New pool opening summer 2016!

I'm delighted to be able to announce Puggles Swim School is now offering more classes at a new pool in Little Thetford, just a short distance south of Ely. The pool is purpose built, comes with both male and female changing rooms and has ample parking. This new pool is beautiful and comes in a purpose-built climate-controlled building, which during the summer can be opened up so that we get that outdoor pool experience. The pool is a fixed 1.2m deep and is kept at a steady 32 degrees, so it's perfect for our little swimmers. Initially classes will be held on Saturdays only but I am hoping to expand this from September 2016 to other days. 

Here are some photos:

As well as having a new pool we will also be taking on new teachers who I know you will love and who follow the Puggles philosophy, based on the Birthlight approach.

For more information please visit my website www.puggles-swim.co.uk

“Aquaphobic? Adults get your training wheels.”

“people wish to learn to swim and at the same time keep one foot on the ground” 
- Marcel Proust.

Have you always wanted to learn how to swim but are simply too terrified to try?  Maybe you had a traumatic experience with water previously and this has prevented you from getting in the water again?

If you want to know how to swim, you have to overcome your fear of water first before even attempting swimming lessons.

From November, Puggles will be offering 3 FREE lessons to adults who are terrified of water but who yearn to be able to swim. 3 free ½ hour lessons on Mondays in Ely will be offered to 3 adults at a time, on a first-come-first-served basis.  I will be with you in the water, gently helping you to learn to trust the water and control your own body so you feel more comfortable.  I really hope that after these 3 lessons you will feel more confident about attending adult learn-to-swim classes at a pool near you.

If you’re interested please visit my web site www.puggles-swim.co.uk and send me a message via the "Contact" page. Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Swimming with TIMID Children 2 years and older

Some pre-schoolers might have a real fear of the water which could be as a result of a previous bad experience or simply because they haven’t had much time in the swimming pool.  Some children are afraid of the water because their parents are and they learn to fear the water by association. If you as a parent are fearful then you need to try and relax around water and be aware that your facial expression and body language transmits to your child. You as the parent could also think about having swimming lessons yourself to try and conquer this fear.

When your toddler is afraid try and make bath time fun by using toys and songs and you could always bath or shower together. You could have a sticker/reward chart too that recognises small achievements like when they have had a bath without crying, or happily washed their hair or lay down and got their ears in the water.

When it comes to swimming lessons you need to treat your frightened child with lots of patience and encouragement and realise that it can take several lessons for your child to relax in the swimming pool. Don’t force your child to do something they don’t want to but go back to doing things that they do like doing. Always use positive language and don’t get frustrated with them if they resist everything.

Your timid toddler needs to feel safe and secure in the water and to believe that they have some control during their lesson. Teach them that there is a pool floor and that they can stand and that you will always be close by within arm’s reach.

Before and after their lessons, spend some time talking to them about their lesson and what they enjoyed and talk about their instructor by name and teach them that this is someone they should trust and who will make sure they are safe. Encourage them to talk to the instructor themselves and tell them about their news about nursery/school/new toys etc.

Try to arrive at your lessons a bit early so neither of you are stressed or rushed when trying to get dressed into your swimming gear.

For more information please visit my website at www.puggles-swim.co.uk

Conditioning your non swimmer to water

You might not have started with swimming lessons yet but you can still teach them to enjoy the water.

Start with pouring small amounts of water over their faces. You need to train them using ‘triggers’ or cues. You could simply say “Johnny, ready, go” and then pour the water gently over the face. With several repetitions over several weeks your child will learn to hold their breath before you pour the water.

Once you know they are holding their breath and are not anxious, start taking them into the shower with you and give them their cue before putting them under the shower for a couple of seconds.  Remember to go slowly with this over several weeks as you don’t want to frighten them.

If you are starting with a newborn - share a bath together. Gently roll your baby around in the water with a relaxed grip that allows them to float in the water. Maintain eye contact with them and smile a lot which teaches them that it’s ok and it’s fun.

For more information please visit my website www.puggles-swim.co.uk

Summer Time Swimming with young children

When the weather’s gorgeous and it’s “holiday time” the obvious choice is to go for a swim. However, it’s also a really good time to set some ground rules from the outset. Here are some suggestions to help you reinforce water safety:

POOL RULES should be safe and reasonable:

A sensible thing to do is to teach your child that before they ever go to play in water (regardless of whether it’s only a bucket or a paddling pool) they should get into their swimming gear, fetch a towel and put their sunscreen on. By them doing this every time it gives you a vital heads up that they intend to get in to the water.

•       Never swim alone
•       No diving, ever, into the shallow end
•       No extreme jumping into the pool – e.g. off a fence, chair, floating toy.
•       No dunking
•       Don’t play dares – e.g. holding your breath underwater, hyperventilating or swimming out of your depth

 

If you have young children, it’s recommended that you always stay within arm’s reach of them while in a pool. Make sure you supervise total non-swimmers in shallow water.  If you are going to use a PFD (lifejacket, floatation suit) do not choose one that they can grow into as it's dangerous – it should fit snugly. 

For more information please visit my website www.puggles-swim.co.uk