Straight after the excitement of giving birth, probably the last thing on your mind is donning a swimming costume and visiting your local pool. However, swimming with your baby is fantastic for a whole host of reasons, and the earlier you start the better.
The first few months of your baby’s life are an incredibly precious time, and swimming together in a warm, calm, nurturing environment will only enhance this experience. Skin to skin contact is key in strengthening the bond between the two of you and you’ll be amazed at how quickly your baby will learn to respond to key commands, in turn stimulating their brain for new learning.
Obviously water safety is a primary motivator in many parents’ desire to teach their babies to swim. Children can learn vital life saving techniques from remarkably early on; such as falling in off the side, turning around underwater, surfacing and grabbing onto the nearest solid object. Given the fact that children usually drown because they’re paralysed by the shock of submersion, you can easily see how complete confidence in water, plus a solid bank of skills, will put your child in an incredibly strong position. In fact, children as young as two years old have been known to fall in, calmly swim to the side and await help - a wonderful outcome that, had they not learnt to swim from birth, would have certainly meant tragedy.
Not all baby swimming courses are the same, so it’s important you look around carefully before signing up. Many sessions are more about water familiarisation, where games and songs are sung, you and your baby can meet other new parents and very little submersion or progression work is done. For many parents these sessions are great, as they’re not looking for a more structured course where they have to attend every week. The benefits of a more technically worked out programme like Water Babies are that you will clearly see your child progress, to the point where they are very likely to be swimming by the age of two.
The most important thing is that, whether you choose to do a course or take your baby swimming alone, you do so in an environment where you are both completely relaxed and having fun. Just make sure that the water is warm enough (32 degrees for babies under 12 lbs or weeks, 30 degrees when they’re older) and don’t spend longer than 20 to 30 minutes in the pool. Often local pools are cooler than this, so it’s a great idea to purchase a baby wetsuit (www.splashabout.net is great for these). Also, never submerge your baby unless you’re in a supervised lesson. Babies can have at least five reactions to going underwater, and whilst they’re absolutely fine with it, it’s always best they do so with the help of a fully trained professional who understands the process.
Even if your baby has done a course and is really confident, it’s still vital that you keep a constant eye on them whenever they’re near water. When you’re in the pool you should always be within arms length, and don’t rely on any kind of floatation aids – nothing beats being within reach and making a visual check every 15 seconds. Children can drown in less than five cms of water, and it takes less than a minute for tragedy to occur. You’ll generally never hear them fall into a pond or pool, and a child can slip underwater in the bath and suffer irreversible brain damage in the time it takes for you to nip out and answer the phone.
Swimming is one of the best activities your baby can do and it’s amazing that, before the age of three, you can teach them one of life’s core skills. If you go gently, introducing them to the water in a measured, empathic way, you’ll instil not only a lifetime’s confidence, but open up a whole new magical underwater world, providing healthy enjoyment for years to come.
Jess Thompson is director of Water Babies, the UK's national specialist baby swim school. To find out more about classes visit www.waterbabies.co.uk or call 01404 548 348
