Babies can learn to love the water but it all depends on how you introduce them to it. Long gone are the days — hopefully anecdotally where a relative dropped a child into the water and let him sink or swim! We hope that never happened, but we also know it doesn’t take too much for a child to either love the pool or fear it. We have 3 safe ways to swim with a baby that will help you and your child love it!
The swimming pool contractors from Advanced Pool Care in Memphis, Tennessee understand that pools are great places for family fun and they are asked regularly about the best type of pool for children and the best way to introduce them to swimming. We do recommend consulting with a swim instructor to get in-depth information and insight, but here are a few things we have learned in our experience with customers and with our own children.
3 safe ways to swim with a baby
Being CAREFUL each and every time you and your children are around the pool cannot be stressed highly or often enough. You can never turn your back for even one second when your child is around the swimming pool and you always need to make sure the gate is closed and locked and that you have pool alarms that are tested and that work.
Okay… onto the safety tips!
1. Face to Face Hold. Children appreciate this because they can look into your face. To do this, put your hands under your baby’s armpits, put your thumbs around his or her shoulders and hold on! This is a great way to let your baby kick while keeping the baby’s face out of the water.
2. Hug hold. This is also a secure hold for your baby and one you use outside of the pool that easily translates to in pool time. This is one of the greatest holds to help a child feel secure when being introduced to the swimming pool.
3. A Pass Hold. This is useful when your baby wants a bit more freedom to kick BUT you need to use this one with extreme caution. Hold the baby on your side, and with your left hand under her left armpit and put your right hand under your baby’s right armpit. This lets the baby kick and keeps his or her head out of the water. Don’t let your baby gulp water.
We always recommend your child wear a life vest when in the water — even if they have had swim lessons. It is always better to be safe than sorry when in and around the pool. Talk with us about adding layers of safety to your pool.
