Continuing from my earlier post, Overcoming the Fear of Swimming Pools Part I…
Following the first step of overcoming his fear of swimming pools, I decided to bring Blake to the swimming pool on a weekly basis to get him used to the idea of swimming and water play. Besides that, I also brought him to a couple of other places that had water play involved as well.
The first place outside the swimming club we went to for such an activity was the Rooftop Water Playground at Tampines 1.
When we first got there, Blake was very hesitant. He didn’t dare to go near any of the water areas, choosing to play only at the dry playground.
After what seemed forever to me (I was ready to give up, pack up and head home), Blake started to venture into the wet areas.
Point to note, always be patient when it comes to trying new things with your young ones. Some of them do take quite a while to adapt and get into the mood.
Despite the slow start in enjoying the water playground, Blake eventually warmed up and got really into playing! He had so much fun that day! He only dared to play at certain spots though, but that was good enough for me!
After the trip to the water playground, I went another step further and brought Blake to Wild Wild Wet the very next day. I mean, why wait? It seemed like he was finally going over the hurdle, just needed a little more push! Hehe.
Again, Blake was hesitant initially. I wasn’t surprised. Wild Wild Wet was so much bigger, in comparison to water playground he had just gotten used to the day before. I reckon he took about half an hour before he started to enjoy all the rides that he could go on. By this time, I already knew I was pregnant with baby number two, and was in my first trimester, but I still did everything that Blake wanted to do – go on slides, climb to the highest point of the center structure etc. I was very determined to eliminate this phobia once and for all!
At the end of the day, I went home with a really tired, but happy boy. He had so much fun after much reassurance from me, knowing that I’m following him every step of the way, and that I’m always right next to him, holding his hands the whole way 🙂
Subsequently, after our visit to Wild Wild Wet, Blake took shorter periods of time to get used to the idea of swimming and water play.
My baby boy went from this,
To this!
Based on my calculations, it probably took me 1½ to about 2 months to have Blake smiling and get all excited whenever he sees a swimming pool or water playground – that’s when I know he was no longer afraid of going for a dip in the pool. Hehe.
