Learning to swim is a fundamental step in any person’s life, and even more so if they are little like toddlers, where the pool seems as vast as the ocean, and the end is nowhere near in sight. But has anyone considered what it might be like for those adults taking the toddlers to swimming lessons?
Sounds simple enough, right?
At first glance, how difficult could it be to pack their towel, a hat, and goggles, and off you go, but don’t be fooled. A forgotten snack, a lost shoe, and suddenly you find yourself packing mismatched swim gear from a sibling closet and hoping to find a vending machine with something edible for your on-the-verge-of-a-meltdown little one as you walk in 5-minutes late to the swimming class.
Thankfully, many of us have been there and done that and given our experiential expertise on how not to make the same errors of our ways with this curated tip guide on what to pack so your first, or even next, swimming lesson trip can be the smooth activity you had always envisioned it to be. Fear not, a few subtle edits, and you and your little madam or dude will look forward to swimming classes each week.
Let’s take a look at what yours and your toddler’s swimming bag should include so all can go, well, ‘swimmingly’ if we do say so ourselves.
The bag edit
To begin you should have your bags packed and ready to go by the door the night before, this way you avoid a last-minute rush around and cause unnecessary stress for your young person the day they need to be brave and confident stepping into a universal-sized pool. Knowing your duffle bag is ready you can focus and (double) check you have everything essential in your junior swim companion bag.
Let’s ‘dive in’ and see what you need by ticking off this curated list of necessities for a great upcoming swim session;
- Swimwear
A great way to get your nervous toddler excited about their upcoming lesson is to take them shopping for their swimsuit. While you shop for their favorite colors or characters you can talk about what the pool could look like, and how many ‘friends’ will be there, and this way they aren’t completely surprised by everything new all at once.
- Towels and footwear
There are plenty of options available and, again if a character theme is going strong, go with it, and opt for a towel that they love. You could take a regular beach towel to completely envelope them in after swimming, but they will need help with this, or an over-the-head poncho-style towel they can comfortably walk in has proven highly popular and successful.
Footwear cannot be emphasized enough in this situation. Walking barefoot in areas where people are showering or rinsing off the day is not something you want you or your toddler to be walking around in, so packing cute baby sandals is a must. Flip flops are the ideal footwear, they can get wet, aren’t slippery, and kids love walking with ‘shoes’ in water, this way you aren’t stressed with soaking feet.
- Toiletries
Hair and body washes are great to pack and use if you have the time to shower after a lesson. Little ones love the soap floating everywhere and you don’t have to battle a bath time moment when you get home.
- Swim hat and goggles
Most kids will close their eyes under the water, but knowing they can open them without it hurting is encouraged by using goggles. Be sure they fit snug but not cutting off circulation, test them at home in the bath with the swim hat so they get used to it.
- Locker money
Leaving your baggage unattended is not just for the airport, you want to lock your things away so always remember change for the security lockers.
- Swimming nappies
Depending on how far along with the potty-training your toddler is don’t forget a swim nappy. They are pricier than regular nappies but for good reason. They don’t soak up the world of water leaving your toddler fighting the pool waves and the weight of a heavy nappy, and besides, the last thing you want is your toddler being called out for not making it to the bathroom on time.
Once all is done, washed and dried, you might find yourself quite pleased with how well it all went, and rightly so. Swim lessons are to teach your child to swim, but also about having fun. So make it a tradition that after swim class you and your little one celebrate with a snack or juice box to end the day on high, and make great swim class memories.
