How to Build Your Baby's Swim Skills During Bath Time
Bath time for babies is a gift on so many levels. First of all, the warm water feels so good on their skin and the sensations stimulate sensory development. It allows them to move their body in ways that they otherwise can’t yet and the feelings of buoyancy (even if supported by mom or dad) relax and invigorate them. As we know too, skin on skin contact with a parent is vital for young baby’s development.
For babies under 4 months, co-bathing is more about holding, rocking and gently moving your baby in the water. You can start back floating simply by having your baby lay supported against you while you lie on your back with their head tucked under your chin. You can even kick their feet for them which they often enjoy.
Once they are 4-5 months, you can absolutely start working on getting their faces wet by holding them in a prone position (fully supported but face looking down in the water) and gently ‘swooping’ them in a gliding motion along the surface of the bath water for a second or two. It is decidedly not necessary or beneficial to dunk them deep under the water. You do, however, want to count ‘1, 2, 3’ and then make a loud intake of breath sound, beforehand. Soon they’ll begin to anticipate their face going in and they will instinctively hold their breath. Again, this is just for the sensation of getting their face wet and learning through repetition to hold their breath.
The bath is big enough when they are this young to practice back floating as well. You can sit in the bath and cradle their head/neck with one hand and their back with the other. You can position them either with their feet facing towards you or their head. It's nice to sing something to them and gently rock them back and forth. Some babies enjoy this immediately and relax; other babies may not initially and will fuss. Always start with just a few seconds at a time to see how they react. Small doses repeated frequently over time will be successful.
When your baby becomes more independent and can sit up and crawl, you can certainly sit outside the bath with them and still engage. Of course you can still co-bathe, but this is also a good opportunity to give them more space to move around with you sitting outside the tub.
Here, you can start introducing bubbles (aka breathing). It is fairly consistent in terms of development that children under the age of 12 months aren’t quite able to make the leap at blowing bubbles cognitively. They may blow some but it's more of a happy accident. Around 14 months they become more adept at this concept and by age 2, most children can blow bubbles even if they choose not to. Still, it's great to introduce the skill early on and just practice, practice, practice.
Ways to teach bubbles: sing silly songs and insert bubbles into the lyrics. Examples: ‘Little Green Frog’, ‘If You're Happy and You Know It’, ‘Baby Shark’. Use shallow plastic cups or bowls with some water in them and show your baby how to blow bubbles, then let them try. They will most likely drink some, but all babies do that and it’s small amounts so no concerns there. Just don’t have soap in the water at that time. Use a mirror and hold it slightly under the water so your child can see their reflection, then have them try to blow bubbles at themselves. Another fun idea is when they become familiar with animals and animal sounds, to suggest how certain animals would blow bubbles and what sounds they would make.
Counting is another great way to encourage bubble blowing. Can they blow ONE bubble? How about TWO?
And just for your own information, the reason why we focus so heavily on bubbles from the very beginning is because bubbles become ‘breathing’ in the water. Ultimately, your goal is to have a child who can swim and breathe out in the water as they’re swimming. This is called regulated breathing and it's THE most important skill for water safety, water confidence and endurance.
One last note about co-bathing and safety. When you are with your baby in the tub, you can fill the water level up to whatever you’re comfortable with for sitting up. Since you’ll be holding your little one the entire time, you want to make sure you’re both warm and cozy.
Once you have positioned yourself out of the tub and your baby is sitting in the tub unassisted (and not in a smaller tub placed inside the big tub), the water level should not be higher than their belly button.
Regarding toys in the tub, please keep that to a minimum. You need less than you think; 3-5 toys max for babies. And colorful cups, bowls, even plastic or silicone cooking utensils can be great for bath toys. Also a special character or animal bath toy is great too.
And of course, when it's time to come out - pull the drain and immediately take your baby out of the bath and begin to dry and change them. Do not leave the bathroom until you see that ALL the water has drained out. NEVER leave the bathroom with your baby thinking you’ll come back later to drain it. Additionally, keep your phone in the bathroom but do not under any circumstances use it while your baby is in the bath. It is strictly for emergencies.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions you may have around bath time! Hope these suggestions were helpful! Enjoy.
- Lisa aka Water Safety Mom
web: www.kidswim.org
insta: @kidswimla
