Question:
Our local public pool offers swimming classes for parents with babies. This sounds like fun, but I’m wondering: Is this something I can do safely with my eight-month-old baby?

Learn about it
Swimming classes can be a fun experience to share with your baby and with other parent-baby pairs. The term “class” in this context shouldn’t mean that your baby will “learn” anything. Until a child is over four years old, any swim program should be viewed as simply a pleasurable way to introduce your baby to the fun of being in the water.

At what age can you take a baby in a pool?
As long as the water and weather are warm enough, you can take any baby over a few weeks old into a pool while in your arms. The younger the baby, of course, the more closely you’ll need to monitor the reaction to the water, and the more careful you’ll need to be about the chill that can occur when wet skin hits cooler air. Keep in mind that your baby will chill before you do, and if your baby is shivering or his lips look blue, he should have been out of the water some time ago. Quickly wrap him up and warm him.

How can I make our swimming experience safe?
The one most important rule for swimming with a young baby is to always keep him in your arms when he’s in or near the water. Always.

How can I help my baby enjoy his first swimming experiences?
When taking your baby for a swim, make sure he isn’t hungry or tired so that he and you can both enjoy the water. Avoid taking a swim immediately after your baby has been fed.

Very young babies don’t really need any floats or swimming aids, since they will not be out of your arms at any time (right?). If you decide to let your older baby float around in a baby boat or swim ring, always keep in mind that these are not designed for safety or protection; you should keep your hands and eyes on your baby at all times.

Follow your baby’s lead. If he seems happy and curious, then move him around in the water. If he seems nervous or frightened, don’t push him beyond his comfort zone. Some babies take time to warm up to the idea of a big body of water, even if they love to splash in the bathtub at home. You may even find that your baby takes numerous trips to the pool or beach before he’s even willing to get wet. Be patient!

How do I choose a class?
Ideally, look for an instructor who has knowledge of child development in addition to swimming. A teacher like this can gear the class activities to the proper developmental abilities of the babies in the group. It’s important to work with a teacher who understands children and can be sensitive to a baby’s fear or uncertainty of the water, and who doesn’t expect a baby to do more than what he is comfortable doing ¾ even if that means just dangling his feet in the water for the first few lessons, or even just looking at it from a deck chair!

What should your baby wear?
At the beach, your baby can wear a diaper, a bathing suit, or a birthday suit ¾ whatever you and he are comfortable with. Many parents keep their babies in a t-shirt to protect against the sun. If your baby is a walker, you might want to invest in some aqua socks to protect little feet against sand, rocks, and shells and to prevent slipping while walking poolside. If you are in a pool, disposable or reusable swim diapers are a great option. These don’t swell up like a sponge, but they do retain the unmentionables that other swimmers would rather not see floating in the water!

Protect your baby from the sun and chemicals
If your swimming extravaganza is taking place outside, be certain that you protect your baby from the sun with a hat and (if the baby is older than six months) sunscreen. This is very important, since the sun’s rays are magnified when reflected off the water.

Be cautious about emerging your baby in a pool that has a high level of chlorine as this may irritate his delicate skin.

Après swim
Remember, just like you, your baby will probably be ravenous after a swim so plan to feed him soon after you’re out of the water. A breastfeed, bottle-feed or snack will keep your baby happy. And a snuggly feed after a swim is extra warm and cozy for both mom and baby.

An important warning
No matter how many swim classes your baby has had, and no matter what his comfort and skill levels while in the water are, and no matter what kind of swimming float he is wearing, you should never, ever leave your baby unattended while in or near water ¾ not for even a second. Babies are unpredictable. They easily can fall into the water and drown even in water just a few inches deep. Swimming lessons for babies have nothing whatsoever to do with reducing the risk of water hazards. As a matter of fact, they can increase the risk of water accidents when parents are lulled into thinking their baby is safer because he has had swimming lessons ¾ which is not the case. Plus, swimming lessons, if they are successful, dispel your baby’s natural wariness about water and make it more likely that he’ll explore on his own if given but a second. You are many years away from watching your child swim independently while you sit on the beach in a lounge chair.

Copyright Elizabeth Pantley. (McGraw-Hill, 2003)

About the Author:
Elizabeth Pantley is the author of several books, including Gentle Baby Care : No-cry, No-fuss, No-worry — Essential Tips for Raising Your Baby, The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night, Kid Cooperation (with an introduction by William Sears, MD), Perfect Parenting, as well as her latest The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers and is also president of Better Beginnings, Inc. She is a popular speaker on family issues, and her newsletter, Parent Tips, is seen in schools nationwide. She appears as a regular radio show guest, and has been quoted in Parents, Parenting, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, American Baby, Working Mother, and Woman’s Day magazines. Visit Elizabeth’s web site http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth.

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.

Having a baby comfortable in the water is the first thing you can do to prepare your child to be safe in the water and to have a love of swimming. As parents we let our children forget the wonderful sensation of free-floating. It is important to expose your very young baby to the feeling of floating on water. We forget that babies spend their first nine months of life in water!

Start by getting used to being in the water with your young baby. When the baby has some control of his head movements, get in the bathtub with your baby. (See the video example in www.swimbea.com) Hold him from underneath while he floats on his back and looks up at you. Turn him on his belly and hold him under his chin with his face above the water and gently move him back and forth to get him accustomed to sensing the water. Talk and sing to him tenderly. Stay in the tub for a short period of time. Keep the room and water warm. Do not let the baby get cold.

Every time that you give your baby a bath, run a little water down his face before you wash his head. Wipe his nose to keep any water from going up his little nose. These activities will accustom a very young baby to the water and prepare him for total submersion with you or in a swimming program.

Every parent wants their children to be comfortable around the water but may feel nervous about submerging their child. The following are some strategies for teaching infants and children to hold their breath and open their eyes while learning how to swim. Watching my video will give you confidence as you perform the activities. (www.swimbea.com) You will watch other parents doing the same things with their children. I can assure you that if you follow my suggestions, you will not be hurting your baby. You will not be holding your baby under the water long enough for the baby to swallow water. Add your own games and toys to distract the baby, praising and clapping for each accomplishment. Even if a child cannot swim any distance, teaching your child to hold his breath may save him if he falls in the water. (A minute after you notice he has escaped and you pull him out of the water!!

For a baby up to 6 months old, blow like a gentle gust of wind onto the baby’s face. If the baby takes in a gulp of air and makes a funny face, then you will blow on the baby’s face before putting him under the water and watch him hold his breath. Follow these steps. After the baby is comfortable and playful in the water, hold the baby under the arms facing you, and make eye contact with your baby. Count to three to set the signal, blow quickly on the child’s face, and watch the child make the funny face then smoothly and gently lower the baby’s head completely under the water for one second.

To teach a toddler and young child to hold his breath, count to three (to set the signal) and pour water on his face. When the baby is used to closing his mouth while having water on the face, the baby will be ready to be submerged. First, count to three and pour water over the baby’s face. Then lightly raise and gently lower the baby under the water for one second. After a few times you won’t need to pour water over the baby’s head. The count will be the signal. Every time you count to three, you will put the baby under the water or you will confuse the baby! Many parents pull the baby into the water or throw the baby up in the air while playing with the baby. That is great, but don’t count to three unless you are going to submerge the baby. Be consistent with the signals.

For all infants and young children: When you raise the baby, wipe the baby’s nose so that not even a tiny water bubble will go into his nose. Give the baby a hug to your chest so that the baby will blow out and not swallow air. You are teaching the baby to hold his breath. By blowing out the baby will not develop a hard tummy which sometimes becomes a big burp, and may even lead to throwing up.

As the young child becomes used to going under water, you extend the time under the water to up to 5 seconds pulling the child toward you for a short glide as you step back.

Next you put your hand behind the child’s head gliding the child to another person, to a toy or to the side.

As the child starts enjoying going under the water encourage the child to put his own face down and kick and dig while going to a toy or to the steps. Teach the child to stand up. Continue to hold the child since he may not have the skills to propel himself and swim alone. The child must trust you and master each step with confidence. To teach an older child to hold his breath and go under water, explain each step. Always say close your mouth, the child may not understand “hold your breath”. Have the child count to three and put a toy under the water telling the toy to close its mouth and wipe its face. Then, both of you put your faces under the water together. Have the child dunk you under the water. If the child won’t open his eyes, let the child see you open your eyes under water as you swim to him. Try waving to each other under water. Make noises when you blow out or spit. Wipe each other’s faces. Hold up a finger like a birthday candle for the child to blow out when he comes up from under the water. Pretend to crash the wall while the child has his face in the water and kicks. Hold up a finger like a birthday candle for the child to blow out when he comes up from under the water. Play with the child to open his eyes so he will realize that the water won’t hurt his eyes. If after all this the child continues to swallow water or has sensitive eyes, try goggles or even a mask that covers the nose. The child has to be comfortable and playful going under the water in order to learn to swim.

Encourage the child to open his eyes: It is very important for the child to open his eyes under the water. If a child doesn’t open his eyes, he probably remembers soap stinging his eyes in the tub. Go under water and open your eyes so the child can see you swim to him with your eyes open. Have the child hold a toy and you get it under the water so he can see your eyes open. If the child still won’t open his eyes, buy some swim goggles! (Don’t let the child become dependent on the goggles. Do some swimming without the goggles.) If you have our video, (www.swimbea.com) all of this will be shown with real children acting out their activities. You will see as you hear me talk and explain the progression and you will be able to teach your child to go under water too! Now get in the water and do it!!

copyright 2005 Beatriz Skeens, Swimbea Productions

About the Author:
A swimming teacher since 1971 to children, babies and adults, Miss Bea decided she had to share her experiences. She is featured in the recently released Swim Lesson DVD-video, 35 minutes each, in English and Spanish called Learn to Swim with Miss Bea. You can watch and learn how to swim from the children with the easy to follow instructions and activities. Bea Skeens is also National Board Certified Classroom Teacher in Glynn County, Georgia, with 20 years experience teaching Spanish. Visit her site www.swimbea.com or email her at beaskeens@gmail.com.