Zoggs Kids' Dive Sticks

6 months ago, I was scared of even going to the swimming baths. I had a real fear of pools, but was forced to go to lessons after a bet with my mum (New Years resolutions!). It had been 8 years since my last swimming lesson. Now, I actually feel more comfortable under the water than the world on top of it - and that was just 6 lessons in!

We used various aids in our classes to boost our confidence. One of them were these Zoggs Sinkers (as I prefer to call them), that come in packs of four. Soon enough, after plucking up the courage to go under water, I now can't wait to go back to the pool and swim around trying to pick up these sticks! They are much better than bricks in that when thrown in the water, they sink Vertically, meaning you can get a handle grip of them.

The are a nice size, brightly coloured, and very well made. What we've started doing at the end of our lessons is getting more adventurous and throwing them towards the deep end, on the other side of a lane. This encourages us to swim a little further down, and navigate across the lane above us.

I now have no fear in going to the deep end, just dropping down, and seeing how many I can get. Though for confidence building, it would be better to stay in shallower waters, as the pressure on your lungs 2 metres down will shorten your depth.

Even away from building your confidence up they act as a great game to see who can pick up the most! I can't recommend them highly enough. I'd definitely buy these Zoggs rather than cheap copies because of the quality. Though as I've found, this time of year when are the baths quiet? Grrrrrr....

Never go to the pool without them. They are unobtrusive / take up little space - but the kids love playing with them - and they are great if you are trying to find ways to get your kids more confident about going underwater.

If you're looking for a toy that can improve your child's underwater confidence then these are perfect for you.

"They're fantastic and lots of fun" according to Ben (age 10)