How To Take Baby Swimming: Safe Entry Into The Pool

How To Take Baby Swimming with a Safe Entry

The first time you introduce your baby to the water is very important and it can make you a little nervous if you have never done it before. In this blog post and video, Simply Swim and Puddle Ducks talk you through how to take baby swimming with a safe entry into the water for your baby.

Firstly, what you need to remember is that you should avoid carrying your baby down steps or a down a ladder into the water. The reason for this is if you slip, you’re going to take your baby with you, which we don’t recommend at all. What we do recommend is a changing mat, which you can get wet. So you get the changing mat wet in the water first and then lay it on the side of the pool right next to the surface of the water. You can then kneel down and lay your baby flat on that changing mat so it’s nice and warm. This stops them going straight onto the cold concrete on the side of the pool, which isn’t a great introduction to their first lesson into the water.

Laying Your Baby Down on the Mat

When you’re laying your baby down on the mat, ensure that their feet are pointing towards the water with their head the other way. You can then sit down next to them. You put one arm across your baby. This is your safety arm. This is to stop your baby rolling either side and ensures that it’s safer for them before they get into the water and ensure they can’t roll into the water on their own.

Slide Into The Water Yourself

Once you’ve got the safety arm across your baby, you can then gently slide into the water yourself, turning as you do so. Once you’re in the water, you then put both of your hands behind your baby’s head and neck to make sure that’s fully supported. In your own time, gently lean your baby towards you and bring them in towards the water, safely. This is a much more controlled way of taking your baby into the water, rather than carrying them down the steps.

With Somebody Else

If you are going swimming with somebody else, they can help you by putting their arms across the baby on the change mat. What we don’t recommend is that other person passes the baby to you in the water, and passes them across the air. This is also because if they slip or if they drop the baby, that’s quite a long way for them to fall. So, it’s much safer to lay that baby down on the mat and bring them into the water safely. We hope you have found this post helpful and that you and your baby have an enjoyable first swim together.

For more videos, please head over to the Simply Swim YouTube channel. Or for baby swim products, please head over to SimplySwim.com.

Enjoy
   Richard

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