Tremblant Lifestyle

Raising a child is probably the single most important job a person will ever have. At the same time growing up is never easy for parent or child, and a well informed parent who makes intelligent child raising decisions is necessary in order to provide their child with a positive start in life. There are many ares of parenting that need to encompass these intelligent decisions and one of them is health and recreation, with baby swim being a large personal choice amongst parents.

Baby swim is a high quality recreation with wonderful benefits for your baby, however, like with many things in life, there are various ways in which a parent can go about introducing swim to their baby. It’s important to recognize that the manner in which it is introduced holds the key to encompassing the full load of benefits. The approach should be nurturing and properly paced for a child’s age, and then his accomplishments throughout the class. A friendly, patient environment is required to enhance self confidence and personal development, as well as a happy, well adjusted baby.

Teaching a baby to swim is a long term process and the approach should be with interpersonal sensitivity, selfless motivation, insight, skill and joy. A cooperative partnership between parent, child and teacher is key to creating a harmonious relationship necessary to gently and playfully guide baby through the process of learning to swim. Your baby’s needs and concerns must be respected, at the same time he is learning in an environment of joy and acceptance, never compromising a baby’s well-being through fright and deference. The use of force will nullify the following positive benefits, and result in adverse, unintended consequences and side effects. Intensive instruction, pushing a child too fast, too soon, too hard or too long can be detrimental to the child on many levels.

Baby Swim Benefits

• Increases intelligence, concentration, alertness, and perceptual abilities.
• Improvement in social, emotional and physical development.
• Contributes to the positive development of the whole child.
• Caressing and stimulating effect on children with special needs.
• Parent and child can bond face to face, through touch, and experience learning together as a team.
• A positive foundation towards the enjoyment in a variety of water sports and aquatic venues on, in and under the water.
• Baby learns to interact with other babies and look forward to seeing their class mates.
• As, their swimming progresses your baby will gain improved coordination, strength, endurance and lung capacity.
• Baby swim results in healthier naps following class. Evening swim class will have the same effect for night time sleep.
• Early swimming fosters a growing sense of self-esteem, confidence and independence. Increases baby’s sense of well being as she progresses through the stages of baby swim.

Swimming Pool and Water Safety

Children are curious, adventurers who love to explore. Parents must always ensure their swimming pool and other water related fixtures are safely maintained and provide protection for their little explorer.

Supervision

• Adult supervision is paramount. Maintain eye contact with your baby and stay close. Do not ever leave a child unattended - not even for a second. All it takes is a second to lose your child to drowning.
• An adult should be within arm’s length of infants and toddlers in or around water.
• Do not assume that wearing floaters or using a tube will keep your child safe in the water. This is especially the case when there are other children in the water, which can cause more turbulence in water waves and cause your baby or toddler to turn upside down.
• Do not ever assume someone else is watching your child, and be very careful who you give the responsibility to should you ask another adult to watch your child in the water.
• Parents supervising their baby in the water must know how to swim himself. Anyone you ask to supervise your child in the pool must also know how to swim. A non swimmer will not be able to help your child should there be a need.
• If your child is missing, always check your pool first.
• Keep toilet lids closed and locked. Remove all buckets as babies can fall in head first.
• Never leave a child unattended in the bath.
• Ensure that each caregiver understands the importance of all safety precautions.

Barriers

• Barriers leading to the pool or any body of water must be installed and efficiently and professionally maintained.
• Keep all entrances to the pool closed and locked.
• Install a second lock on each door leading to the pool well out of the reach of a growing toddler’s grasp.
• Installing door and pool alarms can alert adults of unauthorized access.
• Mesh, see through fencing, should completely surround the pool, with a minimum height of 48 inches. When not in use maintain and lock the pool safety gate. Keep all climbable objects away from the fence so growing babies and toddlers cannot use them to climb over the fence.
• Approved pool covers can add yet another layer of protection.
• Perimeter yard fences should have self-closing and self-latching gates.

Swimming Safety Skills

These are a vital supplement to supervision and barriers. As the children progress, advanced aquatic abilities can provide a final safety net of protection if an unsupervised water entry should occur. Such skills include jumping in, turning around and swimming back to the side, coming up for a breath and rolling to the back for a breath.

Infant / Child CPR

• Infant child and first aid certification are needed for parents and caregivers.
• Prepare an emergency action plan.
• In the event of an emergency parents should stay calm and react quickly and effectively.
• Install a portable phone by the pool with emergency numbers.
• Keep toys out of the pool when they are not being used.
• Keep wheel toys out of the pool area.
• Teach pool rules from an early age and frequently review them with your children.
• For older children, have them repeat the pool rules to you before they go out to swim.
• It is highly recommended that if your child has friends over to swim that there is more than just one adult to supervise.

For the most effective safety circle, the safety procedures must never be broken, and every aspect should be in effect at all times. Do not make exceptions, do not make assumptions, and do not assume that just because your child can swim he can never be in danger in the pool.

When looking for a baby swim class parents should look for a “baby friendly” program that offers a friendly, nurturing and patient environment. The teaching should be inspirational and love-based, not fear based. The development that comes with baby swim takes time, consistency and patience - for those families who persevere, a point is reached where their child truly feels at home in the water, encompassing all the wonderful qualities that the world of swim and water sports has to offer. Remember that when in or near water, supervision and safety is paramount to prevent drowning and other injuries.

Michel Jayne (AKA The Parent Fairy) has 22 years parenting experience, with  a teenager and preschooler under her wings. She extends an invitation for you to receive baby sleep help, on the house!  Also get parenting tips, tricks and solutions to raising kids, having a good relationship with your spouse and keeping your family healthy.  http://theparentfairy.blogspot.com/

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