Waiouru water babies

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 3, Issue 2, 4 June 1985, Page 2

Waiouru water babies

Three-month-old babies should be taught to be confident in water, to reduce their chances oi drowning, says Judy Aitken, a former swimming champion. Judy has been running a baby water confidence course in Waiouru for the past three years, but is now leaving the town with her husband John, an army corporal, and their two-year-old daughter Rewa, as John has been posted to the Papakura Military Camp. However, the training courses will be continued at Burn's Pool by Lianne Nees, who has been trained in Wellington to teach children how to swim.

Speaking about the training course before she left Waiouru, Judy said, "I teach their mothers how to teach their children water confidence as the children do not react kindly to strangers at such a young age." As the children become more confident they are taught to float on their backs and then to paddle. Judy did not know of any courses in New Zealand which taught people to teach water confidence to young children when she first became interested in the subject, so she is self-taught. When Lianne takes over running the course this week she will find it quite a task, as there are currently thirty children on the group's wahine list.