Baby swimming at the YMCA

The Berkeley YMCA offers parent/baby swim lessons as well as other open times in the warm pool to splash around with your tot.

Official lessons run in eight week sessions with one morning lesson per week and cost $67 on top of full or program membership.

What to expect:
You and your baby over six months old will splash around together with other parents in a warm pool singing songs, playing games, and squirting toys as facilitated by the instructors. There is also a life guard or two near by.

Yes, you wear a swim suit and get wet. The early classes are all about water familiarity rather than hard core swim lessons but they do build toward overall water safety and technique. Classes are named after water creatures and divided up by age of your child:

• Shrimp: Ages 6-18 Mos.
• Perch: Ages 18-36 Mos.
• Shrimp & Perch: Ages 6-36 Mos.

Other times to splash:
Tiny Waves is an informal drop-in splash time that is and FREE to full service members with children under age three. There are toys and life guards but no guided activities. Family swim is also open to parents and children.

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Location:
Downtown Berkeley at 2001 Allston. Near downtown Berkeley BART. And the parking lot next door validates and offers special prices for Y parking most days.

Membership and privileges:
YMCA aquatics classes and many of the programs are for members only. Members with babies and toddlers can also join in Tiny Waves and Family Swim.

Other good reasons to join the Y? There are terrific resources for special needs families and classes and programs out the wazoo. Oh yeah, and on-site childcare so you can exercise or just shower!

[Photo from Laura Case, all rights reserved]

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