Why so much emphasis on breath control and does it matter if babies drink too much water when they are learning to swim?

It's important to teach babies breath control during the early stages of learning to swim and water awareness classes to prevent them from drinking too much water, in the swimming pool and at bath time, to avoid a condition called HYPONATREMIA.

Babies under six months are susceptible to this condition because their kidneys can't process the extra water, and they have a naturally strong sucking reflex.

To prevent hyponatremia, it's best NOT to submerge babies under the age of four months.

From 0 to six months, we encourage parents to focus on water safety and basic swimming skills at home during bath time and in the family pool.

The best way to prepare for formal learn to swim lessons is to focus on water familiarization and breath control.

Water familiarization is about getting babies comfortable in the water and getting used to having water on their face.

Breath control helps babies learn to hold their breath on cue using a CONDITIONING CUE.

My favorite conditioning cue involves 'saying their name' to get their attention, ‘ready’ to get them to hold their breath, and on ‘go’ pouring a small cup of water or trickling a bit of water over their face with your fingertips.

Conditioning teaches babies to not breathe in or swallow water. Other conditioning cues include ‘ready’- ‘set’ – ‘go’ or ‘1’ - ‘2’ - ‘3’.

Avoid blowing air into your baby's face, as some teachers do, because this encourages babies to suck the air in and we want to avoid that.

Parents and swim instructors should not rush into submerging babies, if not properly prepared, it can cause distress, a dislike for water and a reluctance to attend lessons.

If during class or bath time you become worried about hyponatremia, look for signs like lethargy, irritability, and swelling. Seek medical attention immediately if you observe these signs.

Prevention is better than cure. So, if your baby is still choking, gagging or coughing on water, it's important to STOP submerging them and return to conditioning. Also check how you are holding them in the water to make sure their chin is above the waterline.

Water safety education is vital for parents, swim teachers and infants from a young age.

We have written a series of Water Awareness guides for Newborns, Babies and Toddlers to make learning water safety and teaching essential water skills easy.

Check them out on our website www.infantwaterawareness.com

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