Baby Swimming - teaching your baby to breath hold underwater

Many baby swimming teachers will immerse the baby in the water immediately and essentially attempt to let nature takes its course. My concern with this strategy is that it could send your baby into panic mode resulting in the gag reflex being triggered. Although it is important to cultivate your baby's natural affinity with the water, I promote a more gentle and structured introduction that encourages their positive associations with water.

I use a different technique that teaches your baby vital breath holding skills. Being able to hold their breath effectively will allow them to progress into competent swimmers and could be essential in the event of an emergency.

In my lessons, before any kind of immersion in the water, I will first begin my breath holding training. Holding the baby in an upright, supported position, I will cup water in my hand and gently pour this over their face.

It is a natural instinct for many mothers to wipe away the water at this point. However, the aim of this exercise is to make your baby feel comfortable with the water. The key is to allow the water to fall naturally but monitor your baby's reaction during the exercise. These visual signs will help you to gauge the situation:

1. Are your baby's eyes open or closed?
2. Is your baby inhaling water through the nose?
3. Is your baby showing any outward signs of distress?

It will be clear when your baby has successfully learned breath holding. Their eyes will stay open during the exercise and they should show no visible signs of distress.  This should continue when the exercise is repeated.

This is a really simple exercise that is great for boosting your baby's confidence with the water. You could prepare your baby for swimming by practicing this breath holding exercise at home during bath time.

Anne Hawley has been teaching baby swimming since 1974 when she founded Swim Baby Swim. The classes teach children to swim using Anne's pioneering breath holding technique. For handy tips and a step-by-step guide to baby swimming, there is now a Swim Baby Swim iPhone/ iPad app so you can access Anne Hawley's expertise on the go.