SWIM BEYOND
  • About
    • Our Team
    • Testimonials
    • More
  • FINANCIAL AID
    • What to know
    • Scholarship Application ​
    • Donate
  • SWIM LESSONS
    • Days/Times & Registration
    • Class Level Descriptions
    • Policies
  • Summer Swim Team
  • LIFEGUARDING / BLS / CPR
  • FAQ
  • Contact
Picture


Coach Mandi has been teaching and coaching swimmers at the USA, summer league, high school, and Masters
levels for 35 years. She grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and swam competitively as a “Top-16 Swimmer” and Senior National Qualifier for Nashville Aquatic Club. As a mother of four children, she now limits her own swimming to open-water competitions in the Bahamas and the more opaque, lake waters of Altoona, Acworth, Winder, and Peachtree City. 
​​

Certifications/Training/Awards:
CPR for the Professional Rescuer, Lifeguard, First Aid, USA Swimming Certified Coach, Safety Training for Swim Coaches, YWCA SCUBA, PADI Advanced Diver SCUBA, PADI Rescue Diver, Deep Diver, PADI Free Diver, PADI Public Safety Diver, PADI Advanced Public Safety Diver, PADI Surface Support Specialist,  GHSA Community Coach Certified, Positive Coach Alliance's Double Goal Coach Developing Triple-Impact Competitors course completed, Athlete Protection Training, Crowd Manager Training, USMS Certified Instructor, GHSA Swimming and Diving Rules Clinic, ASA Coach of the Year 2014, Red Cross Certified Instructor for: Lifeguarding, CPR/AED, First Aid, and Basic Life Support​.

Baby at the Pool

7/15/2015

0 Comments

 
PictureBaby's First Lesson Age 4 Weeks Old
Taking a baby to the pool can seem like a daunting challenge.  After all, getting out of the house with a baby is sometimes challenging enough!  Here are a few tips to get you started.

First, buy a non-disposable swim diaper.  These can be ordered for very little at swimoutlet.com.  Go ahead and order two!  That way, you can keep a dry one in the car or in the diaper bag.  With my first children (I have 4), I went for convenience and bought the disposable swimmy diapers at the grocery store.  Talk about throwing away money and filling up landfills!  Not to mention, some pools will not let babies in the pool without a rubber pants cover.  The non-disposable diapers are lined and come in cute prints!

This next tip is helpful if you have a baby with a toddler in tow.   If your baby is used to being carried in a front carrier, buy an extra one at a consignment sale.  Use this carrier to hold baby close to you in the water and free up your hands to keep hold of other little ones. 

Once you make it to the pool, have baby dressed, and are ready to get into the pool, remember that the first goal is to make sure baby is safe and secure.  Enter the pool by way of steps if possible.  Hold baby close to you.  Enter the water slowly, especially if the water is cold, to let the baby's body adjust.  I always start by holding baby with his head near my head, facing me, with both arms wrapped around him in an embrace.  I talk in a soothing voice and let my enthusiasm for the water be known.  Smile and tell baby how fun swimming is.  Walk around the shallow end; gently bounce up and down; swish gently through the water.  Once baby seems relaxed, you can work on other skills.

Try turning baby facing outwards.  Hold baby high on your shoulder and move his legs up and down in an alternating, kicking motion.  Babies tend to draw their legs in towards their body, so you want to help them stretch them out a bit.  Hold your baby high in the water and show him how you blow bubbles. Walk around and talk about what you see (I always make notice of the lap swimmers and swim team swimmers!). 

Next- what to do with older babies...

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    October 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015


    Picture

Picture


​
​© 2023 | All Rights Reserved | Swim Beyond Inc is a 501(c)(3) charity, EIN 81-1917031.
  • About
    • Our Team
    • Testimonials
    • More
  • FINANCIAL AID
    • What to know
    • Scholarship Application ​
    • Donate
  • SWIM LESSONS
    • Days/Times & Registration
    • Class Level Descriptions
    • Policies
  • Summer Swim Team
  • LIFEGUARDING / BLS / CPR
  • FAQ
  • Contact