We have started to take Jojo swimming since he was around three months old. Once his neck is strong enough to support his head, we took him for a swim using a neck ring. A lot of people seem baffled by the neck ring, and so was I when I first saw it. It’s an inflatable swim ring that is worn around the neck to support baby’s head above water while the rest of his body move freely in the water. It made sense to me, baby’s head is steady and his arms and legs can do whatever they want while swimming. We tried the arm rings, but only Jojo’s arms floated while the head swayed dangerously to every which way. We also tried the swim ring with seat and leg holes, but Jojo got cold quicker because the upper part of his body is exposed above water,only hips down were immersed. So the neck ring really suited him.
The very first swim session was in Experienced Mom’s swimming pool at her house. We chose to swim at around 3PM when the water’s quite warm after being heated by the sun all morning. Jojo was calm and happy after he took his nap and got fed. We had very little worry as he’s always happy when taking his bath, and true enough he took to water calmly and confidently. He floated happily and was smiling a lot, he wasn’t nervous at all. We made splashes around him and talked to him the whole time. Still, only fifteen minutes later he was already shivering. So we ended the swim, dried him off and had him feed again.
A lot of other new parents I know, particularly Asian ones, were a lot more apprehensive about introducing their infants to the water. They feared the baby would: a) drown, b) get a cold and c) develop infection from the water. In my opinion, these parents were underestimating a baby’s ability and stamina. A baby practically spent 9 months surrounded by water, and at a few months of age a relatively healthy baby still has quite a strong immune system passed on from the mother. As long as we keep a close eye and watch the signs of cold, tiredness and mood, there’s no reason why babies shouldn’t learn to enjoy water as early as possible. In some advanced countries there are even “swim” classes for newborns, where the babies can even dive! But we chose to be cautious and kept Jojo’s head above water at all times during the first swim session, just to keep him in a good mood.
Soon afterwards, we bought a stand-up plastic tub to use at our backyard. We would fill the tub in the morning and by mid-afternoon the water would be warm from the sun. It wasn’t a big tub, but enough for Jojo to float around and made splashes. Slowly he increased his time in the water, up to nearly an hour by the time he was five months old. Of course, the same rules applied:
- make sure the water is not too cold (some parents filled the tub with warm water, but to be more environmentally friendly we let the sun heat the water in the tub, and it was enough for Jojo during sunny days)
- make sure the baby is fed and rested before the swim, and in a good mood
- read the signs: if you see the baby getting anxious, scared, cold or any other discomfort, stop the session
- dry off the baby immediately after swimming, followed by nursing – we all get extra hungry after playing in the water
A lot of baby spas also offered a short swim session along with massage, some even called it “hydrotherapy” – which was basically immersing the baby in a glass box filled with warm water and toys, and coaxing the baby to move his/her hands and arms as much as possible. The same thing that we did in our backyard, only we didn’t have to pay exorbitant prices!
However, the fun didn’t last for long. By the time Jojo was around five months old, he got incredibly bored floating in the tiny tub. He would bump his neck ring on the tub’s rim repeatedly and made a fuss. Uh-oh, time to try a bigger pool. So we took him to a nearby hotel’s swimming pool. Oh, how he loved the big body of water! He admired the vastness of the pool (which wasn’t big at all for us adults), looked in awe at the water features, he embraced the cool water. He even pushed our hands away, wanted to swim on his own. He didn’t even notice that he was in the water for over an hour. We had to take him out by force when we saw that his lips were turning blue. And after the swim, oh how much breastmilk did he gulped hungrily down in one go! Since then on, the plastic tub was a goner. Jojo never looked back.
As he grew more agile, Jojo wanted to be more free in the water. Finally at around 8 months old he refused to wear the neck ring. He preferred one of us holding him and moving him in the water. We would swap him between us in the water, get him to float on his back, and even dip his head under a few times. He never got tired of swimming and playing in the water. When we took him to the beach, he never noticed the sand but went straight to the water. I think it’s really great to have a kid who’s so confident in the water even before he can walk or swim properly. The best way to achieve that, is to get him in the water as early as possible.
The Clueless Mommy 