If you don’t have a pool at home, you might think there’s nothing you can do to prepare your infant for stress-free baby swim lessons. But that’s not the case. In fact, almost every home has the one thing that can help you get your little one ready for baby and me swim classes: a bathtub!
Here are a few ways you can prepare your baby for swim lessons at home:
Bring the Pool into the Bath
Helping your baby learn to love bath time can actually acclimate them to the water they’ll encounter in baby swimming training lessons. One way to start this with the end in mind is to get a few pool toys that are safe for your infant and introduce them to your child in the bath. Show them how to use the toys, sing songs as you play, and make sure to create a positive environment your baby can’t help but build positive associations with water too.
Then, when you’re ready, take a dip in your own pool with those same toys and bring them into our Baby Splash class that’s free for babies 8 weeks - 5 months. The familiarity of those toys can go a long way in giving your baby a feeling of safety in the new setting and can make that first transition to the pool much smoother.
Get Their Heads Wet in a Familiar Environment
One of the hardest parts for many parents about baby swim lessons is the time when you need to get your little one’s head wet, or actually submerge it. Oftentimes, this new sensation can be a bit traumatic for infants and their mom or dad, so it’s best to try wetting their heads first in the safety and security of your own home, and your own bathtub. Start slowly, by introducing a light trickle of water on their head (you can use a cup with a few holes poked in the bottom for this) and then gradually increase the amount of water until you can actually wet their entire head.
Once your child has experienced the feeling of getting their head - and face - wet in the comfort of their own bathtub, it’ll make the experience far less stressful when it's time for more head-wetting and submersion in baby and me swim classes.
Water Can be Fun
Finally, making a point to keep bath time fun with your child will establish the idea that water is enjoyable. Feel free to be silly, make up games, and keep your infant laughing as you go about the daily bathtime routine. A lot of children end up having fears about water, but making it clear that bath time is a good time can help those fears disappear over time (or prevent them from arising in the first place). And as always, the earlier you can make them feel at ease in the water, the easier it’ll be to get them swimming and enjoying water throughout their childhood.
Splashing around in the pool with your children can be a blast, so we recommend getting them comfortable early in life by swimming with baby early. Contact us if you’d like to learn more, or give our baby swim lessons a try.
