That baby can swim!- check out the video in the sidebar

The first time I took the kids to the pool this year, I decided right away that they would all have to know how to swim—and soon. I was a nervous wreck trying to keep up with 5 kids bobbing around the pool, and making sure no one drowned. After I, I had come to the pool so the kids would have something to keep them busy while I relax! I should have been able to, after all there was a lifeguard, and we were basically the only people there. But these are my kids and I am a little over protective about certain things. Water being one of them (next parking lots, grocery store, theme parks, you get what I am saying).
As luck would have it our gym was offering infant rescue lessons (meaning they could rescue themselves). I promptly signed up my 4 and 17 month old children. The first day was horrible, my son (4) went first and cried to whole time. The lesson takes about 10-15 minutes. Then came Amelia, I think she cried more from stranger anxiety than from the actual swimming. She is fine in the water with us any other time. Day 2: was worse than 1 because they start crying as soon as they hit the parking lot. Days 3-6: still crying but getting more comfortable. Son can float on his back by day 4 and Amelia by day 5!! Day 7: son asks to go to his lesson! Yea- breakthrough! No more crying for him. The baby is a different story she actually cried every day of the 4 weeks, but it got less and less and not the entire lesson. But our instructor was so calm and reassuring, I was actually OK with it. If they got on her nerves you would have never known it. Job- I am telling you.
The last week I talked the instructor into taking on my 6 year old (they usually only do 5 and under). She had her swimming from one end of the pool to the other in 5 days, and also able to float on her back.
I am still of course very watchful of the kids around the water. But I can at least sit and relax and let the kids have fun. I know if they were to fall in they would be able to swim to the side or float until I could get to them and not sink straight to the bottom. They are said to be “waterproof”, in pools or open water and that they could float indefinitely. Their final test was being fully clothed in shirt, blue jeans, socks, shoes, a hoodie jacket (diaper for baby) and tossed in the water heals over head and recover to a back float, also dropped into the water to the bottom (about 4 feet) and reach surface and float they had to swim the length of the pool and back. Also on my son she took his hoodie off and threw it on top of him to simulate getting tangled in his clothes. He was able to maintain himself in the water and remove the jacket. Pretty impressive! And could save their life one day!