Overview
The inspiration for the gentle yet dynamic approach taught on this course comes from Amazonian forest people with whom Francoise Barbira Freedman, the founder of Birthlight and author of ‘Water Babies’ lived as an anthropologist. The course brings together the spontaneous daily delight of families in the water at bath time with scientific research on movement in water and a set of best practice values that respect each baby and each parent-baby pair fully.
Birthlight techniques in Infant Aquatics are taught in the perspective of the development of Infant Aquatics in the last two decades. The course offers a comprehensive review of submersion and presents the gentle but effective Birthlight approach in the context of documented alternative approaches. Birthlight’s acclaimed hallmarks: swimming with babies, parent-infant water bonding and water parenting, relaxed holds and relaxed floats, transition from reflexes to voluntary movements, transition to independent dives and to independent swimming for toddlers are taught on this course.
Who is this course for?
The Direct Entry course is open to those who want to teach Infant Aquatics but who have little or very limited experience of teaching parents and babies in water, even if they hold a swimming teacher's qualification. It is also open to health professionals working with babies and to mothers (Birthlight's mothers' route to training).
We recommend that students interested in this course take the STA (Swimming Teachers' Association) Parent and Baby qualification, which we offer on the course as an option. The Birthlight Infant Aquatics and the STA Parents & Baby course by Direct Entry are the only accredited course (NVQ level 2) open to applicants who do not hold previous swimming qualifications. The course is comprehensive including theory, practicals, safety aspects and foundations of infant physiology and development.
Course Includes:
The Birthlight Part 1 course in Infant Aquatics by Direct Entry is more comprehensive than the STA Parent & Baby. Francoise Freedman is the author of the STA manual and there is an agreement between the STA and Birthlight. The Birthlight course also includes a Baby Resuscitation course by Vic Smith (Royal Life Savers) valid for two years.
Further Training
All Birthlight Part 1 course holders are warmly encouraged to continue developing their practice and teaching by undertaking case studies and coursework, which will lead to the Birthlight Diploma, which is the full qualification needed to become a qualified Birthlight teacher.
Read about Part 2 of the Diploma
Read the full Course Overview
For more information please contact the Birthlight office.
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