Infant Swimming- Teach Your Baby To Swim The Diagrams Part 3

Teach Your Baby To Swim The Diagrams Part 3

No baby swimming lesson this week, so I spent some time on diagrams for the assisted underwater swim.

Underwater baby swimming

For some reason I thought it would be clearer to ditch the swimming pool I created for the previous teach your baby to swim diagram article, and replace it with a clear glass pool.

I don't think this really added anything, and I prefer the realistic pool to the glass pool so may switch back next time. Let me know what you think.

Anyway onto the diagrams, there is only one routine here as adding another would have ended up with too many images on one page. I hope you find this useful.

Assisted Underwater Swim
	This was the first underwater swim technique, and we did it in the first lesson when Amélie was just 6 weeks old. 2 Adults are needed, your baby is passed from one person to the other with enough gentle momentum for your baby to travel a short distance unsupported.

Assisted Underwater Swim

This was the first underwater swim technique, and we did it in the first lesson when Amélie was just 6 weeks old.

2 Adults are needed, your baby is passed from one person to the other with enough gentle momentum for your baby to travel a short distance unsupported.

Assisted Underwater Swim In Detail


The baby is held by one person while the other waits to catch the baby. The baby is held in side holding swim position. This is where you hold them to one side of your body, with one hand at either side of their torso just below their armpit level. As always, you prepare your baby by saying 'name ... ready ... go ...'. This is said by the person waiting to catch the baby, and is the trigger for the other person to begin the move.

The person holding the baby can now take the baby forward and under the water in a smooth and gentle action.


At this point the baby momentarily is not held by either person as they continue the short distance to the catcher.

The catcher can then lift the baby out of the water for a hug.

For clarity here is the move again from a distance and from one angle. The last image is a picture taken of our baby during the final stage of this routine, she was 6 weeks old in this picture.



There are variations on this move, which I will explain. The first is for more advanced babies who have done many underwater swims. Here we simply remove the hug at the end of the routine. Instead they are immediately placed in side holding swim position by the catcher and taken on a little swim away from the side of the pool. They are then turned around and taken back to the side still in side holding swim position for a reaching hold on. The reaching hold on is explained in other articles and I will produce diagrams in time. The second extension is for the catcher to be underwater for the catch. Here the move starts the same, but once the catcher has said 'name ... ready ... go ...' they go underwater. This is great fun for the catcher because they get to see the baby swimming towards them underwater. The catch is made under the water and then the catcher surfaces with the baby ending up with a hug. Here are some tips for the catcher if they decide to do the catch underwater. Firstly wearing goggles will allow you to see the baby better. Don't take a deep breath as it will be harder to stay underwater, try breathing out instead. Use the gutter or bar to help you stay under, I use one hand on the bar to help me get underwater. Finally it's very easy to kick out and accidentally hit your baby. Crossing your legs will avoid this, I doubted this advice but when you do the move it's easy to see how you could accidentally kick out.

Click here for Part 2 (Previous Diagrams)
Click here for Part 1 (First Diagrams)

Comments

Natalie

Hi, lovely parents of Amelie! Thank you for posting these amazing articles! We are teaching a 18 mo. old and a 6 mo. old to swim at home, so your experiences have been well received. Please keep posting. Success to your family! natalie

Dad

Jill, If you are in any doubt at all then go for a lesson at a reputable baby swimming school, and get some expert help. We have just researched information in books, articles, gone to baby swimming lessons, and done what we feel is right for our baby. We aren't qualified to tell others what to do with their baby. The information we have read says babies are born with 2 reflexes that help when submerged. The Mammalian Dive reflex, and the Gag reflex. These reflexes are eventually replaced as the infants learn to hold their breath consciously. We submerged our baby for a very short time and built up gradually as she became more and more confident and comfortable. Sometimes she spluttered and coughed when she came up, but most of the time she was fine. To recap, they don't understand to hold their breath straight away but rely on those 2 reflexes. In our experience our baby didn't inhale loads of water. Lastly our articles are of our journey teaching our baby to swim, we can share our experiences with you but can't advise on your baby as ware not qualified to do so. We hope you and Archie have a lot of fun! Do let us know how you get on.

Dad

Lin thank you for your comment, keep in mind that we are not experts and are just documenting our experiences for people to share. If you want to try submerging your baby you do so at your own risk, personally we would but many may opt not to. Our daughter was submerged at 6 weeks old at a baby swim school. Our son was premature and is now a little over 3 months old and has never been in a pool. We will be taking him at 4 months old and going it alone so will be in a similar situation to yourself. We would still proceed if he was 6 months old but possibly not if he was 9 months old, but it's your call at the end of the day. Sorry we couldn't be of more help, the more people leave comments the more help this resource can be for people like you in the future, so it would be great if you could let us know what you decide and how it went.

Lin

Hi, do you think if you only start a baby swimming at 6 months they would have already lost their natural reflex ability to keep water out? I like the tips you've given, I don't like the swimming lessons where my baby does not really "swim" at all. I've just kind of pulled her through the water, let her kick and splash, but the other tips you gave I will certainly give a go. thanks

Jill

Hi, I'm mum to 8 month old Archie, I take him swimming regularly and would like to try the submerging thing with him but am terrified that he will inhale loads of water. Do babies understand to hold their breath strait away or does it take practice and a few mistakes? Ta, Jill