Baby Swimming

Most babies naturally love to play around in the water. The feeling of weightlessness and the ease with which they can move their limbs is refreshing for young babies, especially those who are not able to get around by themselves yet. Teaching your baby to swim can not only be a very enjoyable bonding time between baby and parents but it can also help teach your baby safety skills that will stay with them for the rest of their life.

While it is certainly possible for a parent to teach a baby to swim without any instruction, other than perhaps reading up on the technique or watching instructional videos beforehand, many parents feel more secure partaking in a class or program. Programs are usually organized and run by professional swimming instructors who have had advanced training in teaching babies and toddlers to swim.

There are different methods used to teach a baby swimming skills. Some programs offer different methods, while others are more structured and take the baby through a progressive set of skills. For example, some parents may just want to allow their baby to become used to being in the water, to play and enjoy the experience. Other parents may want their child to become a competent swimmer. Most courses teach basic water and safety skills for both parents and the young children.

Most of the more popular swimming programs first teach your baby to swim underwater. From there, baby is taught more skills such as swimming from one parent to another, holding onto the side of the pool and kicking, diving to the bottom of a pool to retrieve an object, turning around under the water and project through the water while holding onto a kick-board. Gradually, as the baby becomes older, they learn new techniques until eventually they learn to swim on the surface of the water for some distance.

There are no real age limitations placed on when you can take your baby into the water, although most mothers usually wait until they are able to accompany their baby into the water. Previously it was thought too dangerous to take a child into a public pool unless they had completed all of their immunization shots, however this is no longer deemed necessary since the chlorine in the water protects babies from coming in contact with health-threatening germs.

Most programs request that the baby be at least twelve weeks old before starting formal classes. However, it is a good idea to get your baby used to being with you in the water as early as possible, so you may want to take your baby in the water with you even before he goes for classes. The more secure baby feels with mommy, the better the classes will go. You may want to take young babies to go to the pool in off-peak hours, as too much noise and confusion could be unsettling or scary for them. Better yet, if you have your own pool or have a friend with a pool you could go there instead, at least until baby is used with being in the water with you, and enjoys being in the pool.

Usually structured classes last around thirty minutes. At first you may just want to take your baby into the pool for ten minutes and then gradually stretch the length of time you spend in the water. Watch out that baby does not start shivering. If your baby does you should take them out of the pool immediately and wrap them up in a towel.

There are no real cons to teaching a baby to swim, although there are some things to be aware. If you have outdoor classes be careful of too much exposure to the sun. You should not take your baby swimming if they are are not feeling well. Finally, no matter how well your baby swims you should never leave them in the water alone nor become overly confident in their abilities.

Many parents and safety experts feel that it is beneficial to teach a baby to swim. It is excellent exercise. Learning to swim and feel comfortable in the water guarantees your child hours of water fun in the future. Most of all, your baby will learn safety skills that will stay with him for the rest of his life. In teaching a baby to swim, you have given them confidence and assurance that they know how to conduct themselves safely in and around water.