{REVIEW + GIVEAWAY} Fred's Swimtrainer From Thanks Mama

When it comes to swimming my kids are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Jacob, my three year old, has been very cautious when it comes to the water and relies heavily on his "floatie" to move about the pool. Only recently has he started warming up to the water a little more and going under. My younger son, Jordan, on the other hand, is not even an ounce afraid of the water. He eagerly goes down the slide into the water and jumps off the edge even before making sure someone is there to catch him. On more than one occasion I have not been ready and he's jumped all the way under before I could get to him.

I knew the Fred's Swimtrainer would be perfect for us when it was offered to me from Thanks Mama, a family owned natural parenting store that carries a variety of cloth diapers, swim diapers, natural baby products, baby carriers, and lots lots more. They look for innovative products that are
good for babies and the environment and they never forget that most families are on a budget. That’s
why Thanks Mama offers low prices, free shipping on orders over $60 within the USA (though they do ship worldwide!), and easy returns within 90 days. Thanks Mama has a Buy Safe Guarantee and Price Guarantee. 


I chose the Stage 1 red swimtrainer which is for children 13-40 lbs. They also offer a Stage 2 orange swimtrainer for children 33-65 lbs and a Stage 3 yellow swimtrainer for children 45-80 lbs. So there is bound to be a swimtrainer for just about every child learning to swim! My children are 23 and 38 lbs so the Stage 1 red swimtrainer was perfect for both of them. 

The swimtrainer is similar to a standard floatie inner-tube except it is not a full circle and it has a harness to hold the child in place. The harness is also inflatable and includes adjustable shoulder straps as well as a waist band that is full in the front. Inflating the swimtrainer was easy. My only complaint was that you are supposed to inflate the inside harness before the red inner-tube part. Had I read the directions, I would have known this, but I didn't and started on the inner-tube because it had a 1 and 2 on it. Clearly, this was my own fault for not looking at the directions but I wish those numbers weren't there to be confusing. The swimtrainer has two clips in the back -- one for around the waist and one for the shoulder straps. The shoulder straps adjust by pulling them through the clip. There is also a protective guard that snaps up over the clips to ensure they do not come loose while your child is wearing it.

 

The swimtrainer fit both of my boys well, although as you can see from the picture, Jordan was not a fan of trying it on before we got into the pool. 

 

Once we got to the pool, both the boys got to take turns trying out the trainer. Jacob enjoyed wearing it and was able to move himself around the pool on his own. After awhile he went back to his other inner-tube though. Jordan, my little water baby, loved it and so do I. He is able to move himself around the pool like he wants, while staying safe and above the water, like I want. His arms aren't quite long enough to use to help him swim but he can kick his legs and turn his body around to "swim" in the tube.

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Would you like a Fred's Swimtrainer?


BUY IT: You can purchase your own Fred's Swimtrainer from ThanksMama.com. They retail for $24.90. 


WIN IT: Thanks Mama has been generous enough to offer a Fred's Swimtrainer to one lucky reader! Must be 18+ and in the USA/Canada to be eligible to win. Enter via the rafflecopter form below. One mandatory entry will get you a chance to win, all other entries are optional but will increase your odds of winning. All entries will be verified so please only say you do what you actually do. Winner will be chosen via random.org through rafflecopter and notified by email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. Good luck! 







a Rafflecopter giveaway



{Disclaimer: I received the above product free of charge for the purpose of this review. However, all opinions are 100% my own and are not influenced by this. Your opinion and experience my vary.}