Swimming

Replies

• MummyG3

  Jan 20, 2010 4:42AM

  I go swimming to little dippers. We do dips with our babies but there are always trained professionals there. You have to build up the amount of dips per session so babies lung capacity can be built up. To start with pour water over babies face in bath so baby can learn to hold breath and what it feels llike, then you could move to putting head under water but make sure baby isnt swallowing the water, mosts babies its a natural reaction to close mouth and hold breath but be careful. At your first session I would only put baby under water once, maybe twice and then leave it.
  
  Gxx

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• MUMMYA

  Jan 20, 2010 7:17AM

  Thanks Georgie what other kind of things do you do i was just going to hold him and let him float on his front and back?

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• Slippers

  Jan 20, 2010 5:46PM

  Hey hun I go to swimbabes and we always start each class by holding babies out to your side, hands hooked under their armpits and flat on their chests and thumbs on their shoulder blades then their legs naturally float up behind them and they will start to kick. We walk back and forward across the pool 3/4 times saying kick kick kick over and over again. When you get to each side you make them hold on to the rail to get them used to holding on everytime they go in.
  
  We also sit them on the side of the pool and lift them up and splash them in without putting their heads under. Again, after each splash in you give the instruction "turn and hold on" and make them hold the rail.
  
  We use a tube float that you bend around in front of you and hold your baby infront of you and walk or swim around the pool or just let them play with toys that float chasing them around the pool.
  
  erm what else? If you don't want to dip your baby without someone prof there. we hold them in front of you and say "Fred, Ready, Swim" then make an exaggerated in breath and hold it and pour water over their heads. We do this in the bath every night and now when we say it Fred shuts his eyes!
  
  We do lots of singing like the Grand old duke of York, you march around the pool and hold them up on the up and down on the down (but not under!) You might feel a bit daft doing this in a public pool!
  
  We also hold them on their backs and lean their head on your shoulder and do songs kicking their legs and also hooking your hands around their shoulders whilst on their backs and with your hands supporting their shoulder blades swish them around the pool on their backs.
  
  I will try and take note on Friday what else we do without dunking. If you do dunk, it is really important to make sure all their head goes under the surface of the water. Apparently, they know if a little bit is still above the surface and this can often mean that the gag reflex doesn't kick in.
  
  Hope that helps hun, enjoy!
  
  xx

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• MUMMYA

  Jan 21, 2010 3:50AM

  Thanks slippers very helpful we went yesterday i'll relpy later with more detail got to get ready now x
  
  Hi yesterday I did try to dunk him i did 123 blew in his face then I bottled it and he didn't go fully under so that was properly did more harm than good so i'll do it the whole way next time, I held him letting him float he prefered it on his front he did kick his legs, he kept reaching for the side so i'll see if I can get him to hold on next time. Thanks for the tips don't think i'll be signing in a public pool though........ Theres a leisure centre local to me that my friend said she would take me to that does mother and toddler so i might pick up some tips there.
  
  Thanks Annette
  
  [Modified by: #annette# on January 21, 2010 04:42 PM]
  
  

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