Kourtney Kardashian is People Magazine’s new “celebrity mom blogger” or some such nonsense. I wanted to hate on it last week, but her column was actually kind of interesting and it started an interesting debate about cosleeping with your baby. This week’s column probably won’t be as controversial – or maybe it will be, I have no idea. Kourtney is asking for our advice on giving her baby swimming lessons. Baby Mason Dixon is not even seven months old. Too soon?
For the long Fourth of July weekend we ALL — Mason, Scott, Kris, Kim, Khloé, Lamar, Kendall and our entire camera crew! — headed off to the Big Apple! It was Mason’s first trip to New York, where Scott was born and raised.
Scott and I enjoyed taking Mason around the city, strolling outside. What a fantastic city for children with the culture, the museums, the parks, endless activities and the energy.
We also took Mason out to the Hamptons to visit Scott’s parents, who Mason doesn’t get a chance to see every day like he does my family. Naturally, the grandparents were beyond excited to spend some nice time with their grandson relaxing by the pool.
Mason LOVES the pool! (Lots of sunscreen, a swim diaper and a big hat, of course.)
Which brings me to a subject I could use feedback on: I am thinking of having Mason start swimming lessons this summer. I’ve heard that babies become great swimmers when taught early because of their natural survival instinct to hold their breath under water. The combination of a pool and a baby does scare me if lots of caution isn’t taken though.
How does everyone feel about it? When is the right time to teach a child to swim?
[From People]
Once again, I’m not a mom and I really don’t know that much about babies in general, but it seems like there’s a difference between a mom or a dad having their baby in the pool, playing and maybe letting the baby swoop down underwater for a second, and actually paying to get the 7-month-old baby “swimming lessons”. Granted, I know it happens, and I know there’s this movement to teach babies all kinds of things, just because their little minds are like sponges. But swimming lessons?
Kourtney, Scott and Mason Dixon on July 5, 2010. Credit: WENN.
That is one big baby. I can’t stand Scott’s obnoxious face.
7 months isn’t too early for swim lessons. It’s fun for them and they take courage in other little ones thier own age being in the pool with them.
Oh for the love of God, does everything have to be a controversy? Of course 7 months is not too young. It’s really mommy and me time, the babies love it. There is no downside.
Let’s save out internet hate for Nazi whores and Mel Gibson.
My mother took my sister and I to the YMCA for swimming lessons when we were infants. We didn’t retain anything that we “learned,” though it was a wonderful bonding experience for my mother and her children.
I had my 20-month old in our community pool yesterday, and there was another mother there with her 16-month old daughter. Child was a fish. Jumping off the side of the pool into her mothers arms, kicking her feet and diving under the water. If a baby loves the water, then I think it would only be a good thing to foster that love even more. Those “lessons” often involve teaching the baby how to float on their back in the pool, so if there’s ever a situation where he or she falls into the water, they will turn onto their backs and float while mom or dad rescue them.
My niece started swimming lessons at around that age. I’m pretty sure the children love it and they certainly do learn. It’s always good to start early with that skill.
She needs to get rid of that dbag baby daddy first and then worry about the swimming lessons second. I don’t know if the E channel is paying SD to come off as an abusive, unstable, jackwad but even if they are, what kind of father would want to be portrayed in that light? I hate to admit that I kind of enjoy watching the Kardashians when I catch it (I don’t tivo it or anything) but I refuse to give any kind of viewership to Kourtney’s relationship. It is really gross, and she needs to do what is best for her child, and living with an alcoholic maniac is not best for a 7 month old. Okay, I am off my soap box for the day…
I doubt a baby can learn to swim at 7 months. It takes a lot of voluntary control over arms and legs that babies don’t have. But water play is great for babies and most love it.
I just read this article saying that before 9 months, children have a natural reflex that closes their windpipe when they go underwater, forcing them to hold their breath, so it is perfectly okay for them to be swimming from a young age and get comfortable with the water.
My family moved to Florida when I was five months old to a house with a pool. My dad didn’t want me having any accidents, so he would take me to the Y for swimming lessons. For that age group, we learned how to get to the edge of the pool and hang on or float on our backs, like Kolby said.
If that’s what Kourtney is talking about, I commend her for her concern for Mason’s safety.
This baby is extremely cute, I love him. I do not know anything about the swimming and kids because am not a mum as well.
Define swimming lessons for a 7 month old.
It’s never too early (from about six weeks on due to the chlorine etc) to get baby introduced to the water. For most it’s a natural attraction. The more water confidence they have the better for the future. Of course you need to reiterate the dangers as appropriate but any one spreading the word about responsible water safety at any and every age is a great thing.
Not too early at all – its the most natural environment for them and swimming lessons teach them the basics even at this young age
I don’t have kids but I have always heard that six to seven months is the perfect time to start a kid swimming because it is a natural instinct.
I think she’s doing all this rushed stuff to have material to write about for her column .
Took our son to swimming “lessons” at 6 months – he loved it. I’ts not like they’re learning to do the butterfly – just getting used to the water, and the idea of moving around in it. And, like other posters have stated it, great time for baby and parent together. No downside.
My swim-instructor bestfriend swears by teaching babies to swim at an early age.
She showed me a video of an 11 month old child who had began swimming lessons at 4 months. The child would roll on his back automatically when floating in the water, as he had been taught to do so (which could someday save his life if he were ever in that situation). So yes, swimming lessons at a young age can be very helpful for a child’s wellbeing.
Swimming lessons are a great bonding experience and so much fun with babies. 🙂
But, does she always carry baby Mason around like that? Like he’s a heavy sack of potatoes that can’t support his own weight? That’s what hips are for Kourtney!
The idea has been around for years, (Claire Timmerman, Teach Your Baby to Swim). Both my sons were swimmer’s by age two.
Honestly, that’s a great age to start swimming lessons! Babies have an instinct to swim when they are little. As they get older it fades.
My nephew was traumatized when my Dad tried to “teach” him to swim when he was 3 years old. By then he lost the instinct and now sums it up as, “Grandpa Louis threw me in the ocean”.
I’m 25 and can’t swim. I would have preferred to learn when I was little.
I think itz ok but would wait til like 9 months to a year. Better off teaching him now then later.
7 months is absolutely not too early for swimming lessons; he could have started long ago.
what a cute little chunker. not too young at all! all the kids in my family were in the pool very young – all strong swimmers now. its a good safety thing for little ones too.
Not at all. My little grandson (going on a year old) is in a baby swim group and having the time of his life. The parents are always in the pool with the babies. It’s the best time to start teaching the kids to swim; if you wait until they are three or four, they are often afraid of the water.
Mine was 5 months and his first word was “pool.” My best friend and I were swimmers and raised our kids together. They all “swam” at that age, then when older, went with us to the “Y” for Mommy and Me swimming classes.
Now, there’s grandson Evan, who, at 4 swims for real without “swimmies” on top of the water and underwater, dives, and is constantly dripping wet.
Watching our kids, and now grandson, in the pool is a constant source of pride.
My son, at 25, hits the pool at grandma’s as soon as he gets out of the car.
Fear of the water is a terrible thing.
Not too early at all.
His name isn’t Mason Dixon by the way. That’s a term for a division line during the Civil War.
i had a lifelong fear of water because i was never taught how to swim. my fear was really bad – i was unable to go on a boat of any kind, and just driving over water would make me shake. when i was 30 i decided i was being ridiculous, and i went to YWCA and learned how to swim. i love it and wish my parents had taught me as an infant. i don’t think 7 months is too early at all.
in other news, scott still has a bad case of douche-face.
Big baby…looks nothing like Scott.
More agreement here. My nephew and niece started lessons with both parents when they were around this age and they both took to it like…like a house on fire.
Fear of water is a crippling one–one that takes a huge toll if not addressed in a calm environment where the new student isn’t pushed too quickly. You get that nice little window of time when the baby will instinctively stop breathing when under water, so I have no problem with taking it. Where I live, there have already been multiple drownings since the little kids were let out of school at the end of June. Last year, my young cousin watched his best friend drown due to poor swimming skills, and was under the supervision of two other responsible adults–one of whom was the boy’s father.
Water only gets scarier with time, and coverage of drownings in the media gives kids a distorted sense of how frequently these accidents actually occur, only heightening the paranoia that works against them in any riparian (is that the word I want?) setting. Some random news station isn’t going to broadcast a story detailing the events of every mundane and safe, happy experience. ‘Matt Lieberbaum’s Birthday Pool Party Enjoyed By All. Called ‘Awesome’ By Best Friend Tim Jenkins’.
Scott should take the “si” out of the middle of his name. That would make his last name “dick”. Which is what he is.
The YMCA in my town offers swim lessons which are Red Cross approved for this age group as it is developmentally appropriate.
I learned how to swim before I knew how to walk. I’ve been a strong swimmer my whole life, a lifeguard in my teens, on the swim team, etc. In my late teens I got caught in a strong undertow. Thankfully I knew what to do to get out of it and was a strong enough swimmer to get myself back to shore.
Dozens of kids drown every year in my local area and I’m glad I wasn’t one of them. I think if a kid is going to be around water, it is smart for the parents to prepare them for the worst.
I wish I had learned to swim as a baby. I had an “incident” in the water when I was 5 and to this day I’m still terrified of deep water and I can’t swim. (I’m in my 40’s btw)
I think infants learning to float on their backs is a fantastic idea. I’m going to suggest lessons to my son for my little granddaughter.
My youngest LOVES water! Hubby & I take our 13-month-old to the pool all the time. He’ll be in actually swim lessons by the time he’s 3 years old, as was my daughter. My oldest, however, was knocked over by a wave when he was 5, and swim lessons for him (at age 7) were almost traumatic. DONT’ WAIT! It isn’t worth the risk. And never, EVER, mix alcohol/drugs with children and water.
That baby looks sooo Armenian and is so cute!!
more agreement here. my kids and i did the mom and me at 6 months. it was a great time
Am I wrong in thinking that kid has a HUGE freaking head? It’s massive.
Wow i have to say for a family i loathe, motherhood seems to have made Kourtney get a better, less selfish personality. Maybe having a chid she isnt around her mother & sisters influence as much and isnt as fame hungry. Yes put Mason in swim lessons now. 7 months is great age and he will gorw up loving the water because to young to have a fear of it.
My parents dipped my wee feet in the warm ocean during my first week of life; no harm done!
Teaching a child about the water, and water safety, is a wonderful gift.
Even now in my adulthood, I swim or surf at least once a day.
Good on her!
I’ve been a swim instructor and a lifeguard for several years. Getting your baby in the water at 6 months is a fantastic thing. As others have pointed out, it’s called “mommy and me” class–you’re not really teaching the child to do any type of swimming technique, you’re just teaching them to get used to the water, to get used to lying on their backs in the water, and finally, you’re showing them that putting their heads underwater won’t hurt them. Believe me, it does wonders. I was afraid of water as a younger child, and it took me longer to warm to the idea than it did my baby sister. Get them in as early as possible. You’d be surprised how fast they can learn.
I had swimming lessons when I was a baby. Now I’m a triathlete.
No, I don’t really think that’s cause and effect.
I’ve read that getting kids in the pool when they’re under a year old is really good for them. They can’t learn strokes obviously, but because they lived in a liquid environment in the womb, being underwater doesn’t scare them, and it leads to being able to teach them how to swim when they’re a little older. Anything that teaches kids how to be safe in the water is good IMO.
I started with “swimming lessons” when I was 6 months old.
And Sarah, I think “Mason Dixon” is just a little play on his real name.
Awww, he’s so damn cute,I want to give him a squeeze,lol. Regardless if he learns how to swim or not, it’s just fun all in general for the babies to get into water at that age. The other day though, I saw some lady at the water park with a tiny tiny little baby, I’m guessing a newborn, had to be less than a month. The baby was still pinkish, from when they have that new born look, not enough meat on their little bones and their legs still looked very fragile and bent up. Now, that I think was TOO YOUNG. Here in Tx, is waaaay too HOT, it was HOT out that day and that baby had no hat on and I can only hope they put sunscreen on her, cause they had her out in the sun for too long. I think when they are a little more independent, to where they can move around alot, it’s good, maybe some more meat on their bones and they’ve built up strength. We as parents just have to put lots of sunscreen on, a hat, and put them in a little floaty or hold them at all times and never let them out of our sight and not have them out in the sun for too long, definately lots of shade. Not that I don’t think lots of parents don’t know that, but unfortunately some don’t and they have no common sense, and are clueless how to take care of a baby. Good thing some people seek out advice and what not, some don’t. :/
Have you ever watched the Blue Lagoon? Remember the baby that swam in it? I watched the commentary, Brooke Shields said they would blow in the baby’s face, dip her underwater and the baby would swim naturally and hold her breath.
I really should put my daughter in swimming lessons. She is fearless when it comes to water.
Easy answer! NO! In australia kids are in the pool from day 1. Its really important to teach babies how to float as so many of us have pools.
Its very common over here!
I don’t think the child retains too much cognitively, but it’s a nice bonding experience. I would never pay a stranger to show me how do it, though. Take an infant CPR class (which you ought to do, anyway) and spend time with your baby one-on-one.
Sad that this child has been a commodity for the Kardashian’s since birth. (Beautiful baby, though.)
The kid is cute but since he’s a KARDASHIAN too, Id be worried about his education…
omg! i cant stand scotts ugly face! i dont understand what kourtney is doing with him. please dump him now! he so ugly and stupid.
mason looks bigger then kourtney/looks like he will swallow her.
I don’t know, but most of people thinks that 7 months is not early for swim lessons. I personally thinks that Kourtney is a mother of that kid and she knows well what is right and what is wrong for her child. Its very common in australia. Nice Post. Good Job.