If you’ve become one of us, let me first say congratulations! There is a lot to learn to being a swim team mom! Last summer, my girls joined a kids swim team for summer. It was a learning experience for us all, but we have loved being a swim team family! We have just finished year two of participating the same youth swim team, and I am ready to share all the things I have learned! There are several types of swim teams for kids or swim clubs for kids. There are the summer swim team leagues and the year round swim teams for teens or youth. If you are interested in swim teams for kids, read on!
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Benefits of Swim Teams for Kids
First, let’s talk about things your kiddos might actually benefit from during their time on swim team or swim club.
From what I can see, participating on a kids swim team or swim club builds a team spirit while also building individual skills and goals. Although the kids are competing as a team, they are each attempting to beat their own scores (their own seed) from the last meet when on swim teams for kids.
Swim teams introduce an opportunity for kids to take instruction from swim coaches and experience a coach mentor. The swim team coaches teach kids to swim with proper swim form and movements. When I first enrolled my kids in our community swim team,
Of course, swimming is great exercise so enrolling your kids in kids swim teams affords them an opportunity to stay in shape and get the recommended exercise times each week.
Allowing your child to try a middle school swim team, summer swim team for youth, or year round swim team allows your kid the opportunity to tap into a passion. Many of the swim team coaches on our swim team grew up participating in swim team themselves and some now swim on scholarship for their college swim team.
7 Things I Was Not Prepared for About Being a Swim Mom
I had no idea what I was getting into as a swim mom! As someone who has never participated in an organized sport in my life, everything was so new to me! In the past, we have participated in dance and gymnastics, but swim team has been a bit more involved.
So Many Practices (Early in the Morning)
As a teacher, one of the main things I look forward to is slow mornings with no rush. Wamp wamp. Then, we joined swim team and those slow mornings ceased to exist. The first summer, my girls went to practice at 7 a.m. At first, I was a little grumpy about it. But then I came to really enjoy it. We were able to get to practice (not really worrying about appearances) first thing in the morning, and then we were back home and showered by 8:30ish. This year, we moved up to a little higher level practice which started at 7:30 rather than 7:00. We are still home and ready for our day by 9 a.m.
To clarify, not all children will have early morning practices. Our swim team offers morning practices and night practices to accommodate parents’ work schedules. Sometimes, I take the girls in the morning and my husband takes them again at night. We don’t do this often but sometimes if we have missed a week for vacation, we will do this the next week to catch up. And sometimes we do two practices a day a couple times before a meet.
Whatever way you go about it, be prepared for lots of practice sessions! Luckily, my nieces and nephews have also been on the same swim team as my girls. This means my sister-in-law and I can trade out taking the kids back and forth if we need.
Particular Swim Suits for Swim Teams
My girls have a thousand sets of bikinis. The first summer we signed up for swimsuit, I found out the girls were required to wear one-piece swimsuits only for swim practice. And they needed a certain team swimsuit for swim meets and team pictures. So I had to scramble and order one-piece swimsuits in time for the swim season to start.
Needless to say, most of our cute two-piece swimsuits did not get much wear.
All The Laundry
Speaking of swim suits…holy, moly. All. The. Laundry.
If you can imagine, two children going to swim once a day for five days a week (and sometimes twice a day) plus swim meets on several Saturdays of the month leads to lots of wet and dirty towels and swimsuits!
I finally made a rule that all towels and wet suits went into a pile and I washed them all at once on Fridays or Saturdays (if we had a meet). Of course, this meant we have to have enough one-piece swimsuits and pool towels to stretch all week.
The Craziness of Kids Swim Meet Day
Kids swim meet day is a whole vibe. People from the different competing swim teams start arriving 30 minutes to 45 minutes early to set up their tents and such outside of the swim facility – tailgate style. Other people are wheeling in large wagons with all the stuff. Children are running everywhere. Teams are splashing in the water during their designated warm up times. Parents are asking a thousand questions.
There is a lot of stimulation! We were so overwhelmed at our first swim meet!
People bring all the things to a swim meet. They bring wagons on wheels loaded down with blankets, children’s robes so they can wear them between their swim events, activities for the swimmers and their siblings to do while they wait, snacks, coolers of drinks, lawn chairs, etc.
Check my swim team bag below so you will know what to pack for a swim meet! Knowing how to prepare for a swim meet is half the battle!
Putting on a Swim Cap
For a while, I couldn’t understand the purpose of a swim cap. I mean sometimes the girls’ hair still gets wet under the cap. Then, I learned from the swim coaches that the swim caps help swimmers stay focused in the water without hair in the face and without drag in the water.
Another reason to wear a swim cap is it allows parents in the audience on swim meet day an easier way to identify their children amongst a sea of swimmers who all look alike from a distance. Granted, we wear swim team swim caps so we still have to squint to figure out which kiddo is ours. But it does help narrow things down.
I’ve just finished year two of being a swim team mom, and I still haven’t figured out the exact art of putting on a swim cap.
My little drama queens whine and squirm and act like I am putting on the torcher treatment every time I try to put on the cap. I’ve learned to act helpless and hope that another swim mom from any of the swim teams at the meet will come to my rescue!
The Hubs has gotten better about it. He holds the swim cap over my daughter’s head and stretches it left to right with his fingers. He has my daughter hold the open mouth of the cap and stretch it front to back. Then, he flips it on fast over her head. Afterward, he tucks in all the hair from the back.
Writing on Kids’ Bodies on Swim Meet Day
It blew my mind when we arrived at the first swim meet and I saw moms everywhere marking all over their children’s bodies with a marker – an odd combinations of letters and numbers. Luckily, some fellow swim moms explained that we needed to write the children’s names on their backs or upper shoulder. They also explained we needed to write a little table labeled with E, H, and L (event, heat, and lane) on the arms or legs.
This helps the clerk of court volunteers who stand post in a certain area to line up the kids for each swim event. The clerk of court folks have a list of names (from the heat sheet) and they line the kids up in whatever order is needed for the upcoming event and heats. The volunteers can quickly glance over and see the children’s names on their backs.
The volunteers can also look at the children’s arms or legs and see which event and heat the kid is supposed to be in. Also, the kids can keep up themselves by looking on their arms.
Dealing with Swimmer’s Hair
Oh, my lanta. I cannot tell you what an ordeal we’ve had with my girls’ hair during our first two seasons on swim team! Their soft silky hair suddenly became like horse’s mane or straw just after one week on swim team! The chlorine in the pool really affects simmer’s hair more than I ever realized.
We do not have a pool. Although we swim at friends’ pools here and there, I had never really notices what an issue the chlorine is with swimmer’s hair.
After dealing with this straw mess for two years, I finally broke down and ordered some pricier but affective shampoo for swimmers. I could kick myself for not having done this sooner. There are several varieties of swimmers shampoo including this Fairy Tales Swim Shampoo and Fairy Tales Swim Conditioner which are geared toward even young children. See my swim bag below for links to the exact swimmers shampoo we use.
Volunteer Obligations
Different kids swim teams will have different volunteer requirements. Some will be heavier than others. I’m sure many kids sports teams require parent volunteer hours. I was just not overly familiar with organized sports when we joined our youth swim team so I was not prepared.
Our volunteer positions haven’t been so bad and have actually been kind of fun.
Best Accessories for Swim Moms of Swim Teams
It took me a bit, but I finally came around to bein a swim mom. Swim moms have to stay organized just as team moms do for any sport.
- If you will be the one carrying a swim bag for your kiddos, this mesh backpack has compartments to help keep things organized. (Also see my preferred swim bag below!)
- A fun swim mom shirt surely is a must!
- These swim mom earrings add an extra dose of fun to swim meet day! You can personalize them with your children’s names, too!
- There is a lot of water around a swim meet. Don’t wear shoes you worry about ruining! I suggest waterproof shoes like women’s Teva sandals, these Croc flip flops, or even these jelly platform sandals!
Best Swim Team Accessories for Kids on Swim Teams
- Swim hair ties just add a touch of fun to practice. You could get this swim ponytail set with bracelets for an end-of-season gift!
- This Swim Team novel for kids will help kiddos get in the right attitude about what’s important in middle school.This other novel, The Swim Team, is great for teens with themes on bullying and clashes amongst teen girls.
- A good swim backpack or bag with wet and dry compartments is a must. This product would be great for older kids and teens. Kids can be responsible for taking their own things to and from practice and meets. There are also some simple drawstring mesh swim backpacks that would be easy for kids to drop things in and pull things out. This one has compartments and comes in a wide assortment of colors. Kids would need to be careful about electronics, however, with this type of bag.
- This swimming themed small cosmetic bag or travel bag is perfect for tweens and teens!
- Good one-piece swimsuits for daily practice are a must. You need to have several so you aren’t stressing about laundry multiple times a week. You need unfussy one-piece swimsuits with higher necklines and few frills. (Just make sure you follow the proper swimsuit policy as some swim teams or swim clubs might have rules about what kind of suits need to be worn to practice. My swim team has a rule about one-piece swimsuits of any type for practice.)
- This long hair swim cap suits girls with long hair! We have really enjoyed our Speedo swim caps (and most anything Speedo we have purchased). I can see why Speedo is such a big brand with swimmers. Teens might need an adult swim cap size.
Swim Team Accessories in My Swim Bag
My top tip for being a swim team mom or dad is to stay organized! All the swim teams stuff will make you crazy if you don’t have an organized method for keeping things stored and ready for the many practices every week. Here are links for all the things I keep in my swim bag that you see pictured below.
- Sharpie markers are necessary to have on hand to mark your kid’s arm (or leg) and back for swim meets. I also keep a highlighter and a pen so I can mark the paper heat sheets at each week. (Some swim meets might not provide paper heat sheets. You might just have to rely on a digital heat sheet.) You will see I currently have a thick Sharpie in the bag. I would suggest a normal regular point Sharpie instead. Sometimes, you have to write pretty small – especially for kids in several events.
- I LOVE my extra large rubber tote bag. It fits all the things and then some. During the pandemic, I wanted one so badly, but they were hard to find. I have two of them now and use them both constantly. My pink one pictured below stays stocked for swim team at all times.
- Mesh bag organizers for keeping things separated. I like to have a bag for small hair accessories – scrunchies, hair ties, and hair clips. I like to have a larger bag for the markers, leave in conditioners, wet brush, etc.
- As I mentioned above, we finally found a great swimmer’s shampoo, swimmer’s conditioner, and swimmer’s leave in conditioner. For using showers at the pool facility (which we do occasionally), I keep some of the shampoo and conditioner in little travel shampoo containers. The leave-in conditioner stays in the swim bag. And since this line of swimmers hair products is pricier than what we ever pay for normal shampoo, I dispense the product into my girls’ hands during their showers. They will not waste these products all over the shower floor like they do the others!
- Sunscreen is important to keep in my swim bag because my swim team bag is also my pool bag for pool parties, hanging out at friends’ pools, etc. And sometimes swim meets are held in other towns with outdoor pool facilities.
- Fresh swim towels go in the back as soon as we get home from one practice so the bag is ready to go the next day. I like to use lightweight and quick absorbent towels since we will be dragging them around. (I keep a basket in the laundry room loaded with fresh swim towels for the week. As soon as we walk in, we toss the wet ones in the hamper and grab fresh ones from the basket to put straight into my rubber tote.)
- I keep water bottles for the girls in my swim bag because the girls are usually really thirsty after practices and meets.
- I also try to keep a little cash money in my bag so my kids can get something from the concession stands after they complete their swim events in the swim meets.
Other Things You Might Need to Take to Swim Meet Events
In addition to the things listed in my swim bag above, there are other things to consider as to what to pack for a swim meet.
- Many people haul their things in a big folding utility wagon. You have probably seen these wagons elsewhere. They are handy for going to the beach, park, or pool or for hauling things to kids baseball games, etc.
- Many people will keep sweaters or blankets packed in their wagons because sometimes the indoor air conditioned pool facilities at swim meets are cold. For us, this has only been true at one of our swim meet venues. It is freezing in there, but the other venues are pretty hot on the inside! Another thing is people will sometimes spread blankets on the floor for a place for kids to sit during meets.
- There is often a bit of wait time between swim meet events. One friend swears that this rubber bracelet making kit kept her own kid and many others entertained at every swim meet they went to. She would spread out blankets on the floor and five or six girls from the swim team would join her daughter on the blankets to make bracelets while they waited for their swim times.
- I like to tuck in coloring books and colored pencils or Crayons into my bag as an extra activity for the kids while they wait.
- If you intend to tailgate on the outside of the pool facility, you will need lawn chairs and a good pop up tent for the sun or rain.
- At our swim meets, there is typically a concession stand with snacks, but people are welcome to bring their own portable coolers. If you don’t already one a cooler, I recommend a small insulated backpack or bag cooler like this one. They come in handy for so many different occasions.
- We love these over the neck fans for any time we will be in the heat. We have several of these and have also gifted these to others.
End of Season Swim Team Party Ideas for Kids Swim Teams
Similarly to many other sports, swim team organizers often host an end of season team party. Sometimes, parents are asked to help with these end-of-season swim teams parties.
An end of season swim team party can be held anywhere. It doesn’t have to be held at the pool. Our swim team parties are often held at the local trampoline park a week or two after the championship meet. Parents and any kids who participated on swim team are invited to attend for trampoline fun and pizza. However, parents do have have pay a fee for each kid because the swim team typically doesn’t have extra funds to cover such things.
Be sure to add a few fun decorations to your swim team party to add to the festivities! There is an entire “Making Waves” party decorations set on Amazon.
- This swim team bunting banner is great if you have space in the party area to hand things on a wall or above a mantel.
- Dot the tables with some swim team confetti. Or maybe you would prefer to adorn the table with these swim team table runners. Another idea would be to cut large blue butcher paper into waves shapes and line the table with those!
- Or you can place vases of florals or plants on tables with these swim team table decorations tucked in.
- If you’ve got a cute backdrop area for photos, fun swim team photo props are a must!
- Hanging party decorations are always fun! Try these hanging swim team decorations.
- If you have a small swim club or swim team, you might consider swim team party favor boxes filled with candy. I don’t think handing out favors for everyone is feasible for larger swim clubs though. Another idea would be to use these cute boxes for prize boxes.
- Simple store purchased cupcakes can be elevated for a swim party with these swim team cupcake toppers.
Gifts for Swim Team Coaches
Another thing that is typical end-of-season is the gifting of a small gift to the swim teams coaches. Unless your child only has one or two coaches all season, these gifts probably should be kept small. My girls each have probably five to six coaches throughout the season. Our coaches rotate and work with different kids at different practices.
Our swim team organizers do a good job of posting the “likes” of our coaches. They will post about each coach and give some details of the coaches favorite fast food restaurants, stores, candy, Sonic drinks, etc. to help parents select gift cards or treats for them. Sometimes, parents show up with Sonic drinks for the coaches at random practices just for a little pick-me-up treat. Also, there are some cute swim coach gift ideas on Amazon.
- This swim coach make up pouch is too cute!
- These customized drink tumblers would make a great personalized gift for each coach.
- Some coaches would love these “Just Keep Swimming” earrings.
Well, I hope you found some helpful insight here as to what it’s like to be a swim team mom! Let me know if there was anything I didn’t cover as far as swim teams for kids!
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