swimming with
the twins tips for making things a little easier by deanna burkett
a
s summer approaches, parents do what they do every year. Stress. Sure the atmosphere is fun and full of energy, but the downside is most of that fun and energy is centered around or near water. Add twins to that and you have a recipe for potential disaster (or at least a few gray hairs). As a born and raised Floridian mother to two teenagers, one eighteen and one fifteen, I have had plenty of experience with children around the water. My older children took to the water like little ducks and never slowed down. My twins were no different. As soon as we got to the lake, they were like little tornadoes that took off in different directions. As my husband, our two older children, and I scrambled to gather them up, I was in a panic. Was this the way it was going to be ALL THE TIME? I quickly learned I was going to have to handle this like everything else with my twins... with very careful planning. I sat down and devised a plan that would enable me to (somewhat) keep my sanity and my twins safe around the water.
1. Invest in swimming lessons. ISR (Infant Self Rescue) is a fantastic route to go if you can swing it. This program teaches your child to swim 34
multiplicity
at infancy! As per the ISR website, “ISR’s core conviction is that the child is the most important part of a drowning prevention strategy and our 260,000 graduates and 800 documented survival stories are proof that children can save themselves.” It seems like an extravagance, but it would decrease your stress by large degrees.
2. Invest in a wagon with two seats and safety
straps. This is one of the smartest toys you will ever spend your money on. As you unload each child from the car, place them in the wagon and strap them in. This gives you peace of mind that one child is safe while you unload the other. It also makes it MUCH easier to move your child AWAY from the water (you know that screaming child that isn’t ready to leave the fun just yet?) and gather up your things when you are ready to go.
3. Scout out your area closely. For children
unable to swim yet, make sure the water is shallow (no higher than your calves or knees) at the shoreline. Check to make sure there isn’t anything with which your child could hurt themselves. If you are going to a pool, you will need to make sure there is a safe area for the children to play such as a kiddie pool or a shallow end.
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