Swimming - dunking LO / letting LO go...?

[blondebabe]

Hi girls !

We have a bath every night and during that time we get him used to having water on his face (as i find it very important to not be afraid of this as i hate it and i dont want the same for him) we also fully dunk him under the water

My LO is now 17 weeks and we regularly take him swimming and dunk him here too but my question is .. what would happen if i dunked him and then just let him go?

Some say your meant to do that..but i'm worried a may drown him (another one of my pure O ocd thoughts)

has any1 just let their LO go? what happens?

xxx

 

[nicole_]

in our lessons we have to dunk a few times holding, then let go for a few seconds and then grab them up. nothing happens, you dont leave them long enough to drop to the bottom so its fine.
i hated doing it as LO started thrashing as i let go and tried to find me and grabbed the key bracelet thing on my wrist and was so upset after which he never normally is when i dunk him.

 

[blondebabe]

ooh right okies thanks for this! i will try it next sunday

some say "oh for gods sake let them go dont be scared LO will swim up to the top" .... and then what ???? just bob around at the top of the surface with his head above water??? behave!!! lol

xxx

 

[Divinebeauty]

I did this with Ava too, and she was soooo scared, so I don't let her go anymore, I just dunk her and she loves it!

 

[sweetthang24]

ok probably a really silly question but how do you dunk them?

do you literally just pull them into the water?

 

[blondebabe]

ok probably a really silly question but how do you dunk them?

do you literally just pull them into the water?

Hold LO under the arms around their waist...then go head first under water and then come up again in a U shape head first so they know that up is air

x

 

[sam1984]

we always dunked my los and now they are the most confident ones in swimming class.
really good we did cos when my then 3 year old jumped straight into the swimming pool she still had the reflex to close her windpipe and was not bothered by it at all.
if you are swimming with partner stand a foot apart and push baby through the water to them and gradually get further apart.
dont think baby will come up and bob as the last thing they get the hang of when swimming is bouyancy but they will start to 'swim'

 

[Divinebeauty]

We started really slowly, first we did 1, 2, 3 breathe- poured water on A's head, then she was ok with that, so we did the same 1, 2, 3 and put her under water(feet first) just enough to get her face wet.

Another thing I do with A is I will stay in the pool and sit her up on the edge, with me holding her and bounce her into the pool.. she likes either way.

Main thing for "dunking" a baby is to teach them breathing control first and let them expect it... so they don't get scared.!

 

[3011busyyear]

I would encourage proper swimming lessons as they help you understand the stages your baby is at and what kind of dunks you should and shouldn't do.
It also teaches key lifesaving skills like turning in the water and reaching for the side.
We learn a lot of cues thattell her what is about to haopen and sing songs she can associate with swimming. There are loads of swimming groups over the country and a lot of leisure centres have cheaper lessons if cost is an issue.

 

[ke29]

Just dont blow in LOs face to get them to hold there breath as some lessons teach you. Totally pointless, it scares LO and in the event of a baby falling into a pool there isnt going to be someone infront of them blowing in their face to get them to hold their breath.

We have lessons with Water babies which we absolutely love and would strongly recommend. We are doing them continually but if you cant afford to do that then at least 1 10 week course will give you the basics in a safe environment to carry on yourself.

 

[blondebabe]

Just dont blow in LOs face to get them to hold there breath as some lessons teach you. Totally pointless, it scares LO and in the event of a baby falling into a pool there isnt going to be someone infront of them blowing in their face to get them to hold their breath.

We have lessons with Water babies which we absolutely love and would strongly recommend. We are doing them continually but if you cant afford to do that then at least 1 10 week course will give you the basics in a safe environment to carry on yourself.

I totally agree with u! i have a friend who is a baby swimming instructor and she said that blowing in their face is stupid lol
xx

 

[Divinebeauty]

wtf? Blow in their face? I dont get it? why would you blow in a babies face to swim?

 

[blondebabe]

wtf? Blow in their face? I dont get it? why would you blow in a babies face to swim?

Well if u blow in LO's face it takes their breath away...basically making them hold their breath...its kinda silly tho lol
x

 

[stardust599]

I haven't dunked LO yet. I find it quite scary and not really something that comes naturally to do :-S Maybe it's my OCD too haha.

She's very confident in the pool though and doesn't mind water being poured over her head. She dunks herself in the bath accidentally sometimes and she chokes and splutters and doesn't hold her breath so I don't think I could dunk her in the pool without hurting and scaring her

xx

 

[Jem88]

I'm the same as stardust, i'm actually scared to dunk her on purpose. We took her swimming for the first time lastweek and she loved it. She kicks around and splashs alot in the bath and often coughs, chokes and splutters if she splashes the water into her face.