How We Prioritize Swim Safety with Kids
Summer is my favorite season. It means ice cream, my birthday, s’mores, lightening bugs and lots of water fun!
Our family loves swimming in the lake, the pool, the ocean, the bathtub…seriously anything with water! At the same time, water activities can also make me a little bit panicky because of the unavoidable risk associated with it. Kids don’t always understand the dangers of water play, and I certainly don’t want to scare them away from enjoying it. So, we’ve created a few family guidelines that help support their safety. Our kids understand the rules and know that breaking them comes with consequences.
Here are a few guidelines we follow at the Llorente house:
We never let our kids swim without an adult present.
They’re not allowed to hold onto each other in any way in the deep end of the pool.
They’re required to wear life jackets on the boat and in the lake.
They take swim lessons each summer - even though they’re already proficient swimmers.
We took a CPR class (and I’m now remembering it’s time to renew that training!).
We explain our pool rules to those who visit our home pool.
We have no problem disciplining our kids - or visitors - if they violate the rules.
If you’re looking for water safety or swim resources that support your own water related fun, here are a few local options I know about:
Triangle Aquatics Center: Cary
Offers swim lessons and swim teams plus lifeguard, CPR and first aid certifications.
DASW + TSA: Durham and Raleigh
Offers competitive swim teams. (We found swim teams to be an incredible way to quickly and properly learn swim strokes.)
Triangle Swim School: Cary & Raleigh
Offers parent & baby, 3-7 years old, sibling & friend classes, competitive stroke classes and technique & conditioning.
Safe Splash Swim School: Morrisville
Offers infant, toddler, children, adult and special needs swim instruction plus swim camps and family open swim.
Aqua - Tots: Holly Springs, Cary, Raleigh
Offers parent & tot classes, Infant - 12 year old swim lessons, special needs program, a swim club thats non-completive and a swim team that is competitive.
Insta Swim: Holly Springs
Offers babies, toddlers, kids and special needs swim lessons.
Goldfish Swim School: Cary, Wake Forest, Chapel Hill
Offers swim lessons for ages 4 months to 12 years and pro swimming lessons for kids ages 5-12 years old for a more competitive environment.
Swim School at ClubWorx: Fuquay-Varina
Offers swim lessons ages 3+ twice a week for 45 min.
Sunset Ridge: Holly Springs & Fuquay-Varina
Offers group and private lessons
Aquamobile: Garner (and surrounding areas)
Offers private swim instruction
American Red Cross: Everywhere
Offers a wealth of information related to safety, skills and certifications.