Baby Swimming

We started swim lessons again. I'm not exactly sure why we stopped them as they bring Molly an excessive amount of joy. Her whole little body begins flailing and kicking as soon as she sees the pool. It's quite the sight. Her voice rises out of her body, flooding my ears with joy. Swimming is what this little girl loves to do!

We started swim lessons when Molly was just 5.5 months old. She's loved it from the beginning and I've learned a lot of tricks along the way. When we first started lessons, I'd try to carry in the infant car seat and two bulging bags full of things we might need for swimming. I've pared down our stuff and now employ a few time savers. 

The first thing I did was pick up a cheap umbrella stroller to use as a Molly containment system. The stroller is small and fits in my car without any issue and doesn't create a jam in the locker room. I dress in my swimsuit so that when I get to the pool, I'm ready to go. I dress Molly at the pool due to her swim diaper and its' non-ability to hold in liquid. It does the job for more solid containment though which is excellent!

Speaking of swimsuits. Molly wears a rash guard shirt and a swim diaper. While I love all the cute swimsuits out there, they just don't work when you are trying to wrangle a toddler and keep them warm. An added bonus during the summer is that the shirt protects her from the sun which means I don't have to wrestle her to put on as much sunscreen. 

Inside our swim bag is a clean diaper, an outfit for after swimming, two plastic bags, a comb, lotion, shampoo and two beach towels. I also pack a snack; a pouch of applesauce, crackers and milk really help keep the crankies at bay. 

When we get to the pool, I strip down to my swimsuit before releasing Molly from the stroller. Then I change her before hitting the showers. After lessons are over, I give Molly a shower with soap to get the chlorine off and get her dressed. I then bundle her up and strap her into the stroller. Then I shower. I'm usually a bit cold at this point but since I'm the Mom, I can handle it and it just means that I get ready faster.

My favorite part of swim lessons is the nap afterwards. It's a glorious thing and gives me time to blog, clean the house, get dinner ready or even just sit and knit. I do love the post-swim nap the most.