Advice please - baby hating bath following 1st swimming lesson

[Gurraun]

DS 3.5 months had his first baby swimming session on Saturday. He didn't seem phased at the time (even when the teacher submerged him). Bath on saturday was fine, but ever since he's cried when bathed. Previously he enjoyed a bath and I'm worried that baby swimming which I'm doing so he grows up confident in water is actually doing the opposite :-(

Any thoughts/similar experiences\advice?

thanks

I have a similar story but my solution probably won't help with your ds being so young.

Anyway 13 month old ds started hating the bath after his first swimming lesson (council pool private baby lessons, not those waterbabies classes) which he loved! Turns out he enjoyed the deeper water so I had to make his bath deeper and keep an extra eye on him. ( not that I didn't before but hopefully you know what I mean. Lol) He really enjoys the bath now he's in deeper water.

Hope you find a solution because it is good to know your child is confident in water.

I've not had experience with that kind of reaction after swimming, but DS (now 5 months) loved baths at first. We did't give him one for ages for various reasons from around 3 months, and then when we did, he just shrieked. We tried again several times, with the same effect - baby bath, big bath, bath with me all had the same response.

We just kept trying every so often, making sure it wasn't when he was tired or hungry and all of a sudden he had a bath where he was really happy. He's been fine in the bath ever since.

I'd be inclined to try again every so often (probably not every day) at a time when he's cheerful, and try a range of different 'types' of bath to see if he likes one more than the others IYSWIM.

why is it necessary to submerge a 3mth old baby.????? suggest swimming lessons are a bit frightening for him.

Latootle, babies are born with a reflex to hold their breath when submerged and kick to the surface. At 6 months, of not reinforced, this reflex fades and the child has to re-learn how to avoid breathing in the water if their face goes under.

Baby swimming isn't about teaching babies to swim, really. It's about reinforcing the reflexes and teaching basic water safety. For example,my 8 1/2 month olds are learning to hold onto the side if they fall in the water. They have been swimming since 3 months old and are totally unphased bygoing under now - they squeal and laugh with delight when splashing in the pool.

A 2 year old who attends classes with the same teacher fell into a pond last weekend with her 4 year old cousin. The 2 year old held onto the side, bit the 4 year old had to be rescued and was quite poorly .

Sorry for the hijack, OP. Maybe the bath aversion is unrelated. Is you baby teething, and are you lying him down in the bath? My DS didn't like water around his ears when he was teething.

Thanks everyone. I bathed him at my parent's last night who have one of those funny shaped baths that are wide at the end. I made sure he wasn't too tired, and GF pulled funny faces all the way through. He didn't cry at all, so I think he key is probably just to make it fun and relaxed. We have swimming again today so will see how it goes...........