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ABOUT US

 

Where Baby Swimming Originated From

The idea of babies being able to swim independently underwater was established in the 1960’s, when Igor Tjarkovsky, a Russian swimming instructor, saved his daughter’s life by raising her in a warm water tank after she was born more than two months prematurely.

Igor Tjarkovsky went on to train numerous other babies to swim underwater, maintaining that like many mammals we can all swim naturally. If babies are introduced to swimming at an early age, they will become happy and confident in the water. Today his research and ideas, combined with further techniques pioneered in America, Australia and Scandinavia, are well established and immensely popular. Across the world, babies as young as a few days old are enjoying the enormous social and physical benefits of learning to swim.


Our Aims

Babies Go swimming brings you a safe and rewarding program designed to be fun and educational. We teach babies to move freely in the water, promoting water confidence and safety skills.

Swimming with your baby is an enjoyable bonding experience. The classes are relaxing and intimate, therefore encouraging the development of your baby’s natural swimming skills in a calm and gentle way.

Babies have a real affinity with water. Those who have been exercised in water from an early age, are more comfortable and relaxed, creating a lifelong love of water.

All babies are born with a “natural mammalian dive reflex”. With simple progressive training this means they can happily hold their breath underwater.

Submersions allow babies the experience of swimming completely independently, similar to the first moments of life in the womb.

Babies naturally learn fast in water, and you will be amazed by the progress they make even in the first few weeks.

The earlier your baby starts our unique underwater method, then he or she could be swimming on top of the water by 2 or 3 years old.


The Philosophy

Our primary objective is to create sessions that are fun and enjoyable for both parent and baby.

The pillars of our successful program are created by using word association, songs and games, combined with patience, repetition, consistency and commitment.

Water safety is an important part of our program. Babies will learn to swim underwater by themselves to Mum or Dad. As babies progress they will dive from a seated position, turn around underwater, swim to the side and hold on, pulling their heads above the surface of the water. These are basic and essential lifesaving skills.

Learning to swim provides enormous social and physical benefits for a baby. We aim to help improve strength, co-ordination and motor skills, with swimming skills mastered as the baby‘s capabilities and readiness allows.

 


All our swimming instructors hold the following qualifications:

ASA Teachers Certificate in Swimming - FISTC, ASTA
RLSS National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches - NRASTC
British Red Cross Infant, Child and Adult First Aid/Resuscitation Certificate

We are members of the Institute of Swimming Teachers and Coaches (ISTC) and the Swimming
Teachers Association (STA).