Lil' G-Man Takes His 1st Swimming Lesson At Goldfish!

Living in Michigan, where there are over 11,000 inland lakes (yeah Minnesota – we have 1000 more than the Land of 10K Lakes!), swimming is a necessary life skill.

We wanted to make sure G-Man got used to being as comfortable in the water as soon as possible. After doing some homework, we decided to give Goldfish Swim School a try.

We already know that Lil’ G had a love for water from him splashing away during bath time or in the community pool in his Swimava Neck Ring, but how would he do with actual swimming lessons with other babies around?

Goldfish Swim maintains 2 separate pools: one for babies and toddlers and another for the older children. Both pools are a warm 90 degrees to keep kids from shivering throughout class. This might have been one of the main selling points for Geeky Daddy and Geeky Mommie since we’d also be in the water! As Lil’ G-Man and I waded into the baby pool for our first swimming lesson with our instructor Arman, I think the sore muscles in my back appreciated the 90 degree water more than Lil’ G did.

There were two instructors in the pool for our baby swimming class of approximately six babies and parents, which I thought was an excellent ratio. Since it was a weekend class, there were also a lot of daddies, and even a grandpa. Overall, I was really impressed with the amount of staff Goldfish had on site both in the pool and out. Their bright orange rash guards made them easy to spot and gave me confidence that there were plenty of eyes watching out for the children’s safety.

Our instructor Arman took us through multiple drills and exercises – everything from simply getting the babies used to the feeling of water splashing in their face to arm rotations while kicking. He took the time to engage with each baby and parent, making sure we were clear on the proper and safe ways to support our babies during the exercises. There were also a lot of props that I don’t remember from my swim lesson days at the YMCA including hand puppets that G-Man loved (and may or may not have tried to eat at one point). With all the floating toys and warm temperature, it was kind of like being in a big bath tub!

Arman knew the names of each of the babies before class started which really impressed me since it was the first class for two of us. Grayson picked up the motions rather quickly and was all smiles from beginning of class till the end. He was also the loudest baby in class by far with lots of delightful shrieking and talking.

The class ran just under a half hour, which was the perfect amount of time to get drills and exercises in without losing the attention of the little ones. I could also tell that the 30 minute time limit would be ideal once the weather turns colder in the Fall and Winter.

At the end of the class we filed out of the pool with everyone else as new kids piled in for their lessons. We overheard some of the older kids talking about their progress at the end of their lessons as we walked over to the shower area.

The showers are all on the pool deck and are unisex where everyone rinsed off with their bathing suits still on. They also provided baby shampoo and we saw some hair dryers and emergency diapers as well. Speaking of diapers, the pool requires non-disposable diapers, so keep that in mind if you sign up. We recommend diapers with snaps (you know, just in case!). We did have a long conversation with Grayson prior to class though about no pooping!

Once showered off we left the pool deck and went into the fish bowl area, where there are large glass windows allowing parents to see in and little cabana rooms for changing. The whole geeky family piled in one to change and then hit the road with a smiling baby, who also slept like a log afterwards!

Overall, Grayson really enjoyed the experience and without sounding like a daddy who thinks their kid is advanced at everything, he really seemed like a natural. He was kicking and paddling right away and we’re so excited to see how he does in future weeks/months. And if he sleeps that well after each class, we might have to look into going more than once a week!

Goldfish Swim School has provided me with the experience of lessons for my candid reviews.