New Mom from Utah, USA

Hi, everybody! I’m very excited to find this forum.

My baby is six weeks old and while I was pregnant I read Glenn Doman’s books and was fascinated! The idea that babies can learn languages very well is obvious to me. That reading and math could be considered “languages” they could learn just as easily if we could make it so the babies could see them would never have occurred to me, but makes perfect sense. I’m very excited to start it!

I’m following the program outlined in “How Smart is Your Baby” right now, and that introduces the math and reading cards next month. Before then, I’d like to do some research in different methods; straight-up reading flashcards strikes me as, well, boring. Maybe the baby won’t think so, so I’ll try them, but I want to have some other options if she doesn’t like them.

At the moment I read to her several times a day, We’re learning to swim in the bathtub (I was a children’s swim teacher before I got married) and she loves to do backfloats and tries to blow bubbles, but doesn’t like it if water gets in her mouth. I play the piano and cello and plan to teach that as well; at the moment, we listen to classical music and identify the composers and solo instruments. (I hope this is a place where it’s OK to brag like that. I can’t do it to anyone else; even with my family and in-laws, who are supportive of early learning, I’m afraid to wax too enthusiastic.)

Anyway, I think this is a great forum. We don’t have internet at home, so I don’t know how often I’ll get on, but it’s great to be here! Thank you, everyone who created this resource.

Welcome to the forum!

Since you were a swimming instructor and you’re teaching her to swim now, have you tried submerging her under water? I never had the nerve to try it even though I see all those videos of babies happily swimming (and holding their breath) underwater.

Thanks for the welcome!

We’re working up to submerging but haven’t gotten there yet. As an instructor, we started submerging them right away, and I had no problem dunking kids, but I’m worried that I’ll scar my baby for life! But one book recommends teaching them to hold their breath by passing them under the shower nozzle, first just dripping and increasing it to full power; after that, theoretically, she’ll go under water easily. It seems to be woeking as a no-cry method so far, but we’ve only done it for a week or so.

I also heard that blowing on their face just before submerging is a good way for to get them to hold their breath. You might want to give that a go!

See here:
http://www.brillbaby.com/teaching-baby/physical-development/baby-swimming.php