Learning must be fun. No parent or child should be subjected to a fearful or intimidating environment when learning to swim.
Aggressively forcing children to perform learn-to-swim activities while a baby cries and is in distress is totally inappropriate. However, it is unrealistic to expect that children will never cry during swimming lessons.
Infants communicate their needs and problems through crying. In some instances, babies become tired, hungry, or even cold during a swimming lesson. The astute parent will soon learn to recognise the different types of communicative baby cries and understand what their baby is trying to communicate.
Work Out Why Baby Cries During Swimming Lessons
Once you recognise what is disturbing your baby, it becomes easier to remedy the problem.
For example, avoid swimming at a time when you would normally be feeding your baby and always ensure you are teaching your baby to swim in warm water, ideally around 32 degrees Celsius.
It is my belief that parents should try to relax and settle their child while in a baby swimming lesson. This should be done in a calm and relaxed manner using communication, stimulation, and distraction.
If you get out of the pool every time your baby cries, your baby may soon associate crying with leaving the water. Ideally, infants should enter and leave their baby swimming lesson feeling happy, comfortable, and relaxed.
Communication Is Key in Baby Swimming Lessons
As a swimming teacher, you are responsible for creating a learning environment that encourages both a relaxed parent and a relaxed baby.
It is important to understand that a parent’s state of being will certainly influence their child. If mum is happy and relaxed, then baby is more likely to feel happy and relaxed too.
Communication is the key to putting parents at ease in the water. Very often, teachers forget to communicate vital information to parents. For example, teachers may forget to explain how parents should hold their baby correctly while in the pool.
Maintain Eye Contact and Build Baby’s Confidence
The way parents hold their child in the water will certainly influence whether or not the baby feels relaxed.
Parents should always be encouraged to maintain eye contact with their baby, communicate positively through facial expressions, and hold their baby low in the water to allow them the opportunity to experience their natural buoyancy.
Importantly, always provide parents with clear visual demonstrations and simple instructions when introducing new swimming activities.
If you are introducing a new skill, do so at the beginning of the lesson. This allows you time to clearly explain what is required and support parents throughout the activity.
Rushing will lead to anxious parents, and an uneasy parent can create an uneasy baby.
Laurie Lawrence
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