Helping My Son To Overcome His Fear Of Water

This is advertorial content in collaboration with Simply Swim

You might have seen over my on Instagram last week that we had a fantastic break away to Centerparcs. It was our first visit to Woburn, after previously visiting Whinfell, Sherwood and Elveden and I’d actually say it’s our favourite Centerparcs location so far.

Last year whilst on holiday our seven year old developed a bit of a fear of water. He’d never been the most confident swimmer and after hurting himself on a water slide, he became scared of swimming pools. He didn’t want to swim without some kind of flotation device and had a real fear of drowning.

We decided this trip to Centerparcs was the perfect time to build up his confidence. The pool was pretty quiet and it was a relaxed environment, free from swimming teachers and other children watching him.

My daughter (4) uses a float suit with removable float inserts but my son is too old for this kind of device. We therefore decided to use flotation devices and noodles to help build his confidence. You can buy a Speedo inflatable noodle from Simply Swim. The great thing about a noodle is it still gives your child the freedom to move their arms and legs but also gives them that extra security.

His brother (10) is a confident swimmer and we really didn’t want him to feel like he was missing out by staying with his sister in the shallower areas of the pool. Using the noodle gave him the confidence to swim alongside his brother.

We also ensured he had some goggles so he could see under water as he was building up confidence. It also meant he wasn’t distracted by water getting in his eyes as he was swimming.

Gradually as the week went on, he was relying less on the noodle and was swimming independently and confidently in the shallow areas of the pool. The problem, as it always had been, was the deeper end where he was too small to reach the floor when standing. The issue wasn’t with his swimming technique or ability. It was purely his confidence. We started by asking him to swim small distances, between myself and my husband. Using lots of praise we managed to increase his self confidence and soon he was actually asking whether he should try swimming alone in the deep end. By the end of the week he had fully conquered his fear of the water and was swimming alongside his brother. He even, with a bit of persuasion, went on one of the the biggest slides and absolutely loved it.

Our 4 year old certainly doesn’t lack confidence in the water and just needs to work on her technique. She currently thrashes around like Scrappy Doo in water! We’ll definitely be using the noodle for her too now it was such a big success with her brother.

Seeing my son enjoying the water without a care in the world was one of the highlights of our holiday. Swimming is such a great activity to do as a family and we’re delighted that there’s now nothing holding him back.

For all your swimming needs from swimsuits to goggles, to nose clips and swim nappies, check out Simply Swim.