Babies love to explore and play in shallow water where they can sit, stand and walk. The adult remains within arms’ reach to assist baby if they topple underwater. Shallow water teaching benches are ideal to create a space for exploration as baby learns to swim. Play and exploration builds baby’s independence and confidence in the water. Learning to independently recover to a standing position is a vital step in the learn to swim process. However, the adult must remain within arms’ reach because it can be difficult for the baby to right themselves back into standing position. Babies enjoy self-submersions and gain confidence by learning to recover to a standing positioning independently. This is well demonstrated in the youtube video below of Lulu:
But remember shallow water is still dangerous for babies and they require active supervision. This type of water play helps to teach baby a respect for the water as they learn the difference between deep and shallow water. Beach entry or environments that slop down are also great for play and exploration. But be aware that these often have steep drop offs that put young children in dangerous situations. Baby Swimming Lessons should be fun and enjoyable for all.
