Most babies meet water in the bathtub long before they meet a pool. Those first baths are a good time to help your baby feel calm and secure in water. They aren’t swim lessons, and they don’t need to be.
Here’s what we suggest parents of babies around 2 to 6 months focus on at home, and what’s better left for later with an instructor in your pool.
What helps at home
Keep a hand on your baby the whole time. Pediatricians call this touch supervision. Set out the towel, washcloth and soap before the bath starts. If the doorbell or phone rings, wrap your baby in the towel and bring them with you.
Never leave your baby alone in the bath, even for a moment. Most child drownings inside the home happen in bathtubs, and more than half of bathtub deaths involve babies under 1. An older brother or sister doesn’t count as supervision.
Keep the water shallow and warm, not hot. About 2 inches of water is plenty. Test it with the inside of your wrist or elbow; it should feel warm, not hot. Turn the faucet off before your baby goes in, and keep your water heater at 120°F or below.
Keep your baby’s face above the water. Support the head and neck with one hand and pour warm water over your baby’s body with the other. Your baby stays reclined against your hand or arm, face well above the waterline.
Let water on the face feel normal. A damp washcloth over the cheeks and forehead, or a cupped hand guiding rinse water to the sides of the head, helps your baby get used to the feeling of water. Go slowly, and stop if your baby is unhappy.
Sing the same song and use the same steps every time. Babies relax when they know what’s coming. Pick one song for getting in, one for washing, and one for getting out. Say what you’re doing: “Here comes the water on your tummy.”
Let them enjoy it. If your baby is happy, give them a few extra minutes to kick and feel the water. Calm, happy baths now make the pool feel more familiar later.
What to leave for later
Bath time is for comfort and bonding. We don’t recommend trying to teach swim skills in the tub. That includes putting your baby’s face under water, practicing breath-holding, or letting go so your baby floats on their own. Those skills depend on a baby’s age and readiness, and they belong in a pool with a trained instructor, one step at a time.
When it’s time for the pool, our instructors come to your home or community pool and work one-on-one with your baby. For infant lessons, a parent starts in the water with their baby. As your baby grows more comfortable, we gradually transition to private lessons with just the instructor. We go at your swimmer’s pace and adjust to how your baby responds that day.
Lessons are one layer of protection
No lesson, drill or skill makes a child safe around water on its own. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends several layers of protection working together:
- Close, constant supervision whenever your child is in or near water, including the bath
- A fence on all four sides of the pool, at least 4 feet high, with a self-closing, self-latching gate
- Bathroom doors closed and the tub drained when not in use
- Swim lessons when your child is ready
- Adults who know CPR
Talk with your pediatrician about when your baby is ready for the pool.
When your baby is ready for the pool
We teach swimmers from 3 months through adults, across Palm Beach County, including Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach, Tequesta, Jupiter Farms, Westlake, Juno Beach, Riviera Beach, West Palm Beach, and surrounding areas. Our instructors are led by founder Cortney Berry, with 20 years of swim teaching experience, and cofounder Anson, with 18 years of swim teaching experience.
A first lesson is $75, and it counts toward a package if you continue. Packages are 8 lessons for $520, 12 for $720 or 20 for $1,100, plus a $35 annual registration.
Call or text 561-236-8260 with your baby’s age, your town and whether you have a home or community pool. Or register here.