At 6 weeks it’s time for Laurie the doting Grandfather to give Evie her bath time swimming lesson. It’s great for me to watch and learn from his interactions with Evie.
I notice that when he’s in the bath with her he lays her on his legs and lets the ears submerge. He’s still very careful to ensure that her mouth stays clear of the water. At this stage Evie wants to taste everything so it’s important to watch her carefully. I also notice that Evie has grown in strength this week. She keeps pushing off his tummy and off the bath.
Stimulation and movement still remain an important part of the bath time lesson. Simply using the cup to pour water over the body is perfect to excite baby Evie and is great for brain development and wiring her body for future movement.
Conditioning Evie to hold her breath for submersion is an important part of the bath time swimming lesson. Condition is done by sitting her upright and pouring the water over the face after the trigger words “ready go”. When conditioning it’s important to support the baby and keep the head upright while the water is poured over the face. This ensures the baby doesn’t ingest any water.
You’ll notice that in one instance Evie has a cough after conditioning. Laurie doesn’t panic but stays calm and relaxed. This is very important as the baby will read your body language. The next time he conditions he does a faster pour so that Evie doesn’t have to hold her breath as long.