If you are a swimmer yourself, you would like to take your baby swimming with you soon. And, nothing wrong with it. The sooner you can get your child in the water the better! It's really up to you when you start taking your baby to the pool.

By introducing child early to water, you are encouraging the desire to swim at a younger age. This will make your child more confident and reduces the likelihood that your child will fear water once he/she is older.

Many parents are of the view that pool water can harm their babies delicate skin as they are prone to eczema and the skin-drying agent such as chlorine would be detrimental to the condition. What they don't know is that the pool's chlorine kills off any bacteria or viruses and actually improves or completely relieves the condition.

How to introduce your baby to the pool?

You must wait to take your baby to the pool until he/she is a few weeks old. Remember you must introduce your baby to water play in an inflatable pool or bathtub with some bath toys at home rather than directly take him to a huge swimming pool with lots of people as it may be overwhelming for him/her.

When you place your baby in the water, do it slowly and carefully and let the baby get used to the water. Just make sure that your baby's face is close to yours and that you have eye contact, to give him/her confidence. Be relaxed and reassure him/her that water is fun and not harmful.

After a few minutes take your baby out of the pool and wrap him/her up warmly. Ask whether your local pool does swimming classes for mothers and babies or has special mother and baby sessions. And once your baby turns 12 weeks, get her/him enrolled in a swimming class.

Few Safety Tips:

# Make your baby wear swim nappies.

# Do check with your baby's doctor if he/she has a skin complaint to make sure that the chlorine won't irritate his/her skin.

# If you think your baby is not well, avoid going to pool.

# Make sure the water is warm enough for the baby to feel comfortable.