Often infants are taught to fear water soon after they come home from the maternity ward.  Mothers with their first babies are usually very nervous in handling the child and afraid the baby will slip in the bath.  Mother’s anxiety will be reflected, and possibly amplified, in the child’s attitude toward water.  Quite often, mothers want babies to learn to like the water.  If mother likes the water, the baby will follow suit.
The early months of a child’s life are one of the most vital periods of its physical and mental development.  The exercise an infant is able to do in the fluid environment is far more comprehensive and unrestricted than what is possible on land.  Water opens up an entirely new motoring ability, which the infant is able to exploit fully.  The result is a much sounder and earlier development of the back, neck and leg muscles and water babies also seem to be more mentally alert and active than their non-swimming contemporaries.
So, all evidence seems to indicate that it is a wise and healthy choice to teach your baby to swim and since most of us don’t have any training or experience ourselves, it would be most prudent to turn to a professional.  
For more information, please call Jed Heller’s Swim School at 661-297-0275.