Hi mbak Eprilia,
he..he.. sama dong sama suami saya, dulu dia yang paling ngebet mengajak Jovan untuk
berenang :)
Sebetulnya sih memang baik sekali mengenalkan bayi dengan aktivitas renang sejak dini,
terutama dari segi Healthy dan Fun-nya. Stimulasi air ini juga bagus untuk motorik
bayi dan hopefully nantinya tidak menjadikan dia orang yang 'takut air'. Kayaknya
nggak terlalu ada batasan umur baby pertama kali diajak berenang (bukannya dia juga
sering 'asyik berenang' waktu masih di dalam kandungan ibunya :))
Dulu sebelum saya ajak Jovan berenang, saya pastikan dulu dia sudah 'terbiasa' dengan
air dingin dan terbiasa di kolam renang plastiknya di rumah. Baby bisa 'stress' juga
nanti kalau tiba-tiba sudah dibawa di kolam renang umum yang airnya dingin dan banyak
orang he..he..
Sebelum ke kolam renang, make sure juga anak sedang dalam kondisi fit (tidak sedang
batuk/flu ringan), juga cuaca di luar rumah (kalau swimming poolnya out-door) sedang
bagus. Kalau cuaca lagi terik, bisa juga baby diberi sun-block untuk proteksi (bisa
dicoba dulu di pangkal lengan atasnya untuk uji alergi -- saya dulu memakainya sejak
Jovan usia 6 bulan).
Untuk pertama kali, Raissa diajak renang sebentar aja, hanya untuk orientasi. Kalau
memang pakai kolam renang umum dan memungkinkan, bisa juga ditanyakan waktunya kapan
saja air kolam renang baru dikuras. Datang lebih awal juga bagus karena cuaca belum
terik dan belum banyak orang di kolam.
Menurut pengalaman sih, berenang bertiga (saya, Jovan dan papanya) paling menyenangkan
buat Jovan he..he.. sampai lupa dia sama ban renangnya, maunya main bergantian dan
'ciprat-cipratan' dengan ortunya. Coba deh, mbak... really fun and exciting lho :D).
Setelah itu, jangan lupa langsung beri susu hangat/ASI dan balur dengan minyak telon
setelah badannya dibilas bersih.
Oya, ini ada artikel dari www.babycentre.com tentang 'Swimming with your baby',
mungkin bisa jadi tambahan info.
have a nice 'kecipak-kecipak' buat Raissa ya,
Sylvia - Jovan's mum
SWIMMING WITH YOUR BABY
Julia Youll / www.babycentre.com
Getting your baby used to water early is important from a safety point of view and
its great fun, too. Your child wont be co-ordinated enough to learn to swim
properly until he is two or three, but you can get him to feel confident and relaxed
in the water, and make swimming a fun way to exercise for both of you, says midwife
and health visitor Julia Youll.
WHEN CAN I START SWIMMING WITH MY BABY?
Parents used to be advised to wait until their baby had had their immunisations at
two, three and four months before they took their babies swimming. But government
health experts no longer believe this is necessary, so its really up to you when you
start taking your baby to the pool. There are no medical grounds for waiting until
your baby is immunised. However, most pools start classes at around 12 weeks, says
Libby Tucker, a swimming teacher who specialises in parent and child courses.
Remember, too, that a noisy public swimming pool could be daunting for your newborn,
so it may be waiting until hes a bit older. You will probably have to wait until
youve had your six-week check before you can go yourself, anyway.
WHAT DOES HE NEED TO WEAR?
Swim nappies are a good investment, but arent compulsory in most swimming pools.
Most pools do insist that babies wear a swimming costume of some kind, though. Dont
worry if your baby has an accident, as staff will know exactly what to do, says Libby
Tucker. Water wings arent suitable for babies under one, but there are other
swimming aids available for this age group.
WHAT YOULL NEED TO TAKE
Before your first trip to the swimming pool, phone ahead to find out if theres a
playpen, pushchair access and changing tables in the changing room. Youll also need
to take:
- A warm bottle for after the swim if you are bottlefeeding.
- A towel, preferebly one with a hood or a towelling dressing gown
- A snack swimming makes babies hungry
- Books or toys for older babies
- A few of your babys bath toys to play with
- Dont forget your nappy bag.
INTRODUCING YOUR BABY TO WATER
Heres how you can help your baby learn to enjoy splashing about in water:
- Make bath time fun. Gently spalsh water over his body or lay him on his
back and move him gently through the water.
- When you first start going to a public pool, make sure you go off-peak.
Ask a friend to come with you or join a mum and baby session. If you feel relaxed and
confident, your baby will, too.
- When you first get in the pool, make sure that your babys face is close to
yours and that you have eye contact, holding him close to you. As you both relax and
feel more confident you can extend your
