Mums and Bubs swimming lesson sessions are designed for babies aged between 6 and 24 months. Mothers or fathers go into the pool with the babies. Not every swim school will offer these lessons. So ring around and pick the one that you are most comfortable with. Make sure that all the lessons are conducted by a qualified instructor. In Australia these sessions are usually called 'Mums and Bubs Swimming Lessons'. Dads if you are reading this, it should not discourage you from taking your baby to the swimming lesson (and give mum a break).
The main aim of these swimming lessons is to instill water confidence in the babies. The whole lesson is designed to be a lot of fun. Every class usually has around 8 adults in it. Lots of rhymes are sung...There are usually some water toys as well...
Lot of children can be quite happy in water but when it comes to putting their face under water, they get a bit scared...These lessons slowly introduce the idea of putting the face under water...If your child is very uncomfortable the most important thing is for you to be relaxed...Be patient and encouraging. In time the child will be fine. Babies are also introduced to the concept of blowing bubbles in water...I remember when I took my daughter to these classes, at the end of each class, the babies were made to sit on the side of the pool...We sang 'Humpty Dumpty' to them and then at the end of the rhyme we encouraged them to leap forward into our hands...Most of the babies quite enjoyed this little game.
It is important for parents to realize that the aim here is not to teach your babies to swim...The aim is to instill water confidence in them...Don't expect too much from them. Don't be upset if your child does not take to the water straight away...I am telling this from my own experience...I have seen kids who were uncomfortable in the first sessions but grew up to become excellent swimmers. Supervise them at all times. Hold them and don't think they can swim just because they are attending these swim classes. These classes don't remove the risk of drowning. So have fun but keep safety in mind at all times. If you for some reason don't prefer these swimming classes, then you can take your child to a public pool. This will probably be a bit cheaper. You can make up your own routine and have fun with your baby in the toddler pool. Take some water toys and may be even a water noodle. Sing and make the whole process lot of fun.
Always remember that kids can drown in the shallow end as well...So supervise them at all times. And just to be on the safe side it is probably a good idea for all parents to learn CPR and rescue methods. Some public pools have a small picnic area as well. After the fun at the pool, you both can have a picnic too. And one more thing - make sure that the water is nice and warm. Babies normally get quite tired after a swimming lesson. So the good news is that they will probably take a long nap after the swimming lesson (hopefully).
About myself: Sandy Naidu runs a website called http://www.OzKidsActivities.com
This website is a comprehensive directory of kids activities and kids classes in Australia. There are also lots of entertainment and school holiday activities listed on the website.
Visit http://www.OzKidsActivities.com for more information.
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandy_Naidu
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