Parenting 2.0

We’ve got a little fish on our hands! Today Niko and I started baby and Mommy swimming lessons, with Traci and Eli. The lesson lasted half an hour and to get there on time, with one errand thrown in beforehand we left our house an hour before it started. I find anything with a baby takes longer – it’s such a process – but if I give myself enough (or more than enough) time the stress levels go way down.

All in all the lesson was a great experience, despite the fact that Niko cried when he first felt the water, but who could blame him? Up until now the only water he’s really been exposed to is the warmth of a bath. Anyway, once he acclimatized and I put on and used my best “let’s be happy and enjoy this” face and voice, he was good to go. He floated on his back with his ears in, he was on his tummy with his chin in and then we got to end off our lesson in the hot tub where the instructor encouraged us to dunk the babies – if we felt comfortable. I remembered from my lifeguarding days that this was encouraged for babies, that apparently they don’t mind it, and it helps them to really get used to water. So, after a round of Ring Around the Rosie we all fell down, and Niko was completely submerged and back up in a second. And how did her react, you may wonder? Like it was no big deal! He just blinked back the water from his eyes a few times in a row and we continued on our merry way. I figure if he does one good dunking per lesson then he will really get used to the water – and who knows maybe we’ve got a mini Michael Phelps in the making!

With registering for swimming lessons followed the purchase of a teeny tiny bathing suit for little Niko. When I first looked the only one I could find him was for 12 month olds, although post purchase I found another one that was for 6 – 12 months so picked it up as well – I mean I just have tonnes of time to make returns, right? It turns out that I went with the bigger size anyway, because then he has a little room to grow, and it didn’t appear that the shorts were swimming on him too badly.