Taking Baby Swimming

Choosing to take your baby swimming is an excellent idea. The earlier babies are exposed to the water the more comfortable they will be around it as they get older.

            There are many programs at local pools and swim clubs that have classes for taking your baby swimming. They are usually called something like DIAPER DIP or MOMMY AND ME. All these classes require one or both of the parents to participate and go in the water too. It's best to start in water about chest deep on you so that you're not bending over or bouncing to stay afloat. The activities are fun and there is a lot of singing involved to help soothe the babies.

            One great activity that's a favorite is the race across the pool. In this exercise you start with baby held in front of you, facing you and you drag them across the pool dipping them so only their head is above water. As you walk backwards encourage your child to "kick, kick, kick". This is a natural reaction and after a few times they will get the hang of it.

            Another fun exercise when taking baby swimming is to play "humpty, dumpty" on the side of the pool. Hold your baby on the side of the pool with one of your hands under each of their arm pits and make it seem as though their standing up while you're in front of them in the pool. As you sing the "humpty dumpty" song when you get to "humpty dumpty had a great fall…" you lift them towards you as though they are jumping in and submerge them to their shoulders. The benefit of this is to get them comfortable with the act of jumping in.

  It is very important to also expose your child to being on their back in the pool as well. The best way to do this is to face your baby up and put the back of their head on your shoulder with your arm palm up running down their back and supporting their bottom. Submerge them so their ears and face are above water still and slowly go backwards so they have the feeling of floating on their back. You can also encourage them to kick as you do this.

            The last thing to practice with them is submerging. The best way to do this is to hold them with both hands while their facing you so only their head is above water to start. Count to three taking a deep breath before three and blow in the babies face as you submerge them bring them under the water and up toward you as they come out. When they enter the water make sure the baby's face is angling downward as not to get water up their nose. Once a baby is under water they will naturally continue to hold their breath for a few seconds till you bring them up. This should only be done in a pool with life guards certified in infant resuscitation.    

Some Other Ideas for encouraging your newborn to learn and play

Here are some other ideas for encouraging your newborn to learn and play:

• Put on soothing music, and hold your baby, gently swaying to the tune.
• Pick a soothing song or lullaby and softly sing it often to your baby. The familiarity of the sound and words will have a soothing effect, particularly during fussy times.
• Smile, stick out your tongue, and make other expressions for your infant to study, learn, and imitate.
• Use a favorite toy for the infant to focus on and follow, or shake a rattle for your infant to find.
• Let your baby spend some awake time on his or her tummy to help strengthen the neck and shoulders. Always supervise your infant during "tummy time" and be ready to help if he or she gets tired or frustrated in this position. Never put an infant to sleep on his or her stomach — babies should sleep on their backs to reduce the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).
• Talk to your baby.

Keep in mind that babies develop at different rates, and there is a wide range of normal development. If you have any concerns about your newborn's ability to see or hear, or your baby doesn't seem to be developing well in other ways, talk with your doctor.

Encouraging Your Newborn to Learn

As you care for your newborn, he or she is learning to recognize your touch, the sound of your voice, and the sight of your face.

In the first few weeks you may want to introduce some simple, age-appropriate toys that appeal to the senses of sight, hearing, and touch, such as:

• rattles
• textured toys
• musical toys
• unbreakable crib mirrors

Try toys and mobiles with contrasting colors and patterns. Strong contrasts (such as red, white, and black), curves, and symmetry stimulate an infant's developing vision. As vision improves and babies gain more control over their movements, they'll interact more and more with their environment.