15 Swim Lesson Essentials for Parents

What’s in your swim bag? Don’t forget these 15 Swim Lesson Essentials for Parents – with tips to survive the summer sports season! This post is sponsored by Febreze. All swimmingly awesome opinions are my own.

15 Swim Lesson Essentials for Parents

This summer’s motto: Just keep swimming!

Summer sports season is here and even with the big move in a few weeks, I’m determined to keep up with our annual summer swim lessons. But I’ll admit, the extra level of crazy this swim season has me gathering “all hands on deck” to survive. Packing boxes while packing our daily swim bag? You can throw that life buoy now.

For those that have been following our family for awhile, you know that our summer swim adventures have been well…quite eventful over the years. Remember the year we “pooped in the pool?” Or the time we had to bolt for those “emergency stitches?” That’s why my swim bag may look a little different from yours. But take it from this 9-year swim lesson veteran, you’re going to want all 15 of these Swim Lesson Essentials for Parents. All of them.

Quality Swimwear

Swimsuits take a beating. The wear and tear, the stretching, the holes…the last thing I want to do is have to stock up on more swimsuits in the middle of daily swim lessons. Investing in quality swimwear for your kids, especially for swim lessons is so important. Make sure those drawstrings are secure and those straps are thick and sewn well to last all swim season.

Sunscreen

“Why do I need to wear sunscreen when it’s cloudy outside?” With summer afternoon thunderstorms rolling in, it would be certainly easier for me to pass on the lathering of my kids in spray and lotions. But here’s the thing, those UV rays don’t care if there are clouds outside. And with the sun reflecting off of the water and all of the wiping off their faces, my kids NEED sunscreen, period.

Towels

Swimming is well…wet. Towels are an essential part of swim lessons, especially if your kids need to wipe faces between laps.

Extra Towels

Did I mention that swim class is wet? I cannot stress the importance enough of bringing lots of towels. I bring at least 2 per child: one to dry off and keep warm in between laps and another one for after lessons when we pack up the car.

Febreze Fabric

Anyone else ever forgot those wet towels in the trunk of the car?

*Raises hand.*

Or forgot to wash those wet swimsuits that they stink like wet dog the next day…really badly?

*Raises hand…really high.*

When you’re shuffling kids back and forth from swim class every day, there’s bound to be a forgotten swim item left behind. Between towels, wet swimwear, and even the swim bag itself, there’s also bound to be some stink left behind as well.

I always keep Febreze Fabric Refresher on hand during the summer months, especially when my kids are busy with sports. Whether we are playing wiffleball with friends or keeping our swimwear fresh between classes, a few quick sprays of Febreze Fabric Refresher helps to protect my kids’ swim essentials from even the worst summer odors. Febreze Fabric Refresher with OdorClear™ Technology tackles my kids’ summer sports smells and eliminates them by:

seeking out the toughest odors
cleaning them away by deactivating odors and replacing them with a light fresh scent!

Febreze Fabric Refresher works differently to tackle your kids’ sports smells. Instead of covering up smelly odors, Febreze actually eliminates them for good! Talk about life saving for this mom! So even if I forget the swim laundry…again or leave the stack of towels in my trunk…again – Febreze Fabric Refresher allows us to stay on track and never miss that amazing dive or fastest lap.

Insurance/Medical Cards

In all seriousness, we’ve had our share of incidents at the pool. It wasn’t too long ago that we rushed our daughter to urgent care during swim class. She tripped on her towel and needed stitches in her chin. Accidents happen and can occur when you lease expect it, even during swim class. I urge every parent to make sure you have your medical cards handy and your CPR certification card up to date.

First Aid Kit

You would think that the pediatric nurse would have been ready for those chin stitches, but I am now. I keep a small first aid kit filled with bandages, alcohol swabs, gauze, and even bug bite wipes in my swim bag just for this very reason.

Hydration

While you may not see them sweating during their swim lessons, those kids are burning some serious calories! Hydration is so important for kids during swim lessons and hot summer days. So I make sure to bring water bottles to grab sips during class. Choose ones with easy tops for quick open and close action so they don’t miss a beat during lessons.

Protein-Packed Snack

Speaking of burning calories, make sure that those kids don’t crash after all of that hard work! I always have a protein-packed snack ready for these hangry kids. Peanut butter crackers work wonders for re-energizing my kids post swim.

Backup Goggles

Yup, those break too. And usually at the worst possible times. Broken goggle straps during our summer swim lessons happens more times than I can count. Make sure to have a backup pair ready to go.

Tissues

It’s inevitable. Pool water enters my kids’ noses and all of a sudden I have a pair of leaky faucets on my hands. (Um, sorry swim instructors. You may have some extra swimmers in the pool.) YIKES! Don’t let runny noses ruin swim lessons. I always keep a pack of ultra thick tissues in my swim bag so that we can blow noses between laps.

More Hair Ties

There’s nothing worse than a girl in the pool with NO hair tie. I’ve had more than one hair tie break in the middle of an intense swim lesson. Take it from me, bring backups for your kids! This will not only save time on your child’s distractions (try swimming with hair in your face!) but also save on those extra knots you’ll have to comb out later.

Dry Bag

There’s always something that needs to be dry while at the pool. I always have a dry bag on hand, whether for my phone or camera, my son’s glasses, or some really wet items that I don’t want to soak into my car. Have a dry bag ready, and I even encourage to have more than one dry bag on hand.

Camera

Pictures. At the end of the day, all we have are the moments. Summer memories are not the same without a few pictures of kids swimming and having fun. I love seeing the difference from year to year – from shy timid swimmers to confident little fish. Make sure to have your camera ready to treasure those moments for summers to come.

Your Encouragement

The biggest essential that you can pack into your swim bag this year? All of the love. Your smiles, cheers and encouragement from the sidelines mean the world to your kids. It’s one of the most important swim lesson essentials that you can bring to make those summer memories good ones.

Summer sports season is BUSY, y’all. And between packing, moving and keeping my kids safe in the pool this summer, I admit that I need all of the help I can get to make this season go smoothly. Grab your swim lesson essentials (don’t forget to stock up on Febreze Fabric Refresher!) and make sure that these summer memories are swimmingly fun!