We’ve started taking Little Miss A to the pool.
Introducing her to the pool — and water in general — is something that’s been super important to J and I because, as with exposure to allergenic foods to help minimise allergies later in life, early exposure to the water means less risk of drowning down the track.
The more confident she is in the water and the sooner she learns to ‘swim’ (or at least float and tread the water for now) the less risk of drowning later on. Learning to swim is SO important for kids, especially!
And so far, Little Miss A loves being in the water.
We definitely have a water baby! Our very own Little Mermaid.
Living in a super-hot climate — we’re talking 37-40 degrees C temps by mid-morning! — plus having access to a stunning lap pool in our tower certainly helps with getting into the water on most days of the week.
Pool time is also a great way to get Little Miss A out of the airconditioned apartment and into fresh-er air!
It’s getting way too hot now for our daily walks, so access to the pool is a fantastic alternative!
And I say, ‘fresh-er’ air because with all the building construction going on here all the time, the air isn’t the best quality … but it’s better than constant exposure to aircon.
Anyhoo!
So, how did we do it? How did we help our Little Miss get accustomed to the water?
Like with anything, the secret here has been consistency and perseverance.
We decided to start her water exposure at about the 4-month mark at a nearby beach rather than the pool in our tower mainly to lessen her early exposure to chlorine (not great for skin) and germs etc.
While Little Miss A enjoyed bathtime basically from the start — since she was a newborn — her first exposure to the sea water at the nearby beach wasn’t necessarily met with glee!
We’d gone for a walk to the nearby beach and decided to dip her feet into the water. It was a little too cold for her that day and well, let’s just say there were a few tears.
We’d also made the error of dipping her feet into the sea BEFORE allowing her feet to touch the sand — you know, sensory experience and all — which meant we then had to deal with cleaning sand while trying to calm a crying baby …. Anyway!
But we persevered and by the second and third time in the water Little Miss A was loving the experience.
We also had things a little more ‘down pat’ from our end … coming prepared with extra towels, change of clothes — including warm clothes and a blanket — extra bottles with formula … all to help calm our Little Miss down if needed. AND we made sure to give her ‘sand time’ BEFORE getting into the water … much easier to get the sand off that way.
Soon after that we moved her over to the pool in our building — starting again with dipping her feet in only and then progressing towards full-er body immersion while keeping her head above the water.
This was all around the 4-month mark because we also wanted to wait until Little Miss A had at least had her 4-month vaccines before exposing her to chlorine/the pool/other people’s germs etc.
Similar to her experience at the beach, Little Miss A very quickly came to love being in the pool.
From seeing other kids playing in the water to splashing and kicking about herself (while being held, of course) — we definitely have our very own Little Mermaid!
We’ve even had a number of parents comment on how calm and confident she is in the water at such a young age (she’s 6 months now).
some swimming essentials
Being mindful of water — and sun — safety, below are some essentials to have on hand when introducing baby to the water.
We hit up our local Decathlon store for these items!
- Baby bathers/swimsuits. This one’s pretty obvious and Decathlon has some super cute options here!
- Baby sun ‘rashie’ (sun rash guard) that’s suitable for beach and chlorine. This is super important to avoid excess sun exposure and sun burn.
- Baby sun hat — one that’s suitable for beach and chlorine, and one that has adequate SPF protection and that covers baby’s face and neck.
- Baby disposable swim nappies. Obviously regular nappies won’t work in the water, so disposable swim nappies are a must. Nobody wants a ‘code brown’ in the water!
- Inflatable baby seat buoy. This one’s optional but fun. Although Little Miss A is still a little too small for the inflatable baby seat buoy we bought.
As mentioned earlier, other items to have on hand include some regular nappies, change of clothes (warmer options, too depending on weather), a couple of towels to keep bub warm when exiting the water, bottles with formula/pumped breastmilk (or your boobs ready!) … basically, all the items you’d take with you in your baby bag when going for a walk or out and about somewhere.
For more information on introducing baby to the water, here’s a link that provides some useful pointers and additional things to remember.
So, what’s next for our Little Miss as far as swimming adventures go?
Well, to start there are more formal swimming lessons planned for when we go to Australia for a visit in a couple of weeks.
Although, personally, I think she’ll be well ahead of the other babies given how much she enjoys being in the water already 🙂
For now, we’ll continue enjoying splashing and kicking about in the pool and watching our Little Mermaid become increasingly accustomed to and confident in the water each day.
And of course, who knows, by starting in the pool early, maybe one day she’ll make the Olympic swim team. Ha! *Kidding*
x G.
editor, journalist, digital content creator with a background in nutrition & dietetics.
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