Big Blue's Regional Manager, Mike Thoma, Talks Baby Blue Benefits

Regional Manager, Mike Thoma, talks about his professional and personal experiences with our Baby Blue program.

Q- How long have you been with Big Blue Swim School?
A- I started in late 2010 working with the swim team and doing lessons. I am very lucky I got to help in the creation of our Baby Blue program. When my wife and I adopted our two boys it was very important to us that they learn to swim. Both have been in Baby Blue.

Q- What is something most people don't know about infant swim lessons?
A- I learned that because of the weightless water environment, babies are not restricted by their incapacity to sit or stand so they are able to engage more muscles. Since they are also using both sides of their body in ways they're not able to do on land, this helps the brain grow and develop physical skills, and cognitive functions.

Q- That's interesting! What kind of cognitive functions are aided by swim lessons?
A- "One study from Griffith University in Australia has shown that infants who regularly participated in formal swim lessons were 11 months ahead of the normal population oral expression, 6 months ahead in math, and 2 months ahead in brief reading."

Q-How does a Big Blue teacher learn to teach Baby Blue classes?
A- Anyone who teaches Baby Blue goes through an additional 40-60 hours of training. Teaching Baby Blue is very different than teaching other lessons. Here, we are teaching the parents and showing the parents how to hold their child in the water, how to put them underwater. A Baby Blue lesson very much focuses on bonding with the child and water safety.

Q- What kind of personal experience have you had with Baby Blue?
A- My oldest was in Baby Blue and is now a Guppy, my youngest is still in Baby Blue. When my oldest was able to move up in a Guppy 1 class he was already able to do most of the skills in the class so he was able to move up and make steady progress. Since he had been in Baby Blue and knew the program, he was comfortable going into the water and knew what to expect. It's also been a great bonding experience for us. It's so amazing to watch their face light up when you praise them for doing a new skill.

Q- What advice do you have for parents interested but still unsure of signing up for lessons?
A- Come in for a free trial lesson! Also, another important thing to remember is that most of the kids are going to cry. It is a new experience for them, keep coming and in a couple weeks there won’t be tears.