Remember that one time we forgot Oliver’s life jacket and he showed us he could swim without it? I think our son just showed us up and made a great memory all in one week.
We took a week long vacation in Palm Springs this month and accidentally forgot to bring our son’s life jacket! With the pandemic closures and daily heat of 110 degrees we mostly planned on hanging out at the pool for the trip. When we realized we forgot the jacket we figure we would play in the kiddie pool (only one foot deep) and hold Oliver if he went in the big pool. Well he quickly showed us up.
Our daughter Eleanor had swimming lessons at age 3 but wasn’t confident to swim without her water wings until last summer at age 5. She started swimming underwater this summer and doing laps in the pool. She holds her breath goes under and tries to swim the biggest distance beneath the surface.
Our son Anderson had swimming lessons for the first time last summer at age 3 and learned how to swim without water wings at the begging of summer this year age 4. He is still working on efficiency but can get one from one end of the pool to the other swimming with his head above water. He isn’t ready for under water swimming yet and we are working on holding his breath for longer periods of time.
This was the first summer our youngest really got in the water. Last summer he was mostly napping during swim time or being held. We choose a life jacket for him because he is on the lighter side and not ready for Puddle Jumpers. As the summer progressed he loved jumping in, floating on his back and started kicking around the pool chasing his siblings and friends. About a month before our our trip he would put his face in the water and try to swim around like his big sister was doing. He wouldn’t get far because of the limitations his life jacket was giving him. We were still a little cautious and continued to have him wear it at every pool trip.
When we got to Palm Desert we went to the pool like always but this time without the lifejacket we left miles away at home. The first day we held Oliver and let him practice swimming back and forth from mom and dad or one of us and the steps. He really didn’t want to be held and eventually went and sat at the lounge chairs and ate a snack. For the rest of our allotted pool time.
On day two at the pool he got a little defiant when we tried to hold him. He didn’t want to be held he wanted to swim on his own. Oliver stood on the edge of the pool and jumped in like normal. He would pretend to swim to dad and then right before dad grabbed him he would pivot, turn and swim back to the edge, reach up and then climb out all on his own. All while mom and dad stood amazed at his display. He would even swat our hands away or change directions if we came towards him. We gave him his “space” so he would stop evading us. But let us be near to help if he really needed it. He would try to sneak away or scoot down the pool edge to get more freedom so we showed him we would let him practice but be close by.
I was so proud of this guy! But also slightly terrified. In this first video dad helps him come up for air right before he reaches the edge. This video was his third attempt at jumping in and swimming back all on his own. I watched twice before getting out to get my phone!
Our biggest concern was him breathing, we weren’t sure how long to let him go before making sure he could get a breath above water. As the week progressed we taught him how to come up for air if needed and he was able to do it on his own. The first few days we would just watch his progress and he would look up out of the water when it seemed like he needed air.
In this second video you can see him jump right in front of dad turn and get back to the edge without dads help. But dad is close by waiting to assist if needed.
I posted this video and chatted with our swim lesson coach (a dear friend) that evening making sure he was doing it right. She ensured me that as long as he isn’t coughing and gagging when his face comes up he his holding his breath and doing great. So we let him continue this all week. He worked on jumping, swimming and climbing out. He got better at holding his breath and directing himself while under water. He would prep himself to jump in by holding his nose but dropped it every time he made the jump. Big brother holds his nose and he was copying that action.
Once he knew we were going to allow him to practice he would swim all around us and use our outstretched hands if he needed help. Oliver is fueled by wanting to do anything his big sister and brother are doing. He is also a quick learner, he makes decisions and sticks to them and won’t give up until he can master what he is attempting. All these personality traits means he was bound to swim this summer no mater what. It just took a vacation without his life jacket for mom and dad to realize he was capable.
I don’t think swimming at this age is very typical, although I had written about a two year olds being capable recently. We were blown away and a few other swimmers inquired how he was swimming so early. We did spend quite a bit of time at the pool this summer so he had tons of practice and no fear of the water. Both factors played a huge role in this accomplishment. I talk more about learning to swim at home in this post about my older kiddos. If you want to learn more check out out!
All in all we had a great time in Palm Springs for our little vacation. Oliver showing us he could swim was by far the highlight!
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How do you know when your two year old is ready to swim?
Some ways to gauge if your 2 year old is ready to learn swimming yet is to observe them around water and look for these signs:
- Can your child keep their mouth closed and not drink the water?
- Can he/she kick their legs continuously for at least 5 seconds?
- Can the child hold onto the wall and move around the pool holding it?
- Can they blow bubbles in the water?
- Can your child grab the wall and pull themselves out of the water?
If your child can do these things they are totally ready. If not make sure to keep work on these skills while playing or practicing swimming.