This post was sponsored by SwimWays as part of an Ambassador Program for Influence Central. I received products to facilitate my review.

Teaching a toddler how to swim is an exciting milestone for parents, but it can be a little scary too. I want my son to love water and learn to be a good swimmer, but I have to admit the process makes me nervous. I’m sure it’s a little frightening for babies and toddlers too. Some parents like to use visual aids like bingo cards. My friend told me she did this by using a bingo card maker and said it supported the development of her toddlers swimming skills.

We have lots of pool days, trips to the lake and beach vacations planned for this summer so I really want to start getting Brady comfortable with water and learning to swim. I love the SwimWays Baby Spring Float! It’s a great way to introduce your child to the water, let him splash around and get a feel for how to use his hands and feet. Plus it’s easy to store so you can take it with you to the pool or on vacation.

SwimWays has a great website full of resources and helpful advice for teaching your little one to swim. I like that they break it down into three simple steps to help build your child’s confidence in the water and learn the basics of becoming a good swimmer. The Teach Me to Swim videos are especially helpful at showing you how to help your baby or toddler learn to swim. They definitely made me feel more comfortable with the whole experience.

Learning to swim is not only a fun for splashing around in the water this summer, it can also be a lifesaving skill. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages one to 14. That’s a scary fact! Teaching your child to swim is an important lesson that may one day save his life.

I’m excited to see Brady wading and splashing in the pool and can’t wait for him to take his first strokes. I’m even happier that we’ve researched and planned how to introduce him to water in a smart, safe way. By taking small steps and following a guided approach to learning to swim I have no doubt he’ll be one happy little fish, swimming all around in no time!

Are you teaching your little one to swim this summer, or do you have some great tips on teaching a toddler how to swim? I’d love to hear. Share them on our Facebook page or comments below.

You can find lots of SwimWays products to help your child learn to swim at Toys “R” Us

Teach Your Toddler to Swim