BABIES BABE!: Baby's First Swim! Tips and Necessities.

I love the pool! All my life I have had access to a pool whether it was a club membership or where we lived. One exciting thing about having a Fall Baby is that by the time Summer came, I knew he would be ready for swim lessons. Babies can swim as early as six weeks! Some places will let you put your infant in swim lessons that early. We waited until six months before we put Bobby in swim lessons. From what my doctor told me, there is no need to have any certain shots before taking your baby swimming but make sure you take them to a pool that is heated.

Here are items I would suggest that you have when you take your baby for their first swim.

Swim Diapers. It may be hard to find smaller sizes but I was able to get some from Target.
Two towels for the Baby. I like one for drying him off out of the pool and another to keep him dry and lay him on when I get his wet clothes off of him.
Diaper Bag. You never know when you will need stuff from there whether it is a bottle, or just a change of clothes. They can get really hungry after swimming.
Sunscreen. American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend sunscreen before 6 months. If you take your baby before 6 months, cover them up well with a hat or rash guards. Keep them in as much shade as you can.
Rash Guard. I always have my son in a Rash Guard (unless I am taking his picture.) Not only to protect him from the sun, but also to keep him warm. It is an extra layer and helps keep their body warm. They sell them for both boys and girls.
Hat. I still put a hat on the baby even if he is wearing sunscreen.
Sun Canopy. This is optional but so fun for them. It helps them become more confident and independent. I purchased this from Target for only 20 dollars.
Body Wash/Shampoo. I try to wash him right away whether it is a rinse with fresh water or a quick wash to get all of the chlorine off.

The first time we took Bobby in, he was actually really nervous. He definitely was not ready to be in his canopy. I held him close to me and we walked around the pool until he was acclimated. I was splashing the water and showing him how fun it could be. My dad also joined us and I passed Bobby off to him so he would feel comfortable with everyone holding him in the pool. After about an 15 minutes, he was ready for his canopy and was floating freely without us holding him. We had him in for about 25 minutes total the first time. I wanted to make sure he was somewhat familiar with the pool before his lessons started.

At swim lessons, we basically did the same thing every week. We had a total of 8 lessons and they were all "Mommy and me." Here are some of the things we did that you can start doing with your baby.

Sing songs. We would sing songs that would correlate to moves you can do in the water. For example, "The people on the bus go up and down, up and down, up and down." We would lift the baby up and down in the water. Also, Humpty Dumpty where we would sit them on the edge of the pool and when we would say "Had a great fall" you let them come into your arms in the pool. (Only do this is they can sit up.)
Practice dunking. I hated doing this but he had to do it. What you do is blow on the Baby's face and quickly dunk them in and out. Blowing on their face gets them to hold their breath and prepares them for going under. I would only do this twice per lesson so he wouldn't drink too much of the water.
Get them used to being on their backs. Have them lay on their back on your shoulder and move around. My son hated this but I kept doing it and he finally got used to it. You are supposed to get them to kick their legs which my son never figured out! Ha!
A toy. You can bring a ball or bath toy and hold them from their stomachs to encourage them to go towards the object. My son loved doing this and would put the object in his mouth right away. This helps them learn the motions to get to where they need to be and use their body.
Bubbles. They want you to get the baby to blow bubbles. Bobby didn't figure this one out either! Ha! Maybe when he is older.

If you are going to the beach for your first swim, make sure there are two of you. Do not set the baby down. Not only can they get swept away, most babies eat the sand which is another problem and can cause serious constipation. The waves can be really strong even knocking one of the parents off their feet especially if you have your back towards the ocean. When we went to the beach, not only were we both there, we didn't even last more than 10 minutes because we didn't feel like it was safe.