When you have school age children, September is the new New Year. But how can you make the most of time with your baby when big brothers and sisters go back to school? Water Babies suggest that swimming is a top choice for baby bonding.
Fresh autumn weather, fresh starts and new routines – for many families September is all about school and pre-school. However, a new school year is a big change for the baby of the family too. Suddenly their playmate is gone and the dynamic at home shifts.
But as much as you both miss the older children, this is a wonderful opportunity to bond with your youngest. When you’re also juggling other commitments, it’s worth making the most of that one-to-one time.
“We see a real surge of new starters for your autumn chapter,” says Bryony Johnstone, who runs baby swim school Water Babies in Bath, Bristol and North Somerset. “Lots of parents are looking for something special to do with their babies while older siblings are at school and pre-school, and swimming classes are just magical for bonding.”
So why is swimming such a bonding activity? For a start, you get all that delicious skin-to-skin and eye contact. Cocooned in warm water, you spend half an hour cuddling, singing, talking and gently splashing together in a relaxed, positive environment.
Secondly, just as exercise releases feel good hormones in you, it does so in your baby. Babies can move in water much more freely than anywhere else, and that means that they are getting a wonderful workout, exercising their hearts and lungs and building strength and coordination.
And because you’re constantly talking to your baby and learning how to read their cues, you have this amazing two-way conversation that continues throughout the class.
That bonding extends beyond you and your baby too – swimming is a healthy, fun activity that the whole family can enjoy together. Plus, while babies with older siblings are often very robust and tolerant, it’s also important that they’re happy with being splashed in the pool or bath.
Unlike any other baby class, swimming is the only one that teaches a potentially life-saving skill. But when you have an increasingly busy life, fitting in work, friends, family and the needs of more than one child, that half an hour a week of special bonding time, cocooned in warm water is also invaluable.
It’s no coincidence that Water Babies classes are so bonding. Over the last 16 years, the course has been carefully developed, interwoven with the latest research into child development and carer-baby relationships so that it maximises bonding between you and your baby, even helping you if you’ve had a tricky time.
“We’ve been sharing the Water Babies magic for more than 15 years, and that has meant teaching two, three, four, even five children from the same family,” says Bryony. “Constantly researching and making developments in our course, returning families might notice differences in what we teach. But the magic remains, and the fact that so many families come to us with the next baby, and the next is testament to that.”
Whether you’re having your first baby or you have lots of children, discover the magic for yourself. Water Babies teach in warm, private pools across Bath and the surrounding area. Call 0117 946 6919 or email email hidden; JavaScript is required