Just keep swimming: YMCA class teaches parents, babies valuable water skills

Kirsten Adair, Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, Ind.
·5 min read

Feb. 16—Anyone walking into the pool area of the Cass County YMCA on Wednesday evening would have noticed the smell of chlorine and water softly lapping over the edge of the pool and onto the tiled floor. They might have been surprised, however, by the 19 babies floating in their parents' arms inside the water.

The babies and their parents were there for the YMCA's Parent-Tot Swim Class, a class that teaches parents how to swim with their babies and gets the babies comfortable with being in the pool. It is held a few times throughout the year, and children between 6 months and 3 years old are eligible to attend with a parent or guardian.

"I think swimming is one of the biggest skills a child should learn," said Cass County YMCA Aquatics Instructor Brooklyn Miller. "... Right now, we're trying to get them used to the water. We know they do bath time and stuff like that, but most of them have never been in a big pool before."

The pairs entered the pool a few minutes before the class started. As they awaited instructions, parents helped their babies grip the edge of the pool or jump from the edge into the water. Those are two skills the program is designed to teach the babies along with floating on their backs, breath control and other safety skills. If the babies feel comfortable, they are encouraged to briefly dip their heads underwater at certain points.

The class is also helpful for parents because they are guided through each step of teaching their babies those skills.

"It gives me the education to know how to further teach him what to do when we get to a pool in the summer," said Stephanie Homburg, who attended the class with her 1-year-old son Harland. "He really likes blowing bubbles and jumping in the water. My favorite part is watching him laugh and smile."

Lu Ann Schroder has taught aerobics at the YMCA for 42 years, and now she also teaches Parent-Tot Swim Lessons. She became more aware of the program after she attended it with her granddaughters when they were young. Schroder, who is also a third-grade teacher at Landis, knew she wanted to get more involved. Now, she leads the classes.

"Out of all the jobs I've had, this one is my favorite," Schroder said. "I think it's really important for kids to be comfortable in the water."

Akielah DiDomenico said that her 20-month-old son Zi-Ere is a "water bug," so she was excited to join the class with him.

"I thought getting him into something to help him learn and understand the water better would be helpful," she said. "He loves it. At the beginning, he was one of the only kids jumping off the edge and going into the water."

So far, DiDomenico said her son has mastered finger gripping, jumping, breath control and holding onto the edge of the pool. He's still in the process of learning how to float on his back, but DiDomenico said he's starting to understand it.

When Schroder was ready to start class, she swam to the center of the pool and turned toward everyone to get their attention.

"We'll all jump in together," she said. "One, two, three, go."

The babies' parents lifted their children out of the pool and continued to hold them as the babies scrunched their legs and jumped into the water. The parents continued to hold their babies by the waist or under their arms, many slightly bobbing their child up and down while waiting for more instructions.

One of the first exercises the group performed aimed to help the babies learn how to float on their backs. Schroder told the parents to place their arms under the babies' backs and walk them around the pool. She encouraged the babies to kick their legs if they felt comfortable.

Schroder also had the parents move their babies from side to side in the water, encouraging them to just barely brush the babies' ears against the surface of the water, and walk their babies around the pool with their arms extended. After bobbing the babies up and down, dunking them beneath the water on the third bounce, it was time for songs.

Schroder led the singing and directed parents' movements as everyone sang "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," the "Hokey Pokey" and "Baby Shark." Each song incorporated movements that the parents and babies learned and practiced in class that day.

"It's so fun to watch the dads sing," Schroder said. "They act really silly, and we fuss over the kids like they're in a big show."

Big splashes were encouraged during the "Hokey Pokey." When they sang "Baby Shark," the parents suspended their children belly-down in the water like real baby sharks as they traveled across the pool.

Two-and-a-half-year-old Arlow Rebeck scrunched his eyes together and gnashed his teeth to imitate a shark as his father Karl laughed and held him afloat. Meanwhile, Karl's wife walked slightly behind him, guiding their 1-year-old son Cyrus through the water. Karl said the class has been very helpful for his family.

"I think it's super awesome," he said. "Our kids are already super into water, so this just reinforced that. It's really cool too teaching them in-water comfort and being able to have these skills. I'm a big fan of it."