So after lamenting about how Benjamin was a year old and I hadn’t done a good job at getting him involved in play groups and other organizing activities, and then swearing them off because of my fears of the stomach flu, we are finally breaking out and getting into… swim class!
Derek’s brother works at a local YMCA and gifted Benjamin with swim classes for his birthday. We started in the “Shrimps” class, and seriously… freaking… loved it! There’s nothing I look forward to more than our pool time together on Thursday mornings, and Ben loves it too. Okay, I’m less than thrilled about getting into a bathing suit every week, but I suppose it’s good diet motivation…
Ben’s favorite parts of class: when I blow bubbles in the water, “swimming” via kicking his legs, and trying to slip a tiny hand into the top of my bathing suit.
Ben’s least favorite parts of class: floating on his back, me wiping away the inevitable booger explosions off his face, and me not allowing him to slip a tiny hand into the top of my bathing suit.
Before the holidays, our Shrimps session was over, and some of the other moms and I decided to move up to the next level class together. Their sons are about the same age as Ben, and our instructor assured us that the next level, Inias (WTF is an inia?), would be appropriate, even though the age started at 18 months and goes to 2 or 3 years old.
I was a bit nervous showing up – it felt like the first day of school. What if the other two moms didn’t really sign up? We won’t know anyone. What if the level is too advanced? Ben has only had 6 classes so far. Waaah, what if no one likes us?
Luckily, one of the other moms that I knew did show up. And all the other kids in class? Definitely on the upper side of the age range.
Our Benny is the youngest in the class, though he dwarfs all the other kids, who are clearly at least 2 years old (minus our friends from the Shrimps class). How do I know this? They’re old enough to say their names when asked, and know some sounds that animals make. Since Benjamin is the same size (or bigger) as his classmates, the other parents are probably assuming that I have a majorly delayed 2-year-old (nothing wrong with that, it’s just not accurate). Except I don’t. I just have a 2-year-old-sized-1-year-old.
All in all, I highly recommend mommy-and-me swim classes! Ours are actually pretty inexpensive – $40 for a 6-week class (okay, we get a discount from my BIL which brings the total to $20, but a good value nonetheless!), and it’s a great activity for the winter to keep you busy.
What are your favorite mommy-and-me classes to join?
-Heather
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I did swim lessons with my guy when he was 9 months and we are going to do it again this summer. Love the YMCA but my Y makes the parents wear ugly swim caps. I am making my hubby take the swim class this summer just so I can avoid the swim cap.
ReplyDeleteI keep wanting to get Gwen involved in swim classes, but I can't find any good {and decently priced} ones near us. Hopefully I find one soon. I know that I definitely want to put her into dance classes when she turns 3. Girl loooves to dance!
ReplyDeleteOur town offers 2-week sessions of daily swim lessons down at the town pool in the summer. I have done them with LW the past 2 summers now and plan on doing them with him AND NK this summer as well! He really enjoyed them, although Level 1 is kind of a large age group (going from 9 months-36months, which is a pretty big difference when you consider all the developmental milestones they go through between then). Nevertheless, he enjoys it. Also, doesn't like the floating on his back part, so no worries! ;) We have a "Y" in town here, I will have to check into classes during the winter, I feel so cooped up in this stinkin' house! NEED.TO.GET.OUT. oh, and no freakin' clue what an "inia" (or however you spell it) is, sorry. Better luck in someone else's comment ;)
ReplyDeleteWhat is it with little boys and being on their back in the water. Drew despises it as well! We do swim lessons at our Y here which is only a few years old and actually REALLY nice compared to some Y's around the country! We also love Gymboree and do a library group each week that's SUPER fun, free and there's a waiting list b/c so many people want to do it!
ReplyDeleteWe're doing our second round of swimming lessons now. That's so nice that they split the levels-at our Y, we're in the SKIP class, which is basically shrimp through perch (inia included, ha!).
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm right there with you with having a kid who dwarfs kids who are 6+ months older!
Totally going to be doing this come spring time! And I can't wait :)) I also want to do a mommy and me gymnastics or dance class...I want Rae to be involved with kids her age, and heck, I wanna be involved too!
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing wrong with a two-year-old sized one-year-old. People are always so surprised when they find out Jacob just turned one. "Oh can he walk?" "No." "Does he say any words?" "Not really." "He only has 4 teeth?" "Yes." More of them to love, am I right?
ReplyDeleteWe also did swimming classes when he was 7-9 months and loved it. I didn't really love getting into a suit, especially with the other moms who had 6 month old kids and were in bikinis. I mean, c'mon. I hate them.
Aw, I love mommy and me swim classes! We recently suspended ours after 6 months because they were a bit more pricy! I wish I could get it for $20!! I have a really big boy also and I know everyone always thinks he is immature- but really he's just younger than those kids.
ReplyDeleteSounds like fun! I'm a swim school drop out. They said, "deep end" and I said, "see ya!"
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