNET ---> punia@uvm ARPA ----> punia%uvm@csnet-relay
punia@uvm-gen.UUCP (David T. Punia) (08/13/85)
I don't know that much about mortality statistics on infants that swim, but I'd like to know a little more about the circumstances of these deaths. Are these drownings because the child was unattended near a pool? Or in the tub? Our kid is still a long way from supporting herself in the water, and I expect it will be a considerably longer time before we permit her to swim without one of us being in the water with her. As far as the story from the parent whose child developed an overwhelming fear of the water for reasons unknown because the parents were not permitted to attend the class, I'd find another program. Our program at the Y was a parent/child experience always. They did ask that guests (including the other parent) not attend, except for the last calss of the session, but one of us was always in the water with her. I can understand the distraction by others not in the pool, but a big part of the fun in it was learning to teach my child how to swim, and to learn things (games, songs) we could do together in the water outside of the class. It seems to me that being in the water with a trusted individual would be of great importance, especially at those inevitable times of stress like unexpected dunkings. -- David T. Punia, Dept. of Computer Science & Electrical Engineering The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405-0156 802-656-3330 USENET --> ....!decvax!dartvax!uvm-gen!punia CSNET ---> punia@uvm ARPA ----> punia%uvm@csnet-relay