Infant Water Safety

I’m surprised when people react negatively to infant water safety classes. If you’re not familiar with these programs, they’re the ones that teach infants who fall into a pool how to right themselves by floating on their backs and kicking their legs until they reach the side of the pool.

The people who oppose these programs claim that these children are traumatized, screamed at, and fearful of pools after experiencing these potentially life-saving techniques. Contrary to that, my girls LOVED their first experience with swim lessons.

When my girls were very young, they learned how to swim at Polly’s Puddle in Santa Cruz.  Polly had an outdoor pool that she covered with a tent, and she kept the pool at a very warm 90 degrees. All classes were taught one-on-one and parents were required to sit at the end of the pool during the class. I loved the routine: select their swim caps, then jump into the pool where their teachers caught them. 

My youngest daughter, Jaclyn, loved to go “unner!” (under water).  She would keep her eyes open and smile at her teacher.  Because she was so young, her natural instinct was to hold her breath — she never gulped water. Jaclyn quickly learned how to flip over on her back to breathe.  Kicking her feet to reach the side of the pool, she extended her arms over her head so she could feel the side of the pool and not crash into it.  I loved what happened next: she would reach up with both hands and pull herself out of the pool all by herself! We all clapped our hands for her and she was one proud toddler.

My oldest daughter, Nicole, didn’t like water on her face.  So Polly would dribble water down her face while she held her in her arms to help Nicole get used to the water sensation. Nicole was a little older when she started swim lessons so she learned how to swim to the side of the pool and how to take breaths until she reached it. The warm water made getting into the pool comfortable — like taking a bath.

Not sure how other programs are taught — especially the ones that parents are complaining about. Do your research and find programs that have warm water pools and are taught one-on-one.  It’s worth the peace of mind knowing your babies are water safe!