Case studies
Sophie
Here is Sophie, who started classes at about 3 months and has always worked in normal pool temperatures hence the late start. Pictured here she always wears a wetsuit in the pool to prevent core body heat loss and enable her to stay in the water longer.
Sophie was not keen on submersions when she started it really took many classes before she was happy to do them. As you can see her pictured here with Jen. Now she is very confident to submerge and closes her mouth in preparation. She also dips her head on the surface to signal when she is ready to submerge. Most children will use this signal do a submersion once confident and they trust the person supporting them in the water.
Daisy
Daisy is 17 months old and as been swimming with Aqua-Vie since she was three and a half months old. At first she came with her mum to the classes in Leicester. Daisy took to it staight away - her mum was gentle, encoraging and always sought her consent for the activities. Daisy always seemed a very knowing baby from an early age. After they first course Daisy decided to bring both her mum and Dad and now they regularly come as a family.
As she grew she seemed to know what to expect from her swim class and was always comfortable with submerging and swimming - she likes jumping, playing in the water and swimming down to get herself a toy from the bottom of the pool. She is delight to watch in the water and has a great independent ability. She has amazing confidence for her age and astounds observers.
Joshua
Joshua was 8 and a half months old when he first came to Aqua-Vie Swimming and he has never missed a course. Even our lifeguard, Tim said "Do you know I think Joshua has never had a phase when he went off anything in swimming!" His parents are great with him in the class they ask his permission to submerge and to take part in the activities and subsequently he always toddles in expectantly and can't wait to get in the pool.
He seems to understand how to manoeuvre himself around the pool not only on the surface but is able to turn himself underwater and he was able to collect toys from the bottom of the pool at a very early age. It is great to watch him in the water as he is very relaxed.
Joshua is able to dive right down with his eyes fully open to pick up toys from the bottom of the pool. He is unusual as he is able to come up for a breath also in a relaxed way, toddlers at this age can usually only come up with assistance or in a hasty and hurried way. When babies swim in a relaxed way at this age it is very easy to turn the movements they naturally make into good strokes as if they can be calm in the water it is easy to teach them.
Isobelle
Here pictured is Isobelle and thanks to her parents pictured she is one of our most advanced students aged just 2 years.
It was a very different story when she first started. Isobelle managed to scream her way through most of the early classes. Her parents were not detered and their preseverance has shown fantatstic results. They never forced Isobelle to do any of the activities and now when you see how confident she is under the water you would not believe it was the same child. Its a big thanks to Mum and Dad who managed to transform this screaming baby into a little mermaid child who loves her swimming and has great ability in the water.
