When is my baby ready for infant swim lessons

As a first time mom, being able to explore and share the world with my child is incredibly important. I believe in creating long-lasting memories and spending quality time with your loved ones. As an outdoor mom who loves nature, I will love to instill such values in my child from an early age, but to be able to enjoy the company of your child, it’s also important to provide them with the right skills and resources to explore and live life to its fullest potential.

With that said, I knew it was time for me to put aside my fear of seeing my child in water due to news on tragic drowning accident of children, and teach my baby the best and safest way to have fun in water and swim perfectly. 

Swimming is an important activity in every individuals life, either as a hobby or a form of exercise, you should be able to enjoy and have fun while swimming, and babies shouldn’t be exempted. Kids don’t perfectly learn how to swim until around the ages of 3 and 4, but research has shown that teaching them how to swim from as early as 6 month teaches them to be tolerant and resilience to water, which is one of the first steps towards eliminating the risk of drowning and other child-related deaths associated to water. even though people have had a lot of reservations regarding the actual right time for a child to be ready, studies has shown that starting infant swim lessons early provided babies with great surviving skills like staying afloat and holding their breaths in water for a longer time.

The most important thing is to not get overconfident and be on high alert when a baby is inside and around water.

The best tips for every mom is to always remember every child is uniquely different, therefore will achieve milestones at different pace, Do not be rushed or feel obligated to enroll your baby into anything new when you strongly believe the child isnt ready, and that includes infant swimming lessons. You shouldn’t start too early nor late, you can always take your time until you are fully sure the child is prepared and ready to take the next step.

The following are some important tips that can help with infant swimming lessons:
 

Some people believe swimming has nothing to do with shots, but as a mom who is always concerned about the safety of her child, I will definitely like to get an expert opinion and approval before I encourage my child into participating in a new activity.

Even though most swimming pools are usually kept clean and sanitized, sometimes pools get very busy and crowded, allowing germs to get in either through the skin, sweat, saliva, wee and open sores. There are a lot of sources through which a pool can get infected, and if not properly treated with the right pool chemicals, germs can get multiple. One of the major pool-related illness are skin infection, infection of the eye, ear and sometimes chest.

Before placing your precious little one to any foreign environment, we, as parents should minimize potential risk of exposing and putting your baby in harm's way either knowingly or unknowingly. Stay on top of all your shots and make sure your baby is getting all the necessary extra immunity.
 

Before going to a public pool, common vaccines like conjugate pneumococcal is very effective against several strains of the most common bacteria that causes infection. The vaccine is routinely given to infants and toddlers to prevent meningitis, pneumonia and blood infection. But again, always consult your doctor or a pediatrician to advice you on the best use of this vaccine.

You don’t want to wait on till the actual day of the swimming lessons before you get the opportunity of visiting and checking the place out for your self. Visiting ahead of time will provide you with the necessary information to feed your curiosity and provide answers to all your concerns, like making sure the facility meets the requirements of both you and your child, the water temperature, the hygienic condition and the safety measures in placed.

Visiting the facility also give you direct access to parents with kids around your child’s age, associating and sharing ideas is also an important part of being a mom. always start with a very quiet or small place, so as to get your baby fully engaged and not distracted. 

You can slowly start training your baby to be tolerant to water by allowing him or her play in their bathtub either by splashing and throwing water at each other during bath times, and also making sure you are closely supervising as the process is taking place. We don’t want water entering into the wrong places like nose and eyes. This process also allows the body to send signal to the child’s brain, so when ever the child is around water, he or she will be super confident, and trust me, this is one fun activity most babies truly enjoy. Your baby being congnossant to water is something you should take extremely important.

Believe you me, a babie’s outfit has a direct effect on the baby itself, that’s why it’s very important to pick and know the right swim ware for your child. Avoid putting the baby in a tight or uncomfortable fabrics, the wrong clothing can limit the baby’s ability to cooperate and perform freely. One helpful tip is to allow the baby guide you towards selecting their own costume choice. That’s another fun way to bond and letting the baby feel involved in the decision making process.

Being the mother, am sure you are familiar with the best time your baby is the happiest and active. Picking an ideal time for the swimming lessons is also another important fact. Be equally prepared to also get into the pool and be with your baby every step of the way. You can assist the swim coach by cheering, rooting and making sure your baby is learning and enjoying his or her session. It’s also comforting to see familiar faces when embarking on new adventure.

Consistency is the key to life and every success story. parents should always makesure they are being respectful to the scheduling of the swim classes, and try to be present at least 10 minutes ahead of time, giving you enough time to make sure your baby is well set and ready to take his or her swim class. Don’t forget to bring your camera and concentrate on having fun and capturing each and every moments, the lesson might also inform you on one or few things to help towards caring better for your child. 

Nowadays, with the right skills, babies as early as 6 months are able to swim and stay afloat water for a very long time without worrying about the fear of drowning or sinking into the pool. We all know baby’s don’t fully talk until they are a little over 1 year of age, but if you pay a little more attention to your child, you can actually start to fully understand what they're actually trying to communicate. It takes a lot of patient and good observation to actually understand their needs. And also, learning about your baby’s comfort level around water also helps immensely. Look for the things that get he or she excited when around water, the child’s likes and dislikes regarding water. All these small clues will really guide you towards knowing and deciding when your 6 month-old is fully ready for his or her swim lessons. 
 

Just the thought of having my mini-me dressed in a mini bathing suit is giving me enough energy to get this lessons started and to spend more time with them in the pool. Studies has constantly shown that babies who spend enough time in the pool are more self confident and smart ( yes, you read right), they develop a greater sense of awareness and adventure.

As a parent, taking advantage of any fun activity with my child to bond and make new memories is definitely a big yes.

Being present for a child through this swim lesson isn’t only inspiring to the child, but to the parent as well, you are going to make the instructor work a lot more easier, and be able to tell when baby is ready to take a break or rest. If you are an overly involved mom like me, you are going to enjoy watching all the cute facial impression your baby makes. 

No baby should be allowed to swim alone or unsupervised. Even when you feel a child is getting better at swimming, always put a closer eyes st what is happening and taking place.

When a baby shows signs or unwillingness to participate in any course regarding the swim lessons, please do not force it, let it go and try some other time. Introducting force can have a negative effect on the child.

Clothing and swim accessories always has an effect on how well and excited a baby perform Inside a pool. Do not over or under dress, Always abide to all the necessary safety clothing guide implemented in the swimming facility.

Always make sure kids are protected from accidents: Kids who are learning to swim or can’t swim well should always wear a coast guard approved personal floatation device. Learning CPR is also very important.

The two most popular swimming diaper for infants are either the disposal or reusable diaper.

The most obvious first decision you have to make is to decide on the swimming diaper. You need to decide if you want a disposable or the reusable diaper. Most parents prefer to go for the disposable ones, obviously avoiding to deal with all the cleaning and sanitizing of an already used diaper. 
While other families don’t mind washing and reusing a washable diaper for some other different reasons.  

Choosing the right outfit for your baby either baby boy or girl. 

When picking bathing suit for baby boy, always makesure the clothes aren’t tight around the leg area. Pick a clothing with a soft fabric to allow an adequate passage of air. Pick a swim ware you believes looks good on your little man

Baby girl bathing suits are a little tricky compare to boys, it comes with a lot of embellishment and dangling accessories which can get a little harzafous. that’s why is extremely important to pay more attention into what you are picking for your little mama. 

Make sure you always have the necessary safety floatation devices for a baby learning to swim. Some neck and arm floatation device is a perfect first step towards making sure your baby is safe and sound inside the pool.
 

We all can agree that seeing our baby’s in water for the very first time can be a little frightening and sometimes it takes making the toughest decisions to be able to provide your baby with the best life skills, and swimming is one of them. For as long as you are taking the necessary vital precautions and providing your child with your undivided attention, then there is no reason for a swim time to not go great.
Enjoy every special moment shared with your child, and try not to focus on the timeline it takes your baby to learn or finally get it on, just focus on the moment and enjoy life with your child to the fullest.