I have never been a good swimmer. I never took lessons as a child, and so I have never really felt comfortable in the water. So, recently, I started swim lessons for my older two kids. When signing them up, they asked us if we wanted to try out the parent-tot class for free for our baby. Of course, everyone loves something for free, so we signed him up!
When we got there, I was a little nervous, but stood on the sidelines watching as my husband took him into the heated pool. He loved the water and hardly made a peep. He loves his baths too, so I was not too surprised that he liked being in the water. They started the class by bouncing the babies on the parents’ knee and moving their arms while singing a fun song to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus”. He loved it.
Then, they helped the babies float on their backs too. It was fun to see how naturally buoyant he is even at such a young age. He got a little one on one time with the instructor where she talked to my husband about putting him under water. She said it was important to give the baby a cue right before you do it so that they know what is coming, and can get used to holding their breath, which is something they can learn to do naturally anyway! The cue they suggested is closing your mouth and making a loud hum noise right as you put them under. So, the big moment came, and she put him under the water while gently pushing him toward my husband. He came up happy! I think I was holding my breath the whole time too! He went under the water 3 or 4 times during the lesson.
My husband said that he noticed that when he was under water, he naturally squirmed and moved his little legs in a kicking motion to get himself up to the top. At a very young age, babies can be taught to survive a fall into the pool. If you type in baby floating in pool on youtube, you will get lots of videos of babies that fall in fully clothed and have been trained how to flip themselves onto their backs and float until they are rescued. To me, this is amazing! Yet, to the baby, it is not scary. It is a skill they can easily master with the proper instruction.
I am watching as my older two are learning these same skills. Summer time means lots of time at the pool, so it is not a bad idea to look into helping your baby acquire the skills to survive a fall into the pool, and also learn that being in the water is not scary at all, but a lot of fun!