FAQS

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the dietary restrictions and why?

Please do not feed your child fruit, veggies, meat, dairy, or nuts for 6 hours prior to lessons. They may eat simple carbs like rice milk, oatmeal, or cheerios 2-4 hours before lessons. Children will swallow air and some water during lessons, esp during the first week while learning breath control. Most children will burp during their lessons. If food is in their belly, it will come up with the burp. That doesn’t feel good to your child and can be a hazard. A regular air burp, and possibly some water coming up, is a much better experience.

Other than survival, what are the benefits of learning to swim at such a young age?

Your child will be moving their body and using their brain in different ways than they do on land. Coordination, muscle control, and decision making are all being used while developing their S-F-S skills. Below is a link to a synopsis of one study of 7,000 early swimmers (5 years old and younger) compared to non-early swimmers. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121116124603.htm

Why are lessons so often?

Learning the swim-float-swim sequence is developed through cognitive and muscle memory skills. The more repetition while developing these skills, the quicker your child will learn them. We want your child to have and use these skills sooner than later.

Why are lessons so short?

Your child will work very hard physically and mentally for 10-20 minutes in a new environment, water. This consumes massive amounts of energy. They will be tired after most lessons. Too, while learning the first skill of breath control, most students will swallow air and water. We do not want to over exert a child’s limits physically or emotionally.

What do we do after my child has mastered the swim-float-swim skills?

In order to keep these skills, your child must use them on a regular basis. It’s a matter of “use it or lose it”. I will teach you how to swim with your child so you can continue practicing and maintaining these skills. If you’d rather have your child swim with me, I offer weekly “maintenance” lessons to keep skills sharp and prepare them to start developing their freestyle and backstroke.