Thank you to Goldfish Swim School for their partnership. While I received complimentary swim lessons to facilitate this post, all opinions are 100% my own.
It has been a couple months since E started swim lessons at Goldfish Swim School and the progress she has made has truly blown me away! We started at the beginning of November and now at 18 months old, she is jumping in and going under water, climbing out of the pool, and kicking and pulling. We look forward to the lesson every week!
If you’ve ever been to a Goldfish Swim School, you know how easy they make getting ready both before and after your lesson. Since we’ve been going for a while now, I wanted to share some of the helpful tips I’ve picked up and ways Goldfish helps to make swim lessons as easy as possible.
1. Make sure kids are wearing clothes that are easy to get on and off.
I avoid anything with snaps, buttons, and layers on swim lesson days. If you have an evening lesson, bring pajamas to wear home so they don’t have to get changed again! Goldfish makes changing easy with private changing rooms and changing tables.
2. Snacks and Water.
It’s always a good idea to have a couple of snacks and a water bottle on hand. We usually go with things like an applesauce pouch before and a granola bar for after. Swim lessons take a lot of energy out of those little ones! If you need something in a pinch, you can purchase snacks at the desk, too.
3. Have a designated swim bag.
When you sign up for lessons with Goldfish, they give you a waterproof bag perfect to hold all of your swim lesson needs! Once I wash bathing suits, swim diapers, and towels I just put them back in the bag so we are ready for next time.
4. If your little one has long hair, keep a hair brush for wet hair in your swim bag.
It will be much easier to tame wild hair and get it dry using the hair dryers Goldfish provides before going outside when it is cold.
5. Bring an extra swim diaper.
If your little one still needs a swim diaper you might want a back-up! Sometimes even if they are just playing for a minute in the play area before their lesson, disaster can strike! 😛 Also, I recommend waiting to put on a swim diaper until you get there. It may seem easier to not have to change, but they aren’t made to hold pee and baby may be wet before they even get in the pool! Not to mention, your car seat will be, too! If you do forget diapers, don’t worry, you’ll find some complimentary ones there you can use. I told you they make things easy!
You can find this adorable bathing suit at Sun Snap Swimwear! The suits have snaps for easy diaper changes. I can put it on at home and change her into a swim diaper for lessons so easily!
6. Take advantage of the showers.
A quick rinse off after your lesson can eliminate the need for a bath later. Dealing with a wet kid once a day is enough for me, I don’t want to come home and have to do it again for a bath! There is even shampoo/body wash in the showers, or you could bring your own!
7. Bring an extra pair of hands if possible.
The scheduling is so convenient that we were able to schedule the perfect time during the week so Daddy can come too. Since one of us has to swim with E, it is so much easier to have one dry parent to handle towels and changing. Especially if you have more than one kid. I always see lots of grandparents at swim lessons helping, too!
8. If you need to reschedule, don’t worry.
If something comes up or someone is not feeling well, all you have to do is call. Goldfish makes rescheduling so easy and you don’t lose a lesson. You can even “bank” them and use them another time if you need to cancel for the week.
9. Practice skills between lessons.
You can practice skills in the bathtub or take advantage of open swim time during Family Swim. The more they are in the water, the more comfortable they become and then swim lessons are much more fun for everyone!
10. If your child is having trouble with a certain skill, ask the instructor for tips to help!
The instructors at Goldfish are so helpful. E has a hard time keeping her mouth closed when she goes under water and we’ve gotten lots of tips from the instructors about how to help her. They are there and willing to help!
Do you have any swim lesson hacks? I’d love to hear! Let me know below. Happy Swimming!
Visit Goldfish Swim School to find a location near you.
Disclosure: I received a swim suit from Sun Snap Swimwear for promotional purposes. As always, I will only share things I feel are worth sharing!
Great tips mama! 🙂
Thanks for the swim lesson tips. We want our daughter to learn how to swim so we can feel more comfortable, because we have a pool in our yard. We are getting ready to enroll her in lessons. I like that you mentioned to bring a snack and a bottle of water. Swimming can be tiring work, so I will make sure we are prepared.
Exactly! We have a pool in our yard as well and since swim lessons I feel much more comfortable because I can tell she is more aware of the water. A snack is definitely one of my daughter’s swim time essentials! She works up quite the appetite! Hope your daughter enjoys the swim lessons!