Thursday, January 31, 2008

Babysim Meetings 2 and 3

I like the philosophy of the Linneas Babyswim class. Basically, they teach water safety, want the baby to have as much freedom of movement as possible, and want the baby to experience the natural consequences of their actions. So last week we were taught and practiced several ways to hold the baby so that they were able to freely move their legs. Ben didn't like being on his back which is typical for a baby his age--because they are more interested in sitting than lying down. He really liked looking at the other children and parents and thought that the floating balls were the best!

Today we reviewed the holds and tried to start pairing the baby's movements with consequences. For example, when Ben kicked I moved forward and when he stopped kicking I stopped moving. One way they entice the baby to move is to put a floating toy in front of the baby. Well, once Ben got a hold of the pink starfish he would not let go. So that's what we did for the rest of the class because if I tried to take it--he cried. He certainly takes after me (yes, I can be a little obsessive at times) and Josh (who can become intensely focused).

Josh and Aunty Suzie will join us next week for swim class so hopefully they will get some good pictures.

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