If your child falls into a body of water without a flotation device and goggles can they properly support their own body and see underwater to find their way out to survive?
This is the question we wish every parent would ask themselves before purchasing “water wings” and goggles.
At Little Otter, our mission is to teach our students how to safely swim 75 feet independently, calmly, and comfortably while getting several individual breaths in the water. When flotation devices and goggles are introduced, your child can become dependent on these aids and use them as a crutch hindering the progress of swim lessons.
Our greatest concern with floaties and goggles is the false sense of confidence created for both children and parents. In swim class, our instructors spend a lot of time getting children comfortable having their face in the water and in a horizontal position. Floaties teach children to operate in a vertical position — if they fall into water without their flotation device the natural tendency would be to stay vertical with a higher possibility of sinking. You may think your child is comfortable being in the water, but what they are really most comfortable with is their floaties. This kind of thinking can be very dangerous to a new swimmer creating more confidence than true skills.
The same potential dependence on floaties also applies to the use of goggles. Relying on the protection of goggles to see underwater leads swimmers to believe that they will not be able to see underwater without them. To avoid serious injury, such as collisions, children need to be able to open their eyes to see their surroundings in the water. We use a gentle and gradual approach, teaching children to become comfortable with water in their eyes by removing goggles for part of every lesson.
Our goal is to teach the necessary skills to our swimmers so that they understand their true swimming abilities, with awareness of their safety in and around the water.
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