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Pre School

Q.        My child isn’t yet toilet trained.  What should I do to avoid any embarrassing spills?

Answer
Water hygiene is extremely important.  While urine is sterile, defecation will contaminate water rendering it toxic to users. We would have no choice but to immediately cancel classes. Therefore no child is allowed in the pool unless wearing proper swimming attire.  Fortunately, we now have a range of bathers designed for this very purpose. They must be snug fitting around the leg to prevent any leakage such as Huggies Little Swimmers.

 

Q.        Why are classes only held in the morning?

Answer
Infants are very susceptible to infections as their immunity system is not fully developed. They also have short Eustachian tubes (ear canals) that makes them more prone to ear infections.  For this reason, Parent and Child classes are best held early in the day when the water has ‘rested’ overnight and undergone a full cleaning cycle.

 

Q.        What is the best water temperature for swimming?

Answer
The ideal water temperature for pre schooler’s is between 30 and 34 degrees.  We find 32 is comfortable for the majority of learners.  Water that is too cool or warm is a key factor in a child enjoyment and positive experience with swimming lessons.

 

Q.        Do I need to get in the water?

Answer
Yes. Depending on maturation and ability, most children will need a parent or carer to be in the water for every lesson, until the child is capable of independent learning.

 

Q.        What else will I need?

Answer
We recommend that all parents/carers wear either a t-shirt or rashie to give your child something to hold onto.  Two towels (one for each  of you) and clothing and nappies to dress the child at the conclusion of the class.  Baby change tables are available.

Other

Q.        Why do we have to wear a cap?

Answer
Caps for all except our babies are required for

Q         Can  we purchase equipment at the pool?

Answer
Yes.  At Starfish we sell goggles, caps and swimming nappies.  We also sell tea and coffee and a variety of cold drinks.

 

Q.        My child doesn’t like to wear a cap?  What should I do?

Answer
There are essentially 3 types of caps out on the market:

1)  Latex caps.  This is a thin rubber cap that will stick to itself and be quite firm on the head.  Latex caps are usually cheapest, don’t last as long and are hard to get on.  Most young children don’t like these as parents can be quite rough pulling them n and they often get their hair pulled as it goes on.  To prevent sticking caps should be powdered when dry.  This will also prolong the life.

2) Silicon caps are more expensive, but last longer, are softer and not as problematic getting on.

3) Cloth caps made of lycra are recommended for those who really make a fuss.  They perish and stretch over time, but are very soft and stretchy and easy to get on.  The water flows through the fabric wetting the head so they are not as warm, but help prevent overheating.

 

Q.        How long will it take for my child to become proficient in the water.

Answer
As with all learning, progress is very individual and based on many factors.  It is impossible to give an accurate answer or even to guess at a time frame as this could lead to false  expectations. This is dependent on a variety of factors such as a child’s level of concentration, co-ordination, age and maturity, how consistently the swimmer comes to lessons, and how fearful the swimmer is.  Clearly some swimmers will progress faster whilst others may take longer.   We can’t stress enough the importance of not comparing children or labeling a child.  Also, any skill development does not occur along a nice linear pathway.  Progress can often halt or even appear to go backward at times. 

This is a natural part of learning and should be expected.  However, if you do have major concerns about a seemingly lack of progress, please discuss this with our coordinator as there might be thers factors at play.

 

Q.        Why is swimming so hard?

Answer
To give you an analogy, imagine if you only provided your toddler with one 30 or 45 minute opportunity to practice crawling or walking in a week.  How much longer do you think it would take your child to learn to walk?  Becoming comfortable and proficient in water is even more difficult than any land based skill. It is performed lying down in a foreign medium that is potentially life threatening; none of our land based instincts work; we are deprived of most of our senses, and we also have to learn new ways of breathing. You can accelerate your child’s progress by giving them the opportunity to swim more often during the week.    Children will learn and gain confidence through play.  The benefit of taking them to the local pool to play once a week (or more) cannot be underestimated.

Q.        You spend a lot of time on basics.  Why?

Answer
Experience has shown unequivocally that rushing through to get quick results may get a child ‘swimming’ but in the long term, over a lifetime, that swimmer is likely to sustain injuries caused through poor technique.  Injuries such as neck and shoulder related problems prevail into adulthood as a direct result of poor teaching.  The foundations of the stroke can be likened to the foundations of a house.  If you spend the time and money laying solid foundations your structure will survive intact for many years.  Compromise on the foundations and your house may appear sound, but will begin to deteriorate over time until it eventually collapses.  The foundations or fundamentals of all strokes are;

The arm actions cannot and will not work effectively if any of these foundations are not well grounded.  Mastery of these areas will lead the swimmer to

Remember: Everything we do at Starfish is done for a reason.