Teach Swim Lessons to a Baby - Teach the baby to hold her breath by practicing light splashing with her hands. When she splashes herself in the face for few seconds during the lesson, she will learn to momentarily hold her breath. Expand on this technique by holding water in your hand and pouring it over the baby´s head and face, which will teach her to hold her breath for a longer period of time whenever she is faced with water flowing around her face. Pour water over her head with your hand several times for a minute or so. Start every swim lesson with this step.
Dunk the baby underwater once he has become used to the water, which will help him become familiar with being underwater and get him used to holding his breath for longer periods of time. This should be done after a couple of lessons. Because a baby reacts to your facial expressions, you should get him ready for this by making an exaggerated facial expression and a sound cue. Do it on a count of three. When the baby hears you start to count and watches your facial expression, he will know to get ready. Use this step at the beginning of every swim lesson.
Teach Swim Lessons to a Baby
Place toys in the water. They will help keep the baby focused on the fun of the swim lesson. You can also place the toys near the wall to get her to swim to the wall. Keep your hands under the baby´s tummy and on her back, then move her toward the toys and the wall. For several lessons, you will need to hold the baby's tummy and back while moving her to the wall. Once at the wall, show the child how to grab the side of the wall. As the baby becomes familiar with the exercise, over a period of several lessons, she will start grabbing the wall by herself. As the lessons progress, you can start loosening your hold on her tummy and back while moving her toward the wall, allowing her to swim the last couple of inches to the wall without your hold. Gradually make that unsupported swim longer. Toys in the pool help calm the baby down after being dunked, or moved in the water. They keep your baby's focus on the game and the fun of learning to swim.
Help your baby learn to back float by laying his face up on the top of your shoulder, which should be just under the water, and gently sliding him down into the water. Sing a nursery rhyme song or start counting to 10 as you do so in order to keep the baby relaxed. If your baby starts to lift his legs to try and turn over in the water, gently lower them keeping his ears submerged. Practice this exercise during every swim class.
While you are in the pool, sit the baby on the side of it and sing the "Humpty Dumpty" song. When you get to the lyric "Humpty Dumpty had a great fall," pull the baby into the pool and walk backward while holding her hands. This will cause the baby to fall under water, hold her breath and float for a few seconds. Because you are there to catch her, she will feel secure and become more familiar with the water. Over the course of several swim lessons, continue to play the game, and once the baby is very familiar with it, you can start taking a step back. This way, the baby will have to start swimming a little to reach you. On lessons thereafter, take a further step back, so the baby has to swim further distances to reach you. Continue playing this fun game during swim lessons until she is swimming one to two feet to reach you.
Babies can start to learn to swim as early as three months of age, but swim instructors usually start them out when they are at least six months old. The objective of swim lessons for infants is to make the baby familiar with water and help him to feel safe and secure in it while learning to swim. Doing so takes time and consistent water play, so don't expect to throw a baby in the water and have him start swimming immediately. - by eHow
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