Water babies set to splash out (From Dudley News)

Water babies set to splash out

3:00pm Thursday 12th November 2009 in News

A UNIQUE new swimming class for young water babies is set to make a splash in the borough. Babies as young as two days old can now take part in the award-winning classes.

The classes make the most of babies’ natural affinity with water by teaching confidence and safety techniques which enable them to swim underwater as well as on the surface from the start.

The classes, which will run at Topnotch Health Club in Thorns Road, Quarry Bank, are led by mum Heidi Hunter-Cope, who was first introduced to the novel sessions when she took her own babies to classes in Bristol.

She said: “I absolutely loved them. They were the highlight of our week and made what was already a very special time perfect.”

Heidi loved the classes so much that when it was time to return to work, she swapped her business suit for a swimming costume to retrain as a swimming instructor.

“Swimming gives so much enjoyment but the course has a very serious point to it,” she said.

Sadly, drowning is still the highest cause of accidental death in the UK. In most cases, it’s the shock of sudden submersion that causes children to panic.

“We believe that by introducing babies to water as early as possible, they’ll be less likely to experience fear when they fall in.”

The classes also aim to teach the babies vital life-saving skills during each half hour session.

Normally, children start Water Babies classes at around six weeks, although the youngest swimmer has been two days old.

The sessions are set to begin from November 26.

For more details, visit waterbabies.co.uk or call Heidi on 01743 491124.