Product Details

• Directors: Michael David McGuire
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• VHS Release Date: October 1, 1999
• Run Time: 27 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0967484367
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #330,661 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This do-it-yourself swim program teaches adults a method of introducing babies (from 3 months old) and toddlers to the fundamentals of water comfort and safety. Experienced swim instructor Gina Ambrose, of the Water Babies Swim School, joins moms and tots in the pool for hands-on, step-by-step instruction. Nine lessons move from simple to advanced drills beginning with kicking, then dipping, floating, and turning. Swim strokes (crawl, backstroke) are not taught; rather, the program's goal is to build a baby's water confidence in order that he will eventually achieve total independence in the pool. Ambrose also provides general teaching tips: ("Never panic in the pool. Never stop a lesson on a negative note."). The program is designed to be replayed as the parent gains mastery of the lessons. It would be especially effective when used in conjunction with Ambrose's book of the same name. Even more helpful would be to move the video player out on the pool deck for a real-time tutorial. --Lynn Gibson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grab a bathing suit and swim diaper!, July 10, 2001

By 

Andrea Stariha "dremonkey" (the San Francisco Bay Area) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Water Babies - How to Teach Your Baby to Swim [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is a great video. It caught and held my attention with this sentence on the back cover, "[T]each your child to hold their breath underwater, to turn over and float, and to have confidence while swimming." I'm a first time mama and was a tad nervous about having our daughter submerged, but this video put me at ease.

The best part is you can actually teach your child how to swim. Gina Ambrose is the daughter of Gretchen Mack who founded the "Water Babies Swim School". Gina, along with a variety of young assistants, demonstrates each of the nine steps showcased in this instructional video. Most steps build on the previous one so it's easy to follow. Every step makes sense and is simple.

There are a lot of underwater shots of the children which provides comfort and entertainment. Reality check, not all babies will be happy when learning to swim and to prove it, there's an unhappy child in this video. It's good to know that not all kids are perfect, but they can certainly be on their way to swimming with this video.

I thought it could of been longer, it's 27 minutes. More examples of babies underwater would be great. Also, I would have liked to see the reaction of the babies when they surfaced, I felt they cut to the next scene too quickly. However, those two minor issues aside, this is a great video and I highly recommend it to every one. Whether you want your child to simply be comfortable and safe around water or to be a strong swimmer, start with this video.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I highly recommend this video, December 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Water Babies - How to Teach Your Baby to Swim [VHS] (VHS Tape)

My husband and I really liked this video! It's well-produced, has 9 simple steps that I feel I can do myself, they're well-demonstrated, and the instructor, Gina Ambrose, has a very soothing way about her, so our daughter enjoys watching with us. She is 16 months and we're only now starting the techniques, even though she's been going to the pool a lot since she was 4 months and is comfortable in water. I wish I had found this earlier. But even now, it's very helpful to me when we're in the pool together. Our time is more productive. Plus she enjoys watching the video and sees other kids role modeling what to do in the water.

The only thing is that the 1-800 number on the video for ordering the recommended baby fins is out of service. I searched the net for the fins with no luck finding anything like the ones in the video, which look great. I found the number for the Water Babies school in the San Jose area, however, and they called me back even though it was off-season, and gave me their address to send away for the fins.

Anyway, this video seems to demystify the concept of teaching a baby to swim and makes it seem very doable.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Didn't like this "school", September 14, 2003

By 

Duha (Cairo, Egypt) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Water Babies - How to Teach Your Baby to Swim [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Teaching my baby this way wasn't suitable. Babies aren't happy. When I first bought a book about the subject (Water Babies: Teach Your Baby the Joys of Water - From Newborn Floating to Toddler Swimming) I thought I need a video as well to *see* things happen. I watched the VHS twice and don't think I will use it again. The book was more fun to follow and it taught me alot of patience as a mother. My baby was happy following the instructions in the pool. To this VHS, teaching comes first, while to the author of the book I mentioned the baby comes first, and that's what I liked about it.

I still might recommend this video if your baby is over 2 years old and doesn't like the pool. My baby is under 1 year and maybe it's why I preferred a book with a slower method.