Floaties, Noodles, and Swim Diapers – Navigating the world of Edmond swim lessons

If there is anything that frightens me more than another installment of the Saw movie franchise, it’s a swimming pool right outside someone’s back door. With two kiddos under the age of four, getting my little ones water-safe is no joking matter.

So I’ve set about finding what Edmond has to offer by way of training my little puppies to swim like guppies. Or, at least, to learn how to float and maybe do some simple dog paddling.

Here’s what I’ve found. First of all, until your kiddo turns three, you’re probably going to end up in the pool with them (with the exception of one place, which is mentioned below). That sparks bathing-suit terror in me, but really, shimmying into colorful spandex  is the least of my worries when it comes to my kids’ safety.

Here’s a brief list of what I’ve found:

Pelican Bay Aquatic Center. The American Red Cross holds two-week swim lesson courses during the summer at Edmond’s water park, for ages two and up. The park offers a range of instruction, everything from parent/child classes to advance stroking and water survival skills.

Infant Swim Resources.  These lessons are open to babies as young as six months and are geared toward water survival. These are not parent/child classes. I will say that watching a tiny baby learn to float may be strange and a little unsettling, but these lessons (which go up to age six) offer skills meant to keep you child safe if they happen to fall into water. See Edmond specific (lessons at Oak Tree) information here.

YMCA. Several locations through the greater Oklahoma City area, including the Edmond and Guthrie YMCAs, offer parent/child classes for kiddos six to thirty-six months and beginner classes starting at age three.   

Transformation Fitness. This Edmond fitness center offers classes for kids ranging from six months to thirteen years of age. Again, a parent must be in the water with a child who is under age three.

Lighthouse Sports, Health, and Fitness. And for those willing to go a little farther (Lake Hefner area), this Oklahoma City fitness center also offers a variety of swim classes for ages three and up. They also have “Water Babies,” which is their equivalent of a parent/child class, with the added benefit of being “drop-in.”

With so many options, parents are certain to find something to float their boats (sorry, I just could not help myself).  Because really, getting introduced to swimming is fun and exciting for little ones, but most of all, it’s one-hundred percent necessary.