Baby swimming classes are available almost everywhere, and the younger a child is when he or she is taught to swim the easier it will be for them to learn successfully. Why? Well, as you know, when in the womb a baby develops, begins to move and is eventually swimming in the amniotic fluid. So for about nine months the kid has already been a swimmer. (And from what I hear, they get pretty good at kicking during the nine months they are in there.)

Therefore, your baby should have little to no trouble adjusting to being in the water, he or she may even find it fun from minute one. They really are usually great at kicking, so that is where the instructors most often begin. You will be right there with your baby, and they will use a “marshmallow” or some sort of small floating device to keep the baby’s head above the water.

The baby, typically floating with the marshmallow or other floating device around their belly, will begin by kicking their legs underwater. There will be times where no floating devices are used. And the mothers simply hold their babies in the water. Often holding them horizontally by the stomach halfway above the water and halfway below. This helps them begin to understand better how to move around in the water, keep control and keep from sinking.

The biggest challenge in teaching a child to swim is that a baby has an automatic choke reflex that occurs when their heads are below water—usually, especially the first few times, the baby will try to inhale underwater and therefore start to choke. This is a nine-month habit that must be broken.

Obviously, the child must not only relearn swimming, but also unlearn what he or she had become so accustom to in the womb: oxygenating the lungs by breathing in the amniotic fluid. The must figure out that they cannot breathe this water in. That now their lungs are not meant to take in oxygen in the form of fluid—but rather only through the air.

The class will practice holding the children underwater—especially once they are more than six and ten months old, and try to signal to or show the babies how to hold their breath.

This works a lot of the time. Babies commonly learn very fast. However, if the child does not want to be submerged, or is obviously having trouble catching on, the rule is not to force them. Try again in a month or two until the baby is ready to hold his or her breath underwater and can then learn to take breaths from the surface, before submerging and holding their breath again.

Either way, the splashing, and laughing, and watery fun is worth it for the role swimming together can play in the personal connection between a baby and the parent or guardian participating with them in the class.

About The Author
Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on child care please visit Baby Activities.

The biggest part of a person’s personality is whether they are introverted or extroverted. A baby will often show a strong sense of this aspect of their personality from very early on. Does your baby seem to like the attention he gets from the outside world and people outside of your immediate family? Does he light up when people try to talk to him, or does he try to hide his head and start to cry when out of your arms or someone other than those living in the house try to hold him?

Some babies will take the opportunity to smile and laugh with every stranger that looks their way, while others are content to just look at mom and dad, while ignoring everyone else around them. If your baby is an extrovert he will thrive on attention from all sources, and if he is an introvert he will be happy just being left alone.

Some babies are high maintenance, wanting to constantly be held, played with, and given attention. As soon as their diaper is wet or full, they HAVE to be changed or they scream. Others are content to sit by themselves and wait for you to come to them, or patient enough to give you time to discover on your own that they need a diaper change and change it. This part of their personality probably won’t change much as they get older and will give you an insight of how your child will be as he grows.

Is your baby a ham? Does he grin his biggest whenever you pull out the camera or is getting a smile like pulling a tooth? Some babies love being the center of attention and laugh on cue. Your baby may try to make you laugh, especially as he gets older. He may put pots and pans on his head or start trying to pose for pictures, even before he is a year old. If this is the case your baby may very well turn out to be the class clown in school!

Some babies will not need a lot of interaction, or will quickly become over stimulated when given too much interaction. If this happens your baby may become fussy quickly, becoming happy again once he is left to himself, or given his favorite toy to play with. If this sounds like your baby be sure to give him his alone time when he seems to need it and be around to play when he is ready. 

It doesn’t matter if your baby is quiet and sits around waiting for you to notice him, or is active and rambunctious making sure EVERYONE notices him. Your baby will continue to develop his personality during the first few years and during his adolescence. It is important that you support and encourage him, no matter what personality traits he begins to display, as the reaction your baby gets is what will help him form into the person he will become.

(NC)—The first year of a child’s life is a prime time for exploring. Babies are excited and eager to learn about the world around them and playing is essential to a child’s development. Parents are the best learning resource a child has, and playtime offers a chance for bonding between parents and children. By learning how to play with their children, parents can help them develop a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem.

Parents shouldn’t feel that they have to constantly practice the alphabet or enroll their children in school at age two to stimulate learning. Instead, parents should provide toys that help stretch mental, physical and emotional muscles. In addition, parents shouldn’t be afraid to get down on the floor and play alongside their babies.

“Rewarding babies for accomplishments helps to develop a positive self-image,” says Dr. Kathleen Alfano, leading child researcher and Director of the Fisher-Price Child Research Department. Parents should enjoy watching their babies play and can offer encouragement by clapping their hands or singing songs to their children.

Parents can help their children play by creating an environment that is safe and clear. The area should also be childproofed so that the youngster is able to explore without any restrictions.

When left to explore and discover, baby will soon learn how to move from sitting to crawling to learning how to stand. Once babies begin to move around and walk, toys for pushing and pulling that feature pleasant sounds are important motivators. Fisher-Price’s line of Baby Playzone toys encourages and rewards baby’s physical accomplishments, making baby want to repeat the activity again and again. For example, Baby Playzone Stride-To-Ride Walker helps steady baby’s first steps and reward baby’s achievement with lights, sounds and high-energy music.

Parents can watch their children grow through these stages with the Fisher-Price Baby Playzone Crawl & Slide Arcade, which will take them from standing to sliding down baby’s first slide. In addition to a parent’s encouragement to take the next step, lights and lively music also reward every accomplishment baby makes.

It is important that parents try not to direct play or show children how to do something “the right way.” It is important to remember that children who are able to explore on their own develop a sense of accomplishment and confidence.

A baby’s unselfconscious laughter is one of the happiest sounds you’ll ever hear. But did you know that by playing with your baby, you’re doing much more than simply having fun?

Those adoring gazes you share; all those games of patty-cake; the suspense-filled moments waiting for the jack-in-the-box to appear and the excited laughter when it does, are all helping baby develop an optimistic outlook on life and an ability to regulate his own moods.

Newborn babies are helpless in more ways than one. Unable to affect their own circumstances in even the smallest of ways, they’re also unable to control their own feelings. When they’re sad, they’re sad. There’s nothing they can do on their own to change their emotional state. They depend entirely on mom, or other caregivers, to soothe and comfort them; to help them navigate out of a sea of unpleasant sensation into calmer waters.

In fact, experts say, the job of regulating a baby’s inner state is one of the most important tasks of early parenthood. A mom who is responsive to her baby’s cries is teaching him that it is possible to move from a state of distress to one of contentment.

Of course, before many months have passed, baby will have to learn how to accomplish the feat for himself.

And this is where playtime comes in.

When you spend time playing with baby, making him coo and smile and laugh, you’re initiating and – most important – sharing his pleasurable experiences.

All this sharing, or what experts call “positive amplification” of baby’s emotions, helps baby learn to invoke pleasurable sensations in himself and to tolerate greater intensity of sensation before becoming overwhelmed.

And you thought you were just playing peek-a-boo!

About the Author:
Karen Millard is writer-in-residence at http://www.FeedYourOptimism.com Give your optimism a boost and learn how you can make a difference in this world!

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