Self-Rescue for Babies

1. 
   Phase 1

   Water familiarisation

   Every journey begins on the steps. Lizette spends the early lessons building trust, eye contact, and a baby's first joyful associations with the warm-water pool — long before any floating work begins.

2. 
   Phase 2

   Supported back-float introduction

   The baby is introduced to the back-float position with full hands-on support from Lizette — head cradled, body relaxed. This is where the infant's natural buoyancy (their body density is nearly the same as water) is gently revealed to them.

3. 
   Phase 3

   Progressive support reduction

   Hands quietly come away. The baby learns to balance and to breathe calmly with their respiratory tract above the waterline. Lizette stays in close attendance — never further than her own hands — while the infant takes more and more of their own weight.

4. 
   Phase 4

   The 15-minute qualification float

   The standard is uncompromising: a baby must float independently on their back — fully unsupported, fully conscious, fully breathing — for a minimum of fifteen minutes. That is not a target. It is the minimum window for a realistic rescue.

5. 
   The outcome

   A lifelong reflex — fully clothed, fully alone

   Qualification floats are performed in full clothing, because accidents happen when children are dressed. Once entrenched, the floating reflex is never unlearned. Decades later, the now-grown swimmer will still fall back onto this skill in an emergency.

6. 
   The awardKeepsake

   Personalised Amphibies Babies Africa coin

   Every baby who completes the qualification float is awarded a personalised gold-mounted coin — engraved with the child's name, carrying the Swiss and South African flags of the Jean Fouace × Lizette Botha method, mounted on a hand-finished wooden stand. A tangible mark of a life-saving skill.

Every photograph above was taken at Kiddies Aqua Swimming Academy. Lessons are one-on-one with an instructor and parents observing nearby. Progress and programme duration vary; confirm instructor availability and the lesson plan with your branch.