Up until now we have done all of our swimming lessons in the bath tub. But now that Evie is 4 weeks of age I decide that I’m brave enough to venture into the shower to give her a swimming lesson.
Before taking Evie into the shower I make sure that the water is warm, not hot. As an extra precaution, I warn other household members not to touch the taps while we are showering together. This is an important step because touching other taps can affect the water temperature by either making it too hot or too cold.
Once I’m in the shower with Evie I acclimatise her to the water by letting the shower jets run over her back and tummy. While doing this I make sure to keep her mouth out of the water. She loves the new experience of the gentle water massage.
While in the shower I also make sure I have a secure hold on Evie. Luckily during my trial run I didn’t use any soap! I’ve since learnt that once the baby is soapy they become very slippery and hard to handle. To avoid accidental slips, I recommend that parents wear a T-shirt while they shower with their baby. A shower, with soapy skin to skin contact can be very dangerous.
I also continue the conditioning process with Evie in the shower. The methodology remains the same but I now I replace the cup with the shower spray.
To condition Evie I, 1. Make sure I am holding her securely 2. Use the trigger words “Evie ready go” 3. Gently guide her under the show spray 4. Count 1 and 2, then bring her out from under the shower 5. Celebrate the success
At this stage don’t condition your baby if you aren’t confident with your ability to hold them securely in the shower. At this stage the most important thing is to become relaxed interacting with your baby in the watery environment.
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