Swim Academy for Babies: Enable your baby to swim happily, safely and confidently from an early age.
Sarah Burnett, the owner of Swim Academy for Babies, grew up around water and has always been passionate about swimming. When her eldest sons were born she realised the importance of teaching her own children to be water safe, especially living in Cornwall and taking regular trips to see family in coastal Portugal, so she set about teaching them to swim as soon as possible. It was challenging as there was very little available, and the classes she could find simply didn’t feel “right”.She was overjoyed when in mid-2007 she discovered there was a little known specialist swimming school in Cornwall. She managed to book her youngest into classes but was devastated when she discovered they were soon coming to an end. Swim Academy for Babies, as it was, closed in November 2007.Sarah was determined that Swim Academy for Babies would live on and change the lives of young children and families throughout the county, so she bought the business in December 2007. In March 2008, when her first two children were just 2 & 3 years old, after a period of extremely intense training with Amanda Walker (Birthlight) & Emie Kitson (Aqualight), as well as training with the STA and the RLSS, she opened a brand new and updated version of Swim Academy for Babies. Taking over Swim Academy for Babies meant she could have a fulfilling career, but also one which was flexible enough to allow her to have time with her children. Sarah now has four children and is able to see them off to school in the morning and to welcome them home at the end of their day. Sarah’s mission now is not only to teach babies & their parents about the magic of water, but also, by recruiting and training other mums to teach with Swim Academy for Babies, she can share the pleasure of a balanced work and family life, of having proper family time whilst being lucky enough to have the most satisfying career in the world: “I leave every class smiling. It has certainly changed my life and I hope it will change the lives of all the parents and babies who come through our Academy. These amazing babies will learn skills that they will thank you for forever. It really is pure magic.”Swim Academy for Babies is now a team of 12 mothers, teaching babies to swim across the county and providing a unique nurturing experience for families. They run classes for babies from newborn to 4 years in a warm, natural, loving and fun environment. Using internationally proven techniques, they encourage you to experience magical times with your baby, deepening your special bond whilst helping babies enjoy the water. Carefully tailored exercises, sensory games and fun songs are used to teach water awareness and safety, allowing babies to explore and discover what their bodies are capable of. As Sarah explains: “The earlier babies are introduced to water the sooner they can master vital water safety skills whilst increasing their strength and stamina. Our classes are not only incredibly good fun, but they also improve babies’ lung capacity, self confidence and general health & fitness levels. The whole experience is also great for parents’ fitness & self esteem as well as for meeting new families - I currently attend classes with my youngest daughter at our Kernow Hydro Venue, she absolutely loves the water and started swimming independently at just 11 months old! I encourage every parent to experience the incredible enabling power that comes with this type of baby swimming!”Enclose this article with your fees to receive 5% off classes at Carnon Downs - this is a special welcome offer to new swimmers on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, Summer Term 2018 only.