What to buy for swimming...

So this week on The Swan Project is all about swimming.  If you haven't seen them yet then you can check out my post about swimming lessons and my first set of tips for swimming with your child. Going swimming with your child is a great activity to do together.  In truth you don't need to buy a lot but here are a few things that I think are useful to get:

Konfidence Babywarma

Young children particularly those under 1 when they're not moving as much can get really cold in a swimming pool.  These babywarma suits are great for giving them a little bit of extra warmth and also have the added benefit that it makes them much easier to hold onto in the water so no chance of them slipping through your hands! They're normally £18.99 but are down to £14.99 at the moment and have some great designs (I love the spotty one).

Huggies Little Swimmers

You'll need a swim nappy rather than a normal nappy when you take your child swimming as a normal nappy with just absorb all the water and become huge!  I've tried own brand nappies but these are the best because the sides split when you're finished so you don't need to pull them down after (my daughter has chunky little thighs and trying to pull a wet swim nappy down after is hard work!!).

Konfidence Neo Nappy

When taking very young children some swimming pools / schools ask you to put them in a "happy nappy" which is an extra nappy (they have a disposable or reusable swim nappy underneath this).  It's designed to be fairly tight on the legs and tummy so that no "accidents" can escape the nappy as pools have to close if there is "No. 2" floating around!  These are currently reduced from £9.99 to £8.49.

Armbands

I maybe old school but armbands are my preferred choice for a floating aide.  I would probably start using around 12-15 months when they will start to want to be a bit more independent in the water.  My daughter tried the foam ring armbands but 3 each side didn't hold her above the water!! In the years I've been teaching swimming I've found armbands the best for body position and also for progressing on.  You can take a tiny amount of air out each time you go swimming so they get stronger and it becomes smaller steps to take them off rather than on or off.  If your child is close to swimming without armbands then you can switch to the smaller baby armbands and start taking the air out of them.  I also prefer the style shown here rather than the "roll up" armbands.  We tried with our daughter but they're not that easy to get on with little arms.
Zoggs have started doing George and Peppa Pig armbands which are great fun!  I think my daughter would want these as George is her favourite character!! They're £7.50 for the pair.

Hooded Towel

If your child can walk then I really recommend a hooded towel.  They're so easy to slip over their head and it really helps keep them warm and dry their hair a bit.  We asked for this Peppa Pig towel above for Christmas (actually we got two) and we use them for swimming and bath time.  It makes life so much easier, especially those bath times when my husband hasn't got home and I'm trying to dress the baby first - it means there is no towel slipping down leaving a cold toddler. This towel is £5.30 on Amazon currently.

Woggle
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Woggles are great in conjunction with armbands but also if you have some time at the end of your session without armbands woggles can be used in a variety of ways.  See tomorrow's post for idea's of what to do with a woggle.

Bath Squirters

Taking some bath squirters along for some extra fun and splash is a good idea!