One of the best pieces of advice I received early on as a mom was: “Just add water.”
“My favorite parenting advice is, ‘If they are crabby, add water.’ This has served me well over the years and believe it or not, with a 14, 10 and 8-year-old, I still use it. Run a bath, take a shower, water the garden, wash the dog, have a hot drink, have a cold drink… just add water. It works 99% of the time.” – Chloe on Cup of Jo
As someone who made swimming competitively my entire personality from age 8-21, this resonated with me. It’s still true with a toddler, even on days that aren’t quite warm enough to get outside with the sprinkler or baby pool. I’ll throw a bunch of different measuring cups and bowls into the sink and have at it.
For travel, we do the same.
With any kind of vacation, we’re usually chasing pool time or beach time. I’m firmly in my “plop era” of vacation. I loved this quote from Caroline Chambers, who writes mostly about food/cooking but always makes me feel seen:
When I think about *recharging* and resting on a vacation, I tend to picture myself on a beach, margarita in one hand, book in the other — basically, horizontal for five days straight other than quick dips into the closest body of water. But now that I have (small) kids, a “plop” vacation as I call it — where you pack your bag in the morning and plop by the pool or beach all day — is actually really lovely and enjoyable with the kids. Sure, it’s a margarita in one hand and a baby/pool toy/swim diaper in the other, and your kid is spilling half of your margarita before you can even take a sip, but I still truthfully find it very restful and fun.
With a pool/lake/beach trip, though, thinking you’re going to sit for an extended period of time (or at all, really) only sets you up to fail. It can be so fun if you let it—mainly by getting IN the water and splashing around. I know, I know. You don’t want to get your hair wet. The swimsuit doesn’t fit the way it should. The water is cold. But there is something so healing, so freeing, about playing in the water like you’re a kid again.
My favorite water games for lots of giggles.
I lifeguarded and taught swimming all through high school and college, and my favorite, favorite age was Red Cross Level 1s. This usually starts at age 3 but can be a little younger. At this level it’s really just about making swimming fun, so we’re singing songs and playing games as we learn our kicks and scoops. Games I love playing in the water:
- Toss a pool toy and go get it. If they won’t pull their arms out of the water, hold the toy at arm’s length in front of one arm, then the other, and tell them to reeeeaaach like a rainbow.
- Kick a toy away. Depending on their size, sit them on the side of the pool and then put the pool toy on their feet. Have them kick it as far away as they can! The more splashes the better.
- Help me grow. With a mini watering can, drop down in the water. Have them pour the water on your head and pretend to grow like a flower. Then switch.
- Go fishing. Sit on the stairs and sing a little sea shanty with a pool noodle, wishing for a fish. When your toddler grabs on to the noodle, yank it in quick, to lots of giggles. Then switch.
- Pancake flip. Some kids hate being on their backs and some love it, but this game can help. Put your child’s head on your shoulder and drop down into the water so they’re “floating.” Then pretend they’re a pancake, and flip them over onto their front and back again.
- Motorboat. As they blow bubbles into the water (the “motor”) zoom them on the surface fast or slow. They can do this holding on to a noodle as well.
- Listen to the fishies. This gets them practicing head position. On the stairs, have them face the water, then dip their ears in one at a time to listen to the fishies. Have them “talk back” by blowing bubbles.
And of course, you can dazzle your toddler with handstands, swimming under their legs, cannonball contests, or whipping out your best butterfly.
Dance on the edge of fear and fun.
If all of these games are non-starters because your toddler doesn’t like the water, that’s okay. At this age, the most important thing in terms of learning to swim is safety, and then making it fun. They’ll get there.
Getting the wiggles out after dinner is so much better on the beach.
A note on safety—again, talking as a past lifeguard/swim instructor here—you must, MUST teach them safety rules when you enter a pool deck or other body of water. The best thing you can do is to enroll your child in swim lessons, but it will take years for them to learn to swim with or without them.
Even if they’re out of a bubble and can swim confidently, go over the rules every time. Things like, “We always go in the pool together.” We do an on-belay, belay-on before every walk/jump into the water, so I’m never surprised. I also use this time to remind them to put their toes on the edge and look out for anybody that might be swimming underneath them before we jump.
Another big one is practicing walking feet on the pool deck. I was very lucky to make only a few saves in my seven years as a lifeguard, but I did do countless band-aids for kiddos that ignored our calls to “WALK!”
Not every water experience will have a lifeguard, but if you do, talk them up that we always listen to them, what they do, etc. I also point out lots of different safety equipment around the pool deck and what they’re used for.
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Essential water play gear (and a few fun things.)
Whether we’re doing the pool, the lake, or the beach, here’s what’s in my bag:
- You can’t rely on a facility to have life jackets/bubbles, especially when you travel. These are bulky as all get-out to bring but very important to have for fun. Note that they don’t help your kid learn to swim at all, but they do keep them safe. If you want a bubble that challenges them, this is the one I recommend. It’s adjustable so you can remove flotation as they learn to swim. But if they’re below 30 pounds, you just have to hold them—I’m sorry!
- That said, bubbles/puddle jumpers are NOT a lifesaving device and should not be used on a boat or in the ocean. Use a baby or toddler lifejacket instead based on their weight.
- DO NOT buy one of those floating contraptions that have a little canopy. They’re not safe to use and they give you a false sense of security. Ditto for inflatable water wings of any kind.
- Swim diapers, if you need them. So you don’t have to learn the hard way—pee goes right through these.
- I don’t usually pack a pool noodle, but they’re always fun. We pretend to be cowboys, make a choo-choo train, or squirt each other in the face.
- I pulled a few of my bath toys and made them pool toys. These duckies, these balls, and these boats are our favorites.
Thanks for being here.
My toddler’s “I am Moana” moment.
My toddler is super comfortable in the water, but maybe too comfortable. On our last trip they took a running start from the shallow end and jumped into the water without a bubble on (I was right behind, fully clothed, and everyone was fine.) I asked why they jumped in without me. “I just wanted to see the fishies at the bottom.” 🤦🏼♀️
Talk about a bruised ego from doing so much work on safety and the rules—all this to say, it’s a work in progress always, and you can’t let your guard down. We’ll keep working on it! Even if my toddler does not choose to swim (gasp!!), they will need to be in swim lessons ’till literally, like, eight or nine years old for them to fully “get it,” and that’s true of most kids. In the meantime, thank goodness for quick-drying clothing, fast-twitch muscles, and mom intuition.
Splash,
Kayla
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This post was originally published on Travel with Toddlers. Subscribe for more real-talk travel advice, toddler-friendly itineraries, and tried-and-true gear recommendations.
