Newborn & swimming

[OohBabyBabeh]

When can I take my 14 day old son swimming?
Do I need to do a baby swimming class or can we just take him to a local pool ourselves?
Any tips for the day?
We have started baths with his dad and we lay him back so he's almost floating alone (with dads hands underneath) to get him used to being in the water - he seems to love it!!

Thanks for any tips or suggestions

Some companies offer it from birth and others say they have to be a certain weight. If they are newborn chances are they can’t use the local pool and will need a class that is specifically for newborns and is offered in a private pool which is heated to a higher degree.

Check what temp your local baby pool is and then call the local company and check what temp they say their pool is.

I am taking my baby to swimming lessons when they are about 6months. For now, a bath is essentially like a pool for them. I’m the swimming lessons they just teach you how to be confident with your baby in the water, ie. letting them go under water.

I just took DD to the local swimming pool once she'd had her jabs done. Never attended a class with her.

Wait for first set of jabs and that he can hold his head up. If you enquire now you will go on a waiting list for baby swimming groups. Tbh it is lot of faff for a very brief dip in a tepid and not always clean environment.

You can go as soon as his tummy button has heeled. Swimming with a newborn is such FAFF though. It gave my DD eczema so we stopped until she was older and she loved it then.

Look up Water Babies classes, did it with both of mine and it was great! You can just take them to the local pool if you want but I’d make sure it’s a warm one. Water Babies classes are always in warm pools. Not sure I’d bother before about 6 weeks though when they become a bit more alert.

Just take him yourself. We took our daughter at 7 weeks for the first time.

Then we did waterbabies from 6-9 months which she loved

You don't have to wait until they've had jabs any more (that used to be advice from NHS but not any more). My local pool started from 3 months of age but if you do expensive classes like water babies they take them from birth.