Let’s talk about baby swimming or infant swimming as some people call it. They say that infants can start as early as 2,5 months old. However, in Greece, they usually start at around 6 months old as they believe that an infant will not make it through the half an hour lesson. Although the water is heated, babies do get cold after some time and they have found that infants above six are more likely to finish the lesson. Our pediatrician and dermatologist had no problem with starting the lessons sooner, so we took our baby swimming at 5 months old. She is absolutely thrilled. She splashes around, moves both hands and feet like a dolphin and I recon she really likes it. Her coach said that the younger they get in the water the better it is because the liquid environment resembles the womb so they feel like home. Furthermore, they haven’t yet developed the sense of fear.
They say baby swimming has a lot to offer to a baby. It helps babies
develop their socialization skills, enhances their immune system, promotes
appetite and so on. But let’s also see the benefits to the parent, from a
parent’s point of view.
We figured that our baby has already developed a strong mommy bond, so we
chose dad to swim with the baby. Therefore, they can spend some “together” time
by doing something she really enjoys with her daddy. After swimming she tends
to sleep for a loooong, looong time. These nights are actually the only nights that
we get to sleep properly. In the same gym, there is also an adult swimming pool
so at the same time, mommy gets a chance to also do some swimming, clear her
head, relax and exercise (and maybe loose those last pregnancy pounds).
Of course, there is a huge lot of laundry. Washing the baby is also tiring
but we found a “summer infant baby bather” at mothercare which made our life a
lot easier. Fold it and it’s ready to go. We actually used it on our first trip
too!
In Greece they will ask for a pediatrician permission. The cost here is
about 40 to 70 Euros per month or you can use a day pass at 10 Euros per
lesson. You will also need a waterproof diaper!
There’s a lot of information if you search the web and there is usually a
babyswimming.com that can probably answer your questions.
I’ll be happy to hear how your first lesson went!
Have fun!
