When D was born we had him in the water at a few weeks old without armbands. He never used them, he was swimming lengths unaided by four years of age. Things changed with Tilda, life was busy and it was easier to throw the arm bands on her and let her float with little effort and it’s the little effort that’s the issue. Arm bands stopped her using her arms and really making little effort with her legs when she was in the pool.
I decided when she turned four that had to change. I would love her to be swimming unaided by the time we go on holiday in the Summer.
I helped out at a school swimming lesson and the children were using the SwimFins at the pool and I loved how confident they were but they weren’t just floating like Tilda did in her arm bands. They were starting to form strokes. I felt the SwimFin would be the best way to get Tilda swimming.
Unlike traditional buoyancy aids like armbands and noodles, the SwimFin works inline with your body providing a more ‘natural’ form of support and so leads to a better swimming position as your child becomes increasingly confident in the water.
The SwimFin comes in several colours which is handy when you have a child obsessed with a particular colour! I told Tilda it was arriving and I wanted her to be excited about and keen to use it. As you can see from the picture she was definitely chuffed when it arrived!
It may seem bonkers but I felt the best way to get her used to it was to use it out of the water to start with. I encouraged her to play imaginary games whilst running around the garden with it on. It worked really well and I think if you have a child that may be unsure this is actually the best way to start with it.
Once Tilda had got used to it on land we went swimming. It’s light and easy to throw in a swimming bag. Rather than jumping straight in I got her to sit on the steps first and just to kick her legs. I then got in the water and was ready to support her when she got in but really I didn’t need to, she just went straight off kicking and with encouragement using her arms. In no time at all, in between laughing and shouting she was whizzing up and down widths of the pool.
It’s worth pointing out that the packaging states the SwimFin is suitable for children 15-30 kgs and gives an approximate age range of 3–6 years. This is a legal requirement for all buoyancy aids that have undergone safety testing and is for guidance only.
In conclusion, I can’t thank SwimFin enough for giving Tilda the best start she can have for learning to swim. I’m stupidly impressed with it and would wholeheartedly recommend to any parent who is teaching their child to swim.
Disclaimer; I was sent the swimfin in exchange for a honest review.
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