View Full Version : Swimming for a 6 week old
Little_Toad
19-04-2007, 10:03
Did anyone take their baby swimming at a very young age?
I know they are supposed to hold their breath under water but I still feel nervous aboug just letting go of him when I take him for his first swim today.
Did you let them go under water and for how long?
Did you completely let go of them?
um no. in my own personal opinion, i would wait til 6 months, thats what I did with my two. why would you be letting him go???
dont take this the wrong way, but the thought of letting a baby go under water freaks me out bigtime.
Ashleigh<3
19-04-2007, 10:08
We took chloe for a swim when she was about 3 and a half months old, it was just a dip in the pool but definitely no splashing on her face or dunking her head under the water.
:no:
I suggest professional lessons after 6 months of age.
We took our dd2 swimming at 4 weeks I think. She loved it! We didn't put her head under water at that stage, not until she was probably 7-8 months.
We rested her head on our arm (like you would in a bath) then let her float around. She just loved the whole experience.
I had two of mine in the water at six weeks. I wouldnt be letting go of them or putting them under the water for quite awhile yet.
westerner
19-04-2007, 10:10
:no:
I took jacob to swimming lessons at 6 months of age..
They gulp in the water if you just let them go..
You are taught to blow in there mouth so they take a big breath and then you put them under the water..But not even for a second at first..
Not sure why you would let go of your baby and put them under water at 6 weeks for no reason.. :eek:
Take him swimming yeh but dont put him under.. :no:
If you want to teach him to hold his breath under water and swimming skills etc wait till he is old enough to go to lessons and learn the proper way..
Little_Toad
19-04-2007, 10:13
um no. in my own personal opinion, i would wait til 6 months, thats what I did with my two. why would you be letting him go???
dont take this the wrong way, but the thought of letting a baby go under water freaks me out bigtime.
Cause newborns and very young babies swim automatically and hold their breath and pop up for air too.
yeah, i have heard that, but I would never try it! what on earth would you do if you did let go of him and something happened? maybe ask your doctor or something? I dont know, I didnt take them underwater til 6 months. they were in the pool earlier just not underwater
I agree with what everyone else has said, but if your baby gets afraid being underwater he may end up with a water phobia later on.
In addition I would be concerned about the possible impact that the chlorine may have on his skin and eyes.
Just my opinion but I would wait till later and a more gentle approach. In classes babies are introduced to going under water very gently and slowly and no child is forced into it.
I wouldn't let him go completely. I probably wouldn't put him under just yet either. I would start by just pouring a little water over his head with a cup. Only because I would feel a little nervous putting him under.
Are you taking him to actual lessons or just for a swim in a heated pool?
Took DS for his first swimming lesson at 6 months. Still have not let him go but he's gone under and he knows to spit out the water now. At his first lesson, the coach told us moms that 6 months was a good age to start.
We took our son swimming at 8 weeks. To the local heated pool and he absolutely loved it. we kept hold of him and dunked him under the water and he loved it even more. he is a real water baby. it did him absolutely no harm whatsoever.
ive done an excellent swimming class for babies here in PErth called Oceanic Waterbabies, started with DS1 when he was 4mths old...they teach submersion gradually starting with slowly pouring water on their face, teaching them cues to start their breath reflex, after about 5wks we submerged them, still holding onto them, it was all very gradual. We did not release them from our hold until they were at least 1yr old. I wouldnt submerge a baby until you gained their confidence in the water. 2yrs on DS is a fantastic swimmer, no fear of going under the water, they also taught us all sorts of safety things but in a fun way. I am just starting with DS2 he is also 4mths old
oh and one other thing, babies lose their breath reflex at around 9mths so thats why it can be important to start early..oceanic wont start babies in their classes after this age
I have my austswim cert ( swimming instructor)
I would take and will take my baby swimming as soon as he is old enough.. 6 weeks is fine babys are fine in the water they spent 9 mnths in there. As for putting bubs under water I would turn bubs around to face me and then gently pull him towards me under water and out again. Personally I wouldnt let him go..... If you find it upsets him then just do alot of floating on his back wetting his hair and singing songs and gently swaying side to side. he can start swimming lessons at 6mtns some even do 3mths you get in the water to. My children have been doing swimming lessons since they were little and my 6 year old is now in mini stroke and is quite capable of doing all her strokes and swimming in the deep end. Never force him to go under if it upsets him..
http://www.myspace.com/viperpt
I've been taking my daughter for swims in our pool since she was a week old. We started by counting to 3 then blowing on her face before pouring a cup of water over her head. When she was about 6 weeks old, I took her under water, facing me, using the same triggers. She's now 7 months old and will 'swim' from me to my DH underwater. We take her in the pool a couple of times a day and she loves dunking her head under the water. It's surprising how quickly babies learn to close their mouth and screw up their eyes when they hear 1,2,3!!!
amniotic fluid and chlorinated pool water are a little different.
SalTheGal
19-04-2007, 19:09
I've been taking my daughter for swims in our pool since she was a week old. We started by counting to 3 then blowing on her face before pouring a cup of water over her head. When she was about 6 weeks old, I took her under water, facing me, using the same triggers. She's now 7 months old and will 'swim' from me to my DH underwater. We take her in the pool a couple of times a day and she loves dunking her head under the water. It's surprising how quickly babies learn to close their mouth and screw up their eyes when they hear 1,2,3!!!
We did this too from a very early age (maybe a few weeks) and our DS is a total water baby now. By blowing in a babies face their natural reaction is to hold their breath- so the 1,2,3 and blowing teaches them the word association with holding their breath.......it is quite funny to watch.
Start out doing it every night when you give them a bath and progress from there.
I heard/read that swimming babies underwater only happens at birth and after that they are like us and can only go under for so long. I certainly wouldn't be doing it.
I also wouldn't take a baby into a public pool until 6 months the sheer thought of all the heebie jeebies in the water yuck!
babylover111
19-04-2007, 19:46
I also wouldn't take a baby into a public pool until 6 months the sheer thought of all the heebie jeebies in the water yuck!
That's exactly what I was thinking, public pools especially if it's indoor and heated is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Sorry I don't mean to come across as being rude I just thought I'd point it but besides that I think it's great to get babies in water early so it makes it easier in the future with swimming.
ButterflyMama
19-04-2007, 19:49
There is so much negative feedback on this thread.. sheesh..
I can't wait to go swimming with my lil girl once she's born! I probably won't get her into proper swimming "classes" til she's 3 or 4 months old but I'm definitely gonna take her into the pool with her Daddy and me.. I think it's great.. I loved it as a baby and still love swimming now..
:thumbsup: I say go for it!
I dont think it was in regards to putting a baby in a pool, as much as submersing then letting go of a 6 week old in a pool...underwater
Ashleigh<3
19-04-2007, 20:58
Lets go back to the initial post from the OP.
Did anyone take their baby swimming at a very young age?
I know they are supposed to hold their breath under water but I still feel nervous aboug just letting go of him when I take him for his first swim today.
Did you let them go under water and for how long?
Did you completely let go of them?
Considering her baby was born on the 6th of March, most of us replied with our gut opinion.
We don't take our newborns swimming to let go of them and it's not worth the risk.
I don't know of any lessons that are based on letting a one month old baby go under water or for a certain prolonged time...
Personally, I would wait til their at least 4 months old, but I don't see any lessons available until their 6 months old.
We went swimming with our bub in a friends pool, and she was just sitting on top of the water as she was a light baby, there was no submerging. That's giving me a fright just thinking about it.
EDA:
I know they are supposed to hold their breath under water
Babies in the womb don't breathe because they have an umbilical cord attacthed to them.
That's what makes the difference. They breathe when they take their first breath which occurs at birth.
Chub Chub
19-04-2007, 20:59
Hey LT
I started my DD at swimming lessons at 3 months old. This was on her grandfathers insistance as I had a close call in a backyard pool at age 2. She is now 2 and was confidently swimming before she could walk. We get SO many comments on how well she can swim and hands the water. So I am a firm believer in having water savvy kids:thumbsup: .
We were given an awesome book (it is out of print now) but it shows how to familiarise bubs with water at home (either in the bath or heated pool).
PM me and I will quite happily photocopy the first section and send it too you to get you started. If all goes well then I can send the rest on?
Let me know
SJ
Shanaynay
19-04-2007, 21:00
Swimming is a natural instinctive reflex in newborn babies just like the startle reflex and the grasp reflex :thumbsup:
They lose it around 6 months of age or so though.
Little Toad let us know how you get on - I'd love to know how well they can 'swim'!
If you are worried about the chlorine, there are plenty of salt water pools around :yes:
just found this pic of my DS he is 15mths old in this pic but I can assure you he looked like this underwater at around 6mths (just smaller) as well we just didnt have an underwater camera at the time
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f359/baf65/underwaterphotos013.jpg
Just back to the OP queston about letting them go underwater, we didnt do anything like that until around 12mths and god we were all so scared at first, now its like second nature to him to swim underwater on his own
BeachBaby3
20-04-2007, 09:37
We put DD in the pool at about 6 weeks. We didnt let go or put her under the water. I have also heard that newborns can hold their breathe but I think you have to have done it daily from birth and they lose this ability at about 6 months.
I personally think that the sooner you put them in the water the better. We didnt put her face under water until about 8 months. We blew on her mouth then gently 'swam' her through the water.
With regards to the chlorine we just give her a really good wash down in the showers after. We havent had a reaction.
Enjoy your swim.:wave:
The earliest we can start taking them here is 6 months.
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