The nuts and bolts of taking a baby swimming

[BlessedMommy]

Okay, Cheeseburger already posted a thread on swim diapers and I think that I'm okay on these, since I have Bumpkins AIO's which are supposed to be able to be used as swim diapers. The question is, how do you take the baby swimming? Do you put a little flotation device or life jacket on them and watch them like a hawk? Do you just hold them in the water? My baby has very good head control, but I don't want to drown her.

[EvaS]

Ruth, I bought one of those baby floatie seats, you could probably get one from Wal-mart. Abby loved being in it, even though most of the time she just chewed on the seat :? I also would take her out of the seat and hold her for 5 or 10 minutes just so she could splash around a bit more. I will try to find a link to those floatie seats.

[~Tara~]

I just hold mine. Once they're older..oh, I don't know..8-9 months?? And feeling comfortable in the water I might put them in a baby float, but mostly we just hold our kids. That way we can hold them close for comfort, get them used to the whole idea. And extend our arms to show them more of what it's about. We can also show the baby how to 'make bubbles' and dip down in the water with them. Getting their faces in the water. We are also ones who do a little of the 'baby swimming techniques' in that we allow and encourage a young baby to go underwater and come up on their own.
So, not having them in any sort of floatation device lends itself to this ;)

At any rate..I feel more comfortable starting with babe in arms. That way they have the security of mom/dad in this new adventure we call swimming :)

[EvaS]

ok, I couldn't find anything on the walmart website so I looked on the target website and they were like $60, Hello! that's highway robbery. So I looked on ebay and here is the link

http://cgi.ebay.com/Baby-Swim-Float-BNIB_W0QQitemZ160069292211QQihZ006QQcategoryZ11745 QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I was really scared to hold Abby in my arms bcuz I was afraid that I would do something stupid and she would drown. But that is just my brain working in overdrive. My mommy protection would kick in and I would drown myself b4 I ever let her drown. But I used the baby seat from when she could hold her head up and she loved it! She also loved when I took her out and held her. Sorry for the ramble :oops:

[mamallama]

Eva, that is the exact seat that we used with ds last summer and he was, oh, about 8-10 months old. It works great!

[Crissyanna]

Those baby floatie thingys are a seasonal item. They should be making their appearence in stores everywhere probably not too long after Valentines Day.

If you need one before then, have you tried a pool store? They carry stuff like that year round, though you would probably pay out the nose there.

Let me know how the AIOs work. I am so looking forward to getting a wading pool to splash around in this summer!

[MomFromCanada]

I usually hold my dd, she is now 21 months old. I also let her stand on a step and splash around in the toddler size pool. I have tried as well to use a life jacket with her but she did not like it and you have to watch that they don't tip forward. She didn't want to lay on her back with it on. As a former swim instructor and lifeguard I have got to see many different things on many different babies! I have rescued lots of children because their parents were not watching. That was always one of my biggest worries when I was on duty. Sometimes the pool has things you can borrow for your babies too, it's worth asking about?

[Crissyanna]

I just remembered, they make swim suits with a life jacket thingy sewn in. My youth minister growing up had those for his young ones. I think they work ok, but as always, do not divert your attention from your kids in the water (well, duh, in my book, not like you would either, just threw out my safety bit for the day I guess)

I don't know of Wal-Mart will get them in or stores like Meijer's. I know you can order them from Safety First (they have a paper catalog and are online) and could probably get them from a pool/swimming stuff store. I have no idea how much they cost.

And I nannied a boy during college whose parent's got him one with an innertube sewn in. That was a royal pain to use. It was hard to work him into the suit. I hated having to take him and his sister swimming.

[Rach]

I use my solarveil sling. That way I am holding him, he knows he's safe, and I can also help his brothers, and play with them! :)

For me the hardest part is getting everyone changed!

[~Tara~]

I don't know how small the 'safety suit' deals go ... but ... don't get the ones with the inner tube around the middle. The ones with the 'things' that slip into pockets .. vertical chambers ... those are ok, but not the 'inner tube around the middle' ones. Kids can too easily tip over in those and then they're stuck, upside down like a duck diving for a fish. So, I've read.
But I've read the others are safe :)

No personal experience, never used the things myself. (er, uh, on my kids LOL wouldn't that be a sight? *me* in a suit with an attached floaty LMHO)

[tiffany]

we just took ds #2 to the pool for the first time the other day. i just hold him, let him watch his brother swim (2 years old) and let him splash around a bit. with ds #1 we got him some floaty stuff but didn't end up using it much cause we could do more with him if we just held him. either way it's just fun to watch them splash around and experience the water. :)