Baby Swim | Bonnie 8 Months Cups and Submersion

Extending Breath Control Conditioning teaches baby to hold their breath on your verbal trigger "Ready Go". Once baby is confident having small cups of water poured over their face, we can progress and use a larger cup. Extending baby's breath control by pouring water for up to the count of 5, makes it easy and safe for the adult to submerge baby underwater. Always read baby's body language and never submerge baby if they resist. Horizontal Floating Hold The horizontal floating hold is one of the most important holds for teaching babies to swim. It allows for good eye contact and exercise. But most importantly, it puts baby in a horizontal body position ready for submersion. This horizontal position is significant. When the baby floats, we want the water to run smoothly and evenly over the baby’s forehead. Many people make the mistake of submerging infants in a vertical position which can easily force water up the nose causing discomfort or distress. Positive Body Language When Holding Baby in the Pool Ultimately always remember when holding infants in the pool to grip them softly and sink them down so they can feel their buoyancy. Remember your body language will rub off on the child so make sure to relax and communicate positively through verbal and non-verbal interactions. Keep in mind that if you are happy and relaxed in the water then baby will be happy and relaxed in the water. Finally give yourself and your infant plenty of opportunities for practice. The more you get in the water with your child the more confident you will be and the more your child is exposed to water the faster they will learn and develop and love and respect for the water. All baby swimming classes must be conducted in a safe and positive learn to swim environment. Each Baby and Toddler should be encouraged to learn to swim according to their individual readiness. The learn to swim process should follow a step by step process including water familiarisation, breath control, submersion, floating and propulsion. Adult supervision is always required when in and around the water. To learn all about how to teach swimming to babies visit my website and get my online program at https://babyswim.info/