About Us
Belief, Empathy & Trust
Emma’s Babyswim is without doubt, a state of the art learn to swim program for Babies, Toddlers and Children up to 5 years of age, developed and established by Specialist Teachers well over a 30 year period.
The key to any relationship is Belief (believing in someone), Empathy (displaying great understanding) and Trust (someone trusting your actions). You have these three pillars in a relationship and the strong Bond is always evident.
A strong Bond allows for each other to connect and develop together, such as, Parent & Baby at Emma’s Babyswim. Our approach to teaching is not only about technique at first but about the relationship between Parent & Baby.
Once this is nurtured with the three key pillars of Belief, Empathy and Trust we have a Bond which provides for a wonderful platform whereby our specialist trained teachers will shine as they teach you the techniques of developing yours and your babies skills inside and under water.
Remember, “You Do With the Baby – You Don’t Do To the Baby”.
So as the Parent, if Belief and Empathy is provided and you build Trust, results will take-off with your babies swimming development at Emma’s Babyswim, as “You Do With the Baby”.
Emma & Babyswim
Emma first discovered Babyswim as a young Mum when she enrolled in classes with Cookie Harkin, an extraordinary teacher and infant aquatic expert. The classes were one of the highlights of Emma and her baby’s week, and led to a confidence in and love of the water that was shared by the whole family. As a result of Emma’s love and enjoyment of the program she undertook training with Cookie, whose passion, support and encouragement ultimately led to the foundation of Emma’s Babyswim in 2007.
Emma has travelled widely and visited many Swim Schools throughout the world as well as attending a number of conferences and seminars developing her knowledge and observing different approaches. Emma’s Babyswim offers a unique and highly specialised program that has grown out of a love of teaching babies, children and their parents respect, confidence and love of the water.
Benefits of Emma’s Babyswim
Enjoyment
Teaching your baby to swim can be a truly enjoyable and rewarding experience, with wonderful memories to last a lifetime. At the time of birth your baby has spent many months growing and developing in warm water. It seems only natural then for your baby to continue their close connection with water after they are born in a nurturing and supportive environment. Our program utilises the comfort and nurturing association of water as a way of reconnecting your baby to the water as soon as possible after birth. It also further enhances the unique bond between parents and their babies as they experience weightlessness together, with the pleasure of being at the same eye level. An enjoyable and relaxed re-introduction to water is a gift for life that you can give your child.
Education
Emma’s Babyswim is designed to be gentle and fun for all participants. Our program works sensitively with the different age and developmental stages of your baby with the use of appropriate enjoyable activities. We encourage parents to swim together with their baby as part of the process of education. Our belief is that parents are the best teachers, as the natural bond they have with their child is enhanced through close skin contact, warm water and the comfortable sensation of being relatively weigtless. Babies develop differently in water, and have the potential to swim before they can walk. The researched benefits of baby swimming can be seen throughout our classes. Our program provides a wonderful foundation for all future water enjoyment and activity, and families are honestly filled with wonder at what their children achieve through the addition of swimming into their lives.
Water Safety
As Australians we live in a country surrounded by ocean with many families either living or holidaying by the sea, or near rivers. Safe water practices are therefore an essential part of life. We combine water safety techniques with love and enjoyment of water. We provide a safe aquatic environment for babies and parents to build and develop an enjoyment and love of water in. Within this environment we actively provide education on a number of survival and water skills as follows:
We conscientiously teach safe practices in and around water as an inbuilt part of our program.
We promote active supervision of babies, toddlers and children in and around water.
Benefits of our program include awareness in parents of water safety practices through our philosophy of doing it with your child, as opposed to doing it to your child.
