POCATELLO - Fifteen-month-old Jonah Crowfoot splashed at soap bubbles, threw colorful plastic balls, sang songs and jumped from the side of a small swimming pool into his mother's waiting arms Wednesday night at Portneuf Medical Center's west campus.
Three other mothers with children ages 14 to 36 months shared in the fun as part of the hospital's Aqua Tots program. When they were done, another group of parents climbed in with their 3- to 14-month-olds for a similar program called Water Babies.
Molly Crowfoot, Jonah's mother, said it was their first time participating.
"I want him to be familiar with water and to know how to swim," Molly said, adding that there is no other program like it in the Pocatello area.
Nikki Goldade, PMC's community education coordinator, has been instructing Aqua Tots/Water Babies for the past year.
She said it is a developmental program that helps parents and their children bond in a different environment. It also teaches the toddlers how to share and play together constructively.
"It's good for them to be with other kids learning how to interact with them," Goldade said.
In addition, it gives parents a chance to get out of the house and network with other parents.
Molly said she recently took Jonah to another pool in town for a family event and he didn't like it because the water was cold. At the PMC pool, which is primarily used for physical therapy, the temperature is a comfortable 95 degrees.
Molly, who moved to Pocatello from Nampa while her husband attends pharmacy school at Idaho State University, said Wednesday night was a good experience.
"I grew up with a pool in my backyard," she said. "From the time I was his age, I was a swimmer."
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