This is a very exciting month as Evie can now crawl! She also waving and clapping so we know she is very pleased with her progress.
Her ability to crawl is going to have some huge implication in the learn to swim lesson. It means now she is going to become purposefully mobile in the water.
Babies often use the crawling action they use on land to propel themselves through the water. While this is a very primitive swimming action, nether the less, it allows them to move from A to B in the water. Even though the baby can strike out on their own, they are not safe in the water, and must remain within arms reach of a supervising adult at all times.
Now that Evie is crawling we can also encourage greater exploration in the shallow water teaching ledge. By giving her an opportunity to explore we can teach her the difference between deep and shallow water. Under our strict supervision she can learn her capabilities and boundaries as she explores the way she interacts with the water.
It’s important to remember that the depth of the water will determine whether or not baby will be able to crawl. If the water is too deep it is likely that the baby will find it hard to get their head out of the water and likely swallow water. If this is the case parents should not encourage the exercise because it is extremely dangerous for babies to ingest large amounts of water.