Whenever I hear about a friend of mine falling pregnant, I excitedly always count the days and try work out when will the little one will be joining us… Winter? Summer? Not because I have a preference, but purely to see if my (now glowing) friend will be carrying heaviest through our beautiful warm summers or the cold nippy winter…

There is no better feeling than relaxing in water and feeling the amazing sense of weightlessness during those heavy and sometimes hot days of pregnancy. If I had I my way, I would’ve sleep in the water during pregnancy, especially those last few weeks when you think your bump can’t possibly get any heavier!

A 1-2-1 swimming lesson is normally a short, intensive session where just the student and teacher are in the pool. The reason the lesson is usually quite short (around 15 minutes) is because young children are only able to concentrate for short periods at a time. Group lessons are great to get your Little Swimmer confident in the water and to be able to propel themselves through the water, but the 1-2-1’s lessons, teach the fundamental techniques of swimming and to introduce strokes. This is where your Little Swimmer will learn to swim “pretty”…

This is one of those questions that has many answers but at the same time no answer… I realize that sounds like an oxymoron, but there is no definitive time when your child will “finally swim”. It’s more of a process built around small building blocks and of course water safety.

Like most things in the developmental process, all children develop at their own pace and swimming is no different. Individual characteristics and of course external influences and factors all have an impact on how they take to the water and ultimately learn to swim.

As mentioned above learning to swim is a process and is most effective when a strong foundation is set. This foundation usually centers around the introduction to water and water safety, this is ideally done when the Little Swimmer is under the age of one years old. The earlier a child is introduced to water the better, as not only will they learn to love and respect the water, their bodies will get an all-round exercise and stimulation with physical, social and psychological benefits.

Saturday 1st October saw the official launch of Swim Baby Swim here is South Africa. Our first lessons were held in the fantastic facilities of the Melkbos Swim School, one of our partner pools. The water was lovely and warm at 34 degrees, ideal for baby swimming… any swimming really. Fittingly, our first Little Swimmer was tiny Anthony Mitchell, a boisterous 8 weeks old, swimming for the very first time.

Why do we need a law to enforce the use of child and infant car seats in South Africa? I see children clambering around moving cars, standing up holding onto dashboards, on a daily basis and it terrifies me. Surely common sense prevails and above all, the love for your child and the responsibility as an adult for another human being.

A five year old boy recently drowned in a dam in the Eastern Cape; a sad loss of life and a stark reminder that we as parents need to be vigilant and use our common sense when in and around water. As much as we at Swim Baby Swim are about sharing the joy of swimming, we also strive to build awareness of the benefits and the dangers of being around water, in essence teaching a core life skill that does save lives… Don’t be afraid of water, but respect it.