For the past five weeks, I took Melchi to a parent-baby swim class at the Stayton pool. Mike and I want Melchi to be comfortable in the water as soon as possible, while being held by one of his loving parents, so he can ease into swimming. This means one of us will take Melchi into the pool regularly, at least once a week.
In this baby swim class, the parent holds and instructs the child two days each week for half hour sessions. With Melchi so young (babies can start at 6 months), this means moving him around the water while he kicks and splashes and plays with toys. Part of the attraction of the class is when the instructor demonstrates submerging the child: warn baby with something like "ready, set, go," which he eventually associates with "I'm about to go under water"; blow in the child's face so he takes a breath; gently and smoothly move him into and out of the water; and afterward, pat his back to help him get rid of any inhaled water. Parents are also shown how to help baby relax on his back and eventually learn to float, keeping baby's head next to parent's or on parent's chest. At the end of class, parent and child go down the water slide together.
I enjoyed taking Melchi to this class, though Melchi had mixed reactions. I think the class is held at an awkward time of day for babies, 5:30 pm. Melchi is often tired and winding down at that time, and going to class meant abbreviating our dinner and bedtime routine. Often, Melchi fell asleep on the drive back, and a few times, I carried Melchi straight into bed from the car. While he never seemed traumatized by the activities, he did not enjoy being submerged (understandably) and still makes unhappy noises when placed on his back. I think the environment, especially the noise and other people, was overwhelming to him.
We won't be attending the next session - I missed the short window for signing up, as this popular class fills quickly. I'm going to request a morning class, because the instructor is available to teach, but the pool already has a full schedule and little open swim time. As for me and Melchi, we'll go to an open swim period earlier in the day and practice having fun in the water, repeating what we've already done. Then, one day, Melchi will swim away from me happily...maybe!
Mike enjoyed taking pictures of our splashing. Photos website (photos.garfias.org)
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