THAT is the question!
I had a response from an anonymous reader that said to get rid of the water wings. I understand, I really do.
I was hesitant in getting them in the first place because I wanted the kids to learn to swim on their own, without any help (and because they end up relying on them).
Our kids were in the swimming pool for the first time in their lives last summer so we used floaties because they weren't as strong as non-orphanage-raised kids, and they needed the extra help. Also, they were a little unsure of themselves - the floaties gave them confidence.
We will start teaching them how to really swim this summer, then the floaties can be removed - until then, they will stay on.
Our rule is: if Jim nor I are in the pool with them, the floaties must be on.
Don't go worrying about the kids being unsupervised though, because they're not. We are literally a jump away.
They are so familiar with the water now, they both jump in freely, have tons of fun and are safe - that is our main concern.
Thanks for your comment though! Your advice is welcome on how to teach a child to swim!
Update
3 years ago
6 comments:
I totally understand what your thinking is. It's a tough decision.
For some reason (can't remember why) I took the "no floaties" rule to heart and both my kids (1 homegrown now age 9, 1 home at age 2.5) were swimming in deep water by age 4.
Alex learned on our vacation in March in Punta Cana (where he turned 4!).
The thing that scares me about floaties is the idea that they get so confident in water, they forget they don't have floaties on and jump in!
Your kids are just adorable, floaties or not, and they will swim, either way, soon enough!
We use water wings for the same reason as you... Andrew is now getting to the point where he has the attention span to learn how to swim so we're doing swim lessons. Hey - I had floaties when I was young and I turned out okay! :-) Love the pics of the kids - too cute!!
We're totally into floaties too! This year it's swimming lessons, but at least with the floaties now and last year especially it gave Daniel some independance to swim "on his own". I think that was pretty important, especially around his cousins who were older and could already swim! Your kiddoss are adorable - floaties or not!
We are water wing fans in our house! Our son (adopted domestically) loved the water and had NO fear, so the water wings allowed me peace of mind. He was swimming on his own by age 3, and now at age 4 is an extremely strong swimmer. Do whatever works for your family :-)
My girls both used water wings when they were toddlers. Both of them learned to swim at three and a half, so obviously the water wings didn't hurt or delay their learning to swim. Do what works for you and your children.
This summer we took the arm floaties off and got one that they put their feet in and pulled up so that the float was on their back and tummy. Our thinking was that they could better use their arms to learn to paddle. It also has removable pads so that you can take a little out at a time as they become better swimmers and don't need them.
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