Blow on Your Child’s Face to Make Swimming or Bathing Easier
Here’s a simple trick to help your child get used to swimming underwater in a pool: Blow in his face before you dip him. They instinctivelygulp in air and hold their breath , which gives you the perfect opportunity to imagine for a moment that the baby is the next Michael Phelps.
This is a common technique used by swimming instructors – a gust of air activates themammaliandiving reflex , which occurs in infants up to six months of age. (It is still present in older infants , but is gradually waning.) The response is the body’s defense mechanism, the one that protects them from getting milk into the lungs .
How to do it: While in the pool, hold your baby under the arms, facing you. Count to three and blow quickly on the child’s face. Watch the baby make this funny reflexive face and then gently lower the baby’s head fully under the water for one second. Lift the child back up and then smile and reassure. Your baby is likely to come out as if that weren’t a big deal.
Here’s a video from swimming instructor Beatrice Skins:
You can also do this in the bath before pouring water on your face. Skins writes that if you train for many days, you no longer need to blow – the child will know that he is holding his breath for a count of three. If water gets into your baby’s mouth, don’t worry. It happens to everyone at some point.
It is important to note here if it must be said that just because a child can hold their breath underwater does not mean that they can swim. This trick is simply designed to help your child feel more comfortable in the pool or bathtub when you are around.