My name is Dillon the Duckling and like you I am just a baby and getting very excited about my very first swims. I shall help get you started and then introduce you to all of my lovely friends who will teach you so many new and exciting skills.
Let me tell you a little bit more …
The environment in which your baby learns is crucial when ensuring his/her first experience of water is a positive one. The relaxed and friendly atmosphere we aim to provide, coupled with the use of warm (in most cases, hydrotherapy), clean pools, should make the whole experience a pleasurable one for you both.
New skills are gently introduced and your baby will very quickly get used to short swims and submersions, taught using methods that are fun, using word association and repetition. Regular play breaks enhance the learning process. Amazingly, most babies will astound you with what they achieve in the first term, all with a little help from you, of course!
Hi, I am Dillon and I am a baby duck. Ducks are Birds and we are known as Waterfowl because we are normally found near water like rivers, streams and lakes. We are related to Geese and Swans too. We walk on land, we fly and we swim!! Daddy ducks are called Drakes and Mummy ducks are called ducks or sometimes Hens.
I started my life in an egg that my mummy sat on for about a month until I hatched along with quite a few brothers and sisters.
I will stay with my parents until I am about 2 months old. I did learn to swim very quickly and I know how to get food but my siblings and I still need Mummy's warmth so we snuggle up close every night with her until we are big enough to be on our own.
Mummy & Daddy are teaching me all about swimming and just like you I am learning how to kick my legs to help me move in the water. We have special webbed feet to help us swim. Your Mummy or Daddy will be with you in the water while you learn just like mine.
Like you we don't want to be chilly in the water so Mummy ducks lay eggs in the spring so when we hatch we can enjoy the warm water in our lovely ponds.
Ducks are omnivores which means we eat plants and animals. I like to eat insects, plants and some small fish too and I have to dive under the water to catch some of these. My Mummy teaches me how to swim and paddle on the water and when I am ready, we learn to swim under the water too.
You have probably seen ducks on the pond when they are looking for food as they do look a bit funny. They put their heads under the water and stick their bottoms in the air. You will learn how to do a duck dive too when you can swim.
Now, we spend the summer with our parents getting bigger and stronger and then in the autumn two exciting things happen for ducks. The first is something called Mottling. This is where we lose lots of our old feathers and grow brand new shiny ones. When that has finished our lovely new strong feathers are going to help us fly south to warmer waters. This will be my first year of doing that so Mummy has promised she will help me this time.
Your swimming pool will always be warm so you don't need to go somewhere different in the winter but you can practise kicking those legs like a duck and duck dives are so much fun!!