Babies

Babies are born with a natural breath holding reflex. This gag reflex automatically kicks in when a baby goes underwater. The soft tissue at the back of their throat (the glottis and epiglottis) closes to provide a watertight seal to the lungs.

As this natural reflex starts to wear off after 6 months, your bub must be taught to hold their breath as a learned response. Sooner is better. Once this reflex disappears, it’s harder to start learning breath control.

Holding their breath can give a child time to think, calm down and find a safe place, giving parents time to respond.

Babies have a natural affinity with a fluid environment. Early swimming lessons can make the “womb to (pool) water” transition easier as they’re re-introduced to a similar feeling.

Whilst bath times are essential to maintain a baby’s affinity with water, it’s better to not lose the memory of having their head immersed fully in water. Early water familiarisation will allow your bub to master water skills faster.

A child needs to feel comfortable with their head being underwater. Mastering this skill can lessen the panic if they accidentally fall into the water. This also allows a child to learn to swim in a horizontal position. Doggy paddling is way too tiring! A stronger swimmer is a safer swimmer!

Our teachers are skilled at reading a child’s face and body language, and yours too! Only safely submerging a child’s head when both of you feel ready.

The water can be a scary place for a child when learning to swim. That’s why we focus on building trust. We won’t force a child to do anything. Nor try to trick them.

We definitely won’t force their head underwater. We always use cues, such as “Name. Are you ready? 1, 2, 3, let’s go”. It’s important for you and your little one to be in control.

If a child falls into a pool without any water safety training, they’re likely to head towards the first wall they see, which won’t always be the one closest to them. We’ll teach them that the nearest wall might be behind them.

We’ll have them jumping in, turning around in the water, and heading back to the wall they jumped from. Repeatedly, until their memories are big enough to hold onto this skill permanently. And with lots of fun attached to each jump and turn!

If your mini-me finds themselves in deep water, there won’t always be a wall close by, or something to hold on to. Building on your baby’s buoyancy skills, we can train you how to teach your bub to roll over and float on their back and breath calmly, so they can stay safe while waiting for help.

You’ll love achieving this with your bub. Watching them floating, relaxed on their back, is amazing to see. We’re confident you’ll feel more relaxed too, having a bit more peace of mind about their safety around water.