Swimming Lessons for SID?

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have any tips on who to go to for private lessons for a child with SID?

[Anonymous]

steps and strokes, run by kelly laughlin, a physical therapist. they do lessons at the lab school pool on the weekends. email her at [e-mail]

[Anonymous]

no ideas on the lessons, but this is what I did for my son to teach him, some ideas might be of use:

1. warm belly wet suit http://www.warmbelly.com/
2. nose clips
3. ear plugs
4. goggles
5. watched about a dozen YouTube videos on teach-your-child-to-swim, starting with "Put your face in the water" ones. Watched them oh, about a million times each.

Here is the best video series I found (and it is FREE!): How To Teach Kids To Swim:

http://www.ehow.com/video_4441430_teaching-children-underwater.html

Go below and you will see the whole series both for infants and children. I like this series the best because they show actual children younger than my son, who were doing the activities without protesting or crying. (HIs competitiveness kicked in, I guess!)

6. Took son to swim store and let him try on different nose clips, ear plugs, and goggles, to find ones that felt "OK".

7. Bribed DS to put his face in the bathtub (with goggles, ear plugs and nose clip). I paid him 1 cent each time he could do it without getting upset when he came back up. Later 2 cents if he could put his face back in without needing the towel in between. Just did baby steps like that for a while.

8. Suited up and used mom's hot tub at a warm setting to practice floating in the water with face in.

9. Switched to the local pool -- went during quiet times only. Again, out came the bribes -- I put nickels and dimes in the shallow end and let him go under to get them -- he had to open his eyes to see them, which was a BIG breakthrough (again with the goggles).

10. Then he just was able to go underwater and float a bit -- so he practiced by himself a lot. At this point I was going to sign him up for lessons. I just coudln't see spending money on lessons if he refused to put his face in the water. But at some point, he just taught himself how to dog paddle and kind of swim...and now he doesn't need any money, nose clips or ear plugs (still likes the goggles and I don't blame him.)


Good luck!

[Anonymous]

The warm belly wet suit has been a lifesaver for us and I have convinces about 5-6 families at our local YMCA taking lessons to get one... my DD is the only one not shivering. It is also the only way to get my tactile sensitive kid in the cold water (still have not figured out hot to get her face in)