Intro to Baby Swim
Today we are welcoming a new author to our site! Lisa Cook has been involved in aquatics for over 30 years and her company Kidswim, a developmental based swim school has been in operation for 19 years now. Lisa is a passionate water safety advocate and educator, giving water safety talks to parents, educators and children. She’s written a children’s book about swimming and created the Kidswim Method which is aligned with the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for developmental milestones. Lisa is a mom first and foremost to two boys ages 18 and 10.
First time mamas!! Its all so overwhelming in so many ways isn’t it? And coming up quickly after the first sleepless three months and the transfer-to-crib milestone and the eating something other than breast or bottle and making sure they’re growing and gaining enough weight and first smiles and laughs and tummy time... right on the heels of that we can already start to talk about swimming!
That’s right. In my thirty plus years of teaching experience and my 19 plus years of owning a swim school one of the most popular questions is ‘when can my baby start swim lessons?’
So here are some tips to help you navigate this wonderful experience in the first two years of your little one’s life:
1) technically you can take your baby in a pool as early as 1-2 months of age as long as they are healthy and cleared by their doctor. That said, if you don’t have access to a home/private pool which tends to have a lower chemical content than public pools, I would recommend waiting until after 3 months. this would strictly be for short recreational periods - not classes.
2) as far as baby swim classes, starting at 5-6 months is totally fine!
3) typically classes are once a week for 30 minutes. if you and your baby love it, its perfectly fine to take classes twice a week.
4) pools should be around 90 degrees for maximum comfort. a cold baby tends to get cranky and tired more quickly.
5) it can definitely take some babies a few weeks to warm up to the experience. Don’t worry AT ALL if baby cries a few times or doesn’t seem to like it. Just be patient, try to stay relaxed about it and in some cases you can hang out on the steps or next to the pool for a class or two then gradually get in for a few minutes at a time. It often takes about 4 weeks and then things begin to shift. Do not dunk or try to force your baby through it. I promise they’ll adjust and come to love it eventually.
6) best time of day for babies to swim is late morning, before lunch and nap. This is the magic combo! Swim/Lunch/Nap - they will sleep like champs!
7) Swimming is wonderful for development; motor/sensory/communication and its a great bonding activity for mom or dad. I recommend taking turns when possible so baby gets to experience the class with each parent.
8) babies can absolutely learn to swim at the most basic level starting around 14 months. by continuing to expose them to swimming and classes fairly consistently, by age 2 you can have a swimmer on your hands who transitions smoothly to lessons with an instructor.
9) it is completely unnecessary to ‘dunk’ babies during swim class. This can in fact cause unpleasant reactions and is hard on their nose and ears. instead, opt for ‘shallow glides’ with the focus on moving them forward through shallow water with their face being submerged but the top/back of their head remains exposed.
10) classes should focus on fundamentals, include songs and toys and have some water safety instruction throughout.
Swimming should not be stressful for either you or your baby! Find a location that is accessible and economical. Make sure you like the teacher and if you feel at all uncomfortable with what he/she is doing, don’t hesitate to switch! Teaching parent-child swim classes are the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had throughout my swim career. Whoever is teaching your class should exude that kind of enthusiasm and joy.
Lisa aka Water Safety Mom
