Moderator: Rob and Kathy McKay
www.BabySwimming.com and Authors -
Rob and Kathy McKay are the founders and directors of Lifestyle Swim School in Boca Raton, Florida. They are also the creators of an award-winning series of DVDs, "Diaper Dolphins," authors of the...
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Rob and Kathy McKay are the founders and directors of Lifestyle Swim School in Boca Raton, Florida. They are also the creators of an award-winning series of DVDs, "Diaper Dolphins," authors of the book "Learn to Swim," and owners of the website www.BabySwimming.com. Rob is a charter member of the United States Swim School Association (USSSA) and the World Aquatic Babies and Children (WABC), as well as a delegate to the National Aquatic Summit in Washington, D.C. He has a Paragon Award "for outstanding contribution to Aquatic Safety" from the International Swimming Hall of Fame and a "Virginia Hunt Newman International Award" for his techniques in teaching children to swim. Rob has also been named on the list of top 100 leaders in aquatics. Together, Rob and Kathy have demonstrated their expertise at speaking engagements in the United States, Mexico, England, Norway, Poland, Australia, and New Zealand. They have also conducted training workshops specifically created for teachers throughout North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Rob and Kathy have been recognized in "Redbook," "Working Mother," "Woman's World," "Family Life," "The New York Post," "Fitness Swimmer," as well as on Nickelodeon, PBS, CBS, and Discovery Channel. hide
visit: http://www.babyswimming.com
The Benefits of Baby Swimming
A wealth of benefits is well within the real scope of possibility for babies when they are taught to swim in a gentle, gradual, child-paced and baby-friendly curriculum. Researchers have documented some of the very measurable effects baby swimming has had on its participants. Around the world, veteran instructors like ourselves, as well as parents, have witnessed first-hand a range of enhancements to physical, mental, social, and developmental well-being. Emotional and Social Benefits The emotional life of a baby starts early. All the while, personality is being formed. Baby swimming provides unparalleled exploration of a unique environment, offering independent movement much sooner than on land. How empowering! Imagine the boost of confidence and self-esteem movement through the water brings. Each time a parent catches his child on a jump or after a swim, the child is learning trust. When the child is praised for each small achievement on the way to mastering a skill, his o...
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Introducing Your Baby to Water and Learning to Swim: The 6 Pearls of the Pool
The undeniably happy sounds of water splashing and pouring, a baby's giggles, a nursery song sung in lighthearted tones. No crying, no tears, no gasps. Introducing your baby to swimming should be as natural as child's play -- a joyful and gentle journey approached with laughter, a sense of adventure and fun! Add a warm, clean, clear pool, lots of toys and games, positive parenting and a playful, relaxed time frame and you have the recipe for happy, harmonious learning. It's the documented crux of all sound early childhood learning, just brought to a watery classroom! For infants, toddlers and tykes, ages six months through four years old, swimming is a gift of movement, a burst of self-esteem, a healthy family activity and a potentially lifesaving gift that lasts a lifetime.Baby swimming at an early age makes perfect sense. After all, water is part of our very essence. It surrounds us in the womb and it nourishes and cleanses us throughout our lives. The joys and benefits of...
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Age-Appropriate Swimming Techniques for Children
The following skills take time, patience, and practice. Young children of all ages should start with the first skill listed and slowly build a foundation for the next skills and so on. With proper prerequisites and training, the potential exists for: 1. A six-month-old can begin to learn to hold his or her breath and begin to propel himself or herself through the water with ease and confidence. This skill can buy parents a few valuable extra seconds of time if a child does enter the pool or water unsupervised. Even an eight-month-old can enter the water relaxed, hold his or her breath, and not panic. This stage also lays the critical foundation, which allows the safety skills to be performed several months down the road. 2. A 19-month-old can begin to learn to return to the side of the pool. By 24 months, with the proper foundation and pre-requisite skills, this skill can become executed with ease and confidence in most cases. 3. A two-and-three-quarters-year-old (again, with ...
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