Rebecca Adlington teams up with Baby Annabell Learns to Swim

Summer loves to go to the swimming pool and take a dip, although she is not very confident in the water as she can anxious about the experience. If your little one is nervous about getting in the pool, then the below top tips from Rebecca Adlington are a good starting point.

Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington teams up with Baby Annabell Learns to Swim to reveal her tips on giving youngsters confidence in the water:

Children can be initially nervous about the water, baby steps and lots of praise will help them overcome a lack of confidence. Try taking them alone to just watch for the first time, then toes in next time and so on, along with lots of positive praise to help encourage them to take that first dip.
Toys are a brilliant tool, they are such a good distraction for anyone who doesn’t normally like putting their face in the water or splashing. Toys such as the new Baby Annabell Learns to Swim doll are a great way to give children (and parents!) the courage to take those first steps towards swimming.
Swimming is a huge bonding experience. The learning process is a lot to do with trust and really builds a closer relationship between and parent and child. For this reason, try not to use your phone during lessons to avoid distractions.
The younger you start swimming lessons the better. I took Summer from 3 weeks old. It is all about building confidence and awareness of the water from a young age. Swimming also helps with a child’s muscular development and is fantastic for understanding their physical abilities.
Make good use of the equipment that’s there. Whether it’s armbands, noodles, or vests, use whatever your child is more comfortable with. I tend to do five minutes with floatation equipment and five without, this helps when they’re really young and still building confidence.
Mix up who takes the child swimming. Whether its Mum, Dad, Grandparents etc. It’s good to go with someone they trust whilst getting used to swimming with different people.

My top tip is to join your little ones in a local swimming club, which is what we did with Jacob a few years ago and he continues his swimming journey positively. Summer is on the wait list and we hope she starts soon.

Swimming is an important life skill that all children will benefit from for many reasons. It's fun and once they get over the fear of the water, they can quickly learn to love the water.

To celebrate the Baby Annabell collaboration with Rebecca Adlington, we were sent the Baby Annabel Learns to Swim doll.

Baby Annabell Learns to Swim is so much fun! When she comes into contact with water, she splashes, moves her arms and legs, and floats on her back.

Included in the set: a towel and inflatable water wings with cute sheep design

Baby Annabell is the no.1 selling large doll brand in the UK. Promoting imaginative role play, Baby Annabell encourages the development of key nurturing and social skills from a young age.

Baby Annabell Learns to Swim (RRP £49.99) is available from all good toy stores.