Baby swimming is where babies learn about the water element by playing in it at a water temperature of about 34°C.

The idea of baby swimming is not to teach babies to swim, just to have fun in the water with their parents and other children. First of all, the baby is carefully and slowly lowered into the water so that it is not startled. Parents can attend baby swimming courses to learn how to hold baby in such a way that gives security while still leaving plenty of room for the child to move as freely as possible. Baby is pulled through the water using a variety of techniques. It can just let itself drift, paddle on its own or make playful contact with other children. For hygiene reasons a baby should wear a water nappy. You can get these at sport shops.

A newborn child has already experience water in its mother’s womb so it will feel quite comfortable in the water. The experience in water also has a positive influence on the physical development of the child. Movements that can only be tried out much later on land can be done in water straight away. The child experiences its body as virtually weightless. The close parent-child contact also promotes the psychological development of the child, as well as mutual trust. The new impressions also promote the child’s receptivity.

The physical conditions experienced in water can also encourage the motoric development of the child from a very early age. There are special swimming aids available, such as water wings and floats as well as special buoyancy aids. These aids are either provided in courses or can be purchased.

The child’s social development also profits from  the close contact to other children and parents. The pressure of the water on the baby’s body also encourages its breathing and circulation as well as vitalising its musculature. Water has an affect on all the organs; it stimulates the baby’s ability to move and use its senses. So the time spent in the water thus also increases the child’s wellbeing and its ability to coordinate and concentrate.

You can of course continue to use the techniques learned in the courses in your own swimming pool.

In terms of how babies react and feel in water, experience has shown that they can already be familiarised with water at an age of 5 weeks.

Summary:

Babies and children who often move in water develop particularly well and also have extremely stable health. The relationship between parents and child is lastingly supported by being mutually relaxed.