Baby Phelps

As with many new dads, I want to start teaching my son how to play various sports as soon as possible.  My wife loves the beach and sitting around swimming pools so it is understandable that she wants to teach Baby Carter how to swim as an infant.  Although I am anxious to start the sports development process, I am very hesitant about putting my son into a disgusting public swimming pool.  I also do not think 6-months is old enough for an infant to learn such a critical life skill.  To give my wife the benefit of the doubt, I decided to do a little research regarding infants learning how to swim and found some very helpful articles.

Circleofmoms.com had a few informative articles, which included the following factoids:

“You should not bring your baby to a public pool until they have had all of their immunizations.”

“Infants can begin the swim process as young as 4-6 months.  At this age, babies are less fearful of water and floating in the water may still feel instinctual to them.”

“Generally, children under 4 years of age are not developmentally ready for swimming lessons (strokes, holding breath, etc.), thus aquatic programs for children less than 4 years have not proven to decrease the risk of drowning.”

Worldwideswimschool.com also included the following helpful bullets:

“The water is a perfect medium to stimulate babies.  It can become a place of fun, enjoyment, and learning.”

“Before you take you baby into the aquatic environment, they should have good neck control and the parent(s) should be confortable handling their child.”

“Crawling is a very similar action that babies can use to propel themselves through water.”

“Children who participate in early swimming programs are more intelligent, socially adventurous, better coordinated, and had greater self esteem.”

I do feel somewhat better about starting Baby Carter in an infant swim program, but I am not sure if he is ready to take on such a courageous task.  I think some of my fears and concerns derive from my personal fears of drowning when I was younger.  I do not want Baby Carter to develop the same fears as his dad, but I also do not want to put my best little bud in such a compromising situation.  My wife seems to be completely comfortable with the situation so maybe I am overreacting?  I welcome any suggestions or insights.  In the meantime, lets look at a couple funny baby-swimming pictures!

Raspberries and Bubbles: The New Foreign Language

Blowing bubbles and raspberries seems to be Baby Carter’s new form of entertainment.  He starts by looking directly at you with large hazel eyes (takes after his daddy) and a playful grin from ear to ear with a slight giggle followed by a slew of jumbled vowel sounds (baby talk).  Just for fun, I respond with a smile and a slew of vowel sounds of my own in an effort to answer in his new language.  My voice is very deep so Baby Carter stops his fanatic arm flares and leg kicks, and he stares at me with a slight look of confusion.  I then pause and stare back at him waiting for a response.  We are now in the middle of a staring contest to see who will break first.  Suddenly, the silence is broken by a loud and wet raspberry sound similar to that of a “fart” noise commonly created by immature dads in a crowded elevator.  The raspberries are quickly followed by multiple small oblong bubbles that soak his upper and bottom lips, which eventually runs down his chin and eventually comes to rest on his chest.  I try to keep my bearing but it is just so damn cute and funny I have no choice but to break down and laugh-which makes him laugh.  Through this fun interaction I failed to realize that we are in fact communicating.

According to fitpregnancy.com, raspberries and bubbles are an infants “first forms of communication.”  When a child experiments with his mouth, it is an early sign of speech development.  Another form of communication often found in infants is the tongue game where they stick out their tongue in an effort to gain your attention.  I was concerned that Baby Carter had picked up some early bad habits but in fact he is attempting to communicate with me.  I love the raspberry and bubbles game but I wish I had purchased more burp cloths because Baby Carter is setting a new world record as a human bubble machine!

"Watch Me Grow" Photos

It has been almost 4 months since my last post and for the few that enjoy my previous posts I apologize for the delay.  A lot has happened in the last 4 months to include many lessons learned as a tired new dad.  One of those lessons learned is the importance of documenting baby Carter’s growth and development in the form of monthly “Watch Me Grow” pictures.  My wife is a very creative and determined woman with a large amount of patience.  Every month on baby Carter’s anniversary, she would pose him with a stuffed Pooh Bear in my favorite leather “man-chair” and send it out to family and friends with a “Watch Me Grow” caption.  The key to “Watch Me Grow” pictures is to utilize the same props (i.e. stuffed animal or toy) and background if possible.  The most challenging part of taking pictures of an infant is keeping him focused long enough to get a good picture.  Once you start your “Watch Me Grow” collection, every month is full of anticipation to see how much growth has occurred.  When you see your baby every day, it is hard to see the growth and development.  However, when you compare each month’s photo with previous photos, it is incredible to see the results.  I highly recommend “Watch Me Grow” photos and the sooner you start the better!

Baby Carter 2 Weeks

Baby Carter 1 Month

Baby Carter 2 Months

Baby Carter 3 Months

Baby Carter 4 Months

Baby Carter 5 Months

Baby Carter 6 Months