Summer is here! And it's time for families all over the country to hit the swimming pool or the beach.

A lot of experts advise against putting baby in a pool until the baby's 6 months old, when his/her body's ability to regulate temperature is better developed, but others say that it's okay to bring your baby into a heated pool (29 to 30 degrees Celsius) even earlier than that, at around 3 months.

Of course, a baby or young child should never ever be left unattended in or near the water. Other guidelines published by Baby Center are to let baby gradually build up confidence in the pool: start by letting him dip into the pool for just 10 minutes than gradually lengthen the amount of time. Babies under one shouldn't be in the pool for more than 30 minutes, they say, and should be pulled out and wrapped snugly the second they start to shiver.

I've heard so far of two swimming schools in Metro Manila that offer swimming/pre-swimming lessons for babies:


1. Aqualogic offers lessons for babies from 6 months old, the goal of which is to help babies "learn to love the water."

2. The Bert Lozada Swim School holds pre-swimming and swimming classes for babies from 6 months old.

Personally, I won't be enrolling my son in a swimming class just yet but I am thinking of letting his dad take him for a quick 5-minute dip in the water at some point this summer. Our son loves taking a bath, so maybe he'll love playing in the water just as much!

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