5
breast stroke. In this exercise, you should
move forwards in the water in order to show
the child the relationship between pushing
and moving forwards. This movement must
be repeated very frequently so that the child
can do it automatically if it wants move for-
wards.
This is the most difficult stage in learning the
breast stroke and can take several weeks.
Do not become impatient under any circum-
stances. The most important is always fun
and delight in the water.
The SWIMY BABY is only intended to help
learn the leg movement. It is only once this
has become completely automatic and the
child is big enough that the arm movement
can be learnt with the help of the SWIMY
KID.
It is now time to switch to the SWIMY KID.
IMPORTANT WARNINGS
• The SWIMY BABY is not a life jacket, nor
is it a buoyancy aid; it is merely an
aid to
learning to swim
that should only be
used under knowledgeable and constant
supervision.
•
NO PROTECTION AGAINST DROW-
NING
• CAUTION: Nappies/diapers have their
own buoyancy and can have a negative
effect on buoyancy behaviour.
For cleaning, drying, storage, see page 17
• Lay the SWIMY BABY on dry ground and
open all the fastenings.
• Now lay the child on its stomach on the sto-
mach part, gently pull apart the open end of
the ring and fit it over the child's buttocks.
The distance between the front edge of the
broad back tab and the arm pit should be
between 5 and 12 cm (approx. 2" to 5")
depending on the size of your child. The chin
should not protrude beyond the front edge of
the SWIMY BABY (otherwise there is a risk
of tipping over). After a few attempts, you will
find the position in which your child feels
best.
• Now close the Velcro closure on the broad
back tab. Then feed the seat belt between
the child's legs towards its back and insert
into the middle buckle of the rear belt until
you hear it click.
• It is only now that you should adjust the
length of the back belt so that once the back
belt buckle has clicked closed, pulling gently
on the seat belt will prevent the child slipping
backwards/downwards.
With larger children, the device can be fitted
when the child is standing or even in the
water.
playfully and free of fear. Many babies very
quickly learn to swim with the SWIMY BABY
using the instinctive "frog reflex". This reflex
corresponds with the leg movements in the
breast stroke, but is mostly lost as the child
learns to walk.
If you can maintain this reflex by using the
SWIMY BABY frequently, your child can
easily learn the most important step if it is to
switch later to the SWIMY KID and ultimate-
ly to swim freely.
If water is poured onto the child's back (for
instance from a small watering can), many
babies move forward by kicking. Even if your
child moves differently, you are doing your
best to help it get the feeling of success
obtained by reaching a goal independently.
NEVER LEAVE YOUR CHILD UNATTEN-
DED, IT COULD TIP OVER!
Fitting
Use
Carry your child lying on its stomach in the
SWIMY BABY into warm water. This produ-
ces the ideal conditions for the baby to move
Learning to swim
You can now carefully begin to teach your
child the right leg movements for the breast
stroke.
Stand in the water behind your child and take
hold of its feet. Its toes must be pointed out-
wards. Bend and stretch the child's legs as
often as you can while the child is still
relaxed.
The legs should be closed when bending,
but push backwards at an angle when stret-
ching out. This produces a pushing move-
ment that serves as drive for what will be the
English
swimy gebrauchsaw 19.11.2003 14:13 Uhr Seite 5
