In at the shallow end … August 2010

swimshawmethod.com editor Jane-Ann Purdy is teaching her nephew to swim. This is the second of her regular monthly updates on his progress …

I had the chance to spend a week with my nephews in August and to enjoy some amazing late summer weather. Charley, aged 3, had had two trips to the pool when he came to visit me in Edinburgh so this time it was Jamie’s turn for my undivided attention.

Jamie is now 5 months and full of smiles. He loves blowing raspberries and playing peek-a-boo. He is happy to take a bottle so is able to leave his mother for a few hours to go to the pool. I should mention here that the pool in question is a 45-minute drive from the house, but, thanks to its warm, shallow baby pool, it is well worth the journey.

In July,  you will remember that Jamie enjoyed his first visit immensely. He had had one practice session with his parents in between “lessons” with Auntie which was also a hit with the rookie water lover. So I had high hopes that he would be every bit as happy in the pool this month.

I was really looking forward to seeing how he would be on his back again as I’d observed his frog-like kicking motion in the bath with interest and wondered if it would be replicated in the pool. I was also keen to see if he would blow some of his famous raspberries into the water. So a couple of “aims” but nothing too concrete. At this stage comfort and happiness are the most important things.

Comfort and happiness? Oh dear. This afternoon session found Jamie to be an unwilling swimmer. He was unhappy from the time he hit the changing room. I was not too concerned as I felt that he would be calmed by the water. He was not! He wasn’t screaming the place down, but his low level gurn took about 10 minutes to abate, by which time we had about 5 minutes to really enjoy the water. There was nothing to do at this stage but hold him close and comfort him whilst moving slowly through the water.

Interestingly, he achieved a really great back float position whilst I lightly cradled him and kept a hand under his head. I talked to him constantly and, once he was happy, was able to just maintain light contact with the head. His feet pushed on the water in a movement very close to breaststroke leg action and his arms performed a kind of loose sculling motion.

Lightly supported on his front he achieved a kind of “chin-on-the-water” glide with no movement in his bent arms and legs at all. He was interested in tasting the water, but couldn’t be encouraged to indulge his passion for raspberries. Not this time anyway, though I’m confident that they will find their way into breathing practice later down the line.

My final gambit was a game of peek-a-boo using a large ball floating helpfully in the water. Finally some smiles, and then it was time to get out.

A swiftly dried Jamie had his mood improved with a large bottle of milk. Making sure he was lightly fed and rested before his session was possibly not enough in this case. His other successful sessions had all been in the morning so perhaps the afternoon was not a good time for him. When teaching a small baby all of these considerations need to be factored in.

I am confident that he was not objecting to the water per se, and ten minutes of grizzling in the pool will certainly not put me off taking him for a dip next month. Watch this space!

Tips from this session

• Progress does not always go in a smooth upward curve – this is true for all swimmers not just babies!
• You may find that certain times of the day suit your baby better than others. In Jamie’s case it looks like he is more suited to a morning swim.
• If your baby or child reacts unfavourably to the water in one session, don’t give up. Things will improve.

Photo by Jane-Ann Purdy