12. Water Safety Without Panic: Swim Lessons, Floaties & What Parents Really Need to Know: With Ashley Yates, British Swim School Franchise Owner

“Just toss ’em in the water; they’ll figure it out!” This approach doesn’t work for every child, and it can create a panic response—a precursor to drowning. On the other end of the spectrum, habitually putting your little ones in a life jacket or arm floaties when visiting pools builds muscle memory around a vertical position, which is the drowning position.In this episode, we shed light on how drowning happens, what layers of protection are critical if floaties aren’t the best tool, and how to navigate the wide range of swim programs to find the right fit for your child and lifestyle. We also address a hard truth for those with particularly water-anxious children: avoiding the whole swim experience can make it much, much worse.Grab your coffee or beverage of choice and lean in as we interview water safety educator and British Swim School of Cypress Spring owner, Ashley Yates, who is also a mom of two. You’ll leave the conversation feeling less stressed, more informed, and better equipped for the warm-weather months—with more enjoyment and safety best practices in mind. Learn more about the British Swim School program here, find a location near you here, and follow Ashley's North Houston school on Instagram here. Show Notes:We are two moms who met on Instagram years ago and quickly bonded over our love of the Montessori philosophy applied to parenting and over nerdy child development research. We decided to take the leap by finally taking our chats out of our DMs and inviting you to listen along as we chat about all things motherhood.Gloria is a former 1st grade public school teacher turned work-from-home and now Montessori homeschooling mom to her 6 and 4.5 year old. She mentors parents on Montessori homeschooling online and has created multiple masterclasses for parents and educators on how to teach children to read at a foundational level. You can find more about her mentorship program by ⁠⁠clicking here⁠ ⁠and more about her masterclasses and other printables she has created for homeschoolers by ⁠⁠clicking here⁠. ⁠You can find her on Instagram ⁠@MontessoriMamaLife⁠Jenna is a mom of three, communications strategist and child development writer. With a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a specialization in sociology, she began her career in newsrooms and nonprofits before discovering her true calling in education. She partners with Montessori school teams to strengthen their outreach, refine family communications, and foster deeper connections between parents and educators. You can follow her musings on Instagram ⁠@holdingspacemontessori. ⁠