Swimming and buoyancy aids

Swimsuits and swim shorts with nappies built-in help to contain the inevitable accidents; they come in various sizes usually starting from six months. They are designed to be machine washed and re-used.

Buoyancy aids From around six months old, your baby will enjoy the experience of being in warm water, and gently splashing around. Although there is a range of swimming aids available to help keep your baby buoyant in the water, it is of course essential that you keep in constant contact with your baby at all times.

• Swim seats - these are little floating seats, like a small supportive armchair to sit on while in the water. They are a good introductory aid to the water, particularly for a baby who shows reticence in going into water, but need to be used with extreme caution, as misuse has led to fatal accidents. They should never be used in the bath, and when used in the sea or pool, only with an adult in constant contact. As they raise the baby out of the water, there is also the possibility of arms and torso getting chilly quite quickly.
• Arm bands - inflatable, plastic arm bands give support, but ensure your baby is well immersed in the water which helps him get used to having water near his face. Arm bands come in various sizes, and some have double chambers with separate valves. Two chambers are probably better than one, as once your toddler is learning to swim, you are able to gradually decrease the amount of air while still keeping some buoyancy in the arm band.
• Arm disks - like an arm band, except that they have polystyrene disks inside, which can be removed one by one, as swimming techniques improve and water confidence increases.
• Buoyancy suits – these are like a swimming costume, with panels of polystyrene that can be removed one by one as swimming ability develops. A buoyancy suit puts your child in a more horizontal position which is closer to the correct swimming position. (Arm bands will tend to keep your child fairly vertical.)