Tips for Baby's First Swimming Lesson

Before Archer was born we made the decision that we would enrol him in baby swimming classes. We enrolled him into our local swimming school, with him starting after his 3 month immunisations. To say it was a disaster would be an understatement. We did everything wrong to get him ready for his first lesson, it was awful. I felt so bad for him, and for Chris, whom was in the water with him. After the disastrous first lesson we learnt quickly what not to do, and along the way learnt what worked as well. We also happen to have an amazing teacher that gave us some great tips too!

Tip 1: Make Bath time Fun
We learnt that we needed to make bath time fun and exciting to make him feel comfortable in the water. So during bath time we started to sing songs, splash and play around. Even at 4 months old he thought this was awesome. He loves bath time now, and also loves his swimming lessons too. Sing a song while you wash their hair, splash the water with their hands or encourage them to play with bath toys. If they enjoy bath time, it will make the swimming lesson that much easier!


Tip 2: Feed them before you go
Whatever you do, don't take bubba to the lesson hungry! The last thing you need is a hungry baby screaming. Its a new environment, so your little one is already a bit anxious when they arrive, adding hungry to the mix and that lesson is going to be anything but fun for either of you. Archer's routine is that he has his bottle and breakfast about 30 - 45 minutes before the lesson begins (see tip 3 as to why we leave such a small gap!). You know your baby's routine and when they are most happy, use this knowledge to schedule feeding time around the lesson so they arrive happy.


Tip 3: Schedule nap time for after the lesson
The lesson is tiring, and the first lessons are even more so. We found that the lesson completely wore Archer out and he was screaming to go to sleep he was so tired. So we managed to get a lesson in the morning that is just before his usual nap time. It works perfectly. The lessons are designed to use all parts of a babies brain, so naturally it's going to be tiring. Plus, our wee man always sleeps really well after a lesson because its so stimulating. So if your local classes have the flexibility, try to schedule the lesson before your little one is due a nap.


Tip 4: Have their favourite soother at hand
Every child has a soother that helps settle them, whether this is a teddy bear, a blanket, a dummy, or all 3! We have got into a routine of having his favourite teddy and dummy at hand for after the lesson. He gets these while I try and get him changed post lesson, they help soothe him while I do the dressing a wet baby battle. And, they help get him relaxed after a fun lesson so he's ready for his nap afterwards. I found the soothers helped tell him that it was now calm time, as swimming is so energetic and fun.


Tip 5: Accept that tears are inevitable
Crying is going to happen. If you go in thinking its going to be this magical lesson with smiling and giggles, well, when the crying starts the stress builds and then it turns into an awful experience for you both. If you arrive accepting that there will be tears and some screaming, then your reaction won't be as bad. Trust me, this honestly works! I know that Archer is going to cry at some point in every lesson, whether he wants his dummy, he's tired, wants food or hates the way the water splashed on his face. He is going to cry at some point. And because I accept that, when it happens I shrug it off and carry on with the lesson. Compared to the first few lessons when I my reaction was more; 'Omgosh! Whats wrong my darling?!' - This just fed into his crying and made it worse. Babies cry, its inevitable!


Tip 6: Go in confident!
Just like when your baby can sense if you're upset or happy, they can also tell if you're nervous. Go into the lesson confident, try your best to be relaxed and this will hopefully make them feel the same. My first time in the pool with my son I was so nervous, I honestly believe he picked up on my nerves and so his reactions to some things in the lesson were that much worse than if I had been more confident. Enjoy it! This is chance for you to bond with your child in a different way.


Every child is different, but in the end, at this young of an age, they just want to sleep, eat and sleep again. So it can be tricky to fit a 30 minute swimming lesson in between that! Most importantly, go in ready to have some fun, you will be surprised by how much you will enjoy the lesson.


Arohanui
Mrs R x