Infant Toddler Safety Week; 3 – 36 months

WELCOME everyone!  Enter the Pool and Gather in a Circle. Greet each adult/child pair and take time to allow babies and caregivers to adjust to the water.  Introduce yourself, talk about what an amazing journey this will be with the caregiver and the baby. Demonstrate the Little Harbor Hold. Caregivers lengthen their arms to support their student under the armpits. Allow babies to explore the feelings of buoyancy and balance with support and you encourage caregivers to support as low in the water as possible so babies can learn to stabilize themselves (parents may need to bend their knees slightly to achieve this). 

Welcome Song in Little Harbor. Gather parents into a circle and Talk To The Group. Ask the group if they have any questions about having their babies in the water and what they are most excited to gain from the class! Sway back and forth in little harbor while parents and infants get adjusted and relaxed. Next, sing the song and encourage the Parents  to sing and splash along.  

Noodle Fountain. Instruct parents to hold their baby under the armpits and position themselves on one side of their body.  While they move in a circular pattern hold the noodle up against the jet to create a fountain for them to pass under. Coach parents with walking slowly under the fountain and looking  for the natural reaction of their baby as the water pours over their face. After a few cycles you should notice that the student is prepared and simply closes their eyes and mouth when under the water. Be sure to move the fountain around and wash the water from the back of the head to the front as it is less intimidating. 

FOR MORE ADVANCED STUDENTS; Encourage parents to submerge their student while moving under the fountain. If  students are able to monkey walk (independently or with assistance, they can do so to the fountain).

Big Mat Falling Backward.  Place the children on a large mat in a seated position facing away from their parent.  Practice a few rounds of falling in and maintaining a back float.  Hold the back float for a period of time to allow the babies to acclimate to the float. Next, parents assist with turning back to the mat.  Practicing non traditional ways of “falling” into the pool allows time to develop breath control and experience the feeling of an accidental fall.

For More Advanced Students; Allow students to independently climb back up onto the mat and sit and wait for the next turn.  Encourage parents to position themselves off to the side and let the child fall ad submerge fully if initiating and the assist with maintaining a back float. 

Tips for Submerging

• Submerge the baby completely so that their entire body is underwater
• Keep the movement slow and at an even pace.  Encourage the parent not to press them under or pull them up quickly
• Smiles, praise and eye contact from parent to baby then they resurface

Back float Big Mirror. Encourage parents to support their children on their backs and tip toe around the pool in a circle. Hold up the big mirror while parent circle.

Tips for Back Floats

• Hold with relaxed fingers, hands, and shoulders.
• Make good eye contact with the baby by leaning over and looking down.
• Aim to keep the ears in the water and gently sway back and forth.
• Let the water do the work and use as little support as possible

Drop Ins. During the initial introduction of learning breath control, submersions of young children, over 6 months, must be brief (approximately three seconds) and few in number (no more than six per lesson). Once the child can consistently initiate the submersions AND can demonstrate competent breath control, submersions can become longer and more frequent. Either guide parents to take a seat on the edge of the pool or take a seat.  Instruct parents to gently lower their child in and under the water lower under.  Submerging is not necessary each time, but try at least once. Practice a few times.

For More Advanced Students; Once fully submerged, encourage parents to release the child and allow them to float back to the surface.  The release allows movement in a vertical position which reinforces the water’s lifting force.

Back Float under the Bridge. Encourage parents to support their children on their backs and tip toe around the pool in a circle.  Use a large cup to sprinkle water through the holes in the mat and onto the baby’s toes as they pass through. Be mindful of not pouring water onto the parent. 

Fishes in the Ocean. Parents support babies in a seated position on the edge of the pool and facing away from the parent. Explain to parents that if that now is the chance to submerge gently under their water after the three count and resurface and maintain a position on the back (just like the big mat skill that was practiced earlier). Note; When babies are first learning to submerge it is appropriate to take them under the water for up to 3 seconds and the maximum number of submersions per class is 6.

Wheels on the Bus. Gather students and parents into a circle and float some toys in the center of the circle. Wrap up the class with any announcements, then encourage parents to follow along with the movements of the yellow bus as you move around the pool one last time.