Why Swimming Lessons Are Necessary for Children

Though some parents don’t realize it, swimming lessons are actually one of the most essential life skills any child can have. This is because drowning is actually the main cause of death in babies in children in the United States according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP),. For this reason, the company also recommends babies start to practice swimming at the early age of 1 to help decrease those high drowning risks.

A director at the USA Swimming Foundation stated that official swimming lessons for babies and toddlers actually lessen drowning risks by 88 percent. Along with reducing the risks of drowning, the owner of 3 swimming schools has stated that getting children in the water at an early age is also good because it keeps them from being fearful in life. Babies and toddlers who take swimming lessons may not be experts, but they can certainly learn the basics and get used to the water while building the foundation for serious skills in the water as they get older.

Why Swimming Lessons Are Good for Children

• One of the best things about learning can babies swim is that it offers so much for babies and toddlers. It is an entertaining and fun activity full of endless things to do in the water and also provides many positive benefits that can last a lifetime.
• Swimming lessons help babies’ muscles get stronger in a gentle way that allows them to hold their head up faster and works their arms, legs, and core at the same time to promote crawling and walking.
• The calm activity that comes with swimming helps to regulate a child’s metabolism and keep it healthy while also providing strength to children’s cardiovascular system.
• Swimming or even just splashing around in the water allows your baby or toddler to engage his/her body in a unique way that causes your child’s brain to create billions of fresh neurons from the cross-pattern of movements. This ensures long-term improvement of language development, reading skills, and more.
• Swimming lessons improve the overall development of babies and toddlers because most classes include plenty of interaction between the children, the parents, and the instructor. The classes contain fun group playtime in the water and skin-to-skin contact bonding with parents that give a huge beneficial boost to your baby’s development in many ways.
• Spending time in the water allows your baby or toddler to improve his/her balance and coordination because it takes so much attention and practice to learn how to move in the way that swimming requires.
• The physical exertion that baby’s put forth by being in the water plus the effort of keeping their bodies warm causes babies and toddlers to burn lots of calories. Therefore, swimming lessons will help improve your child’s appetite and even help to calm a stomach-ache.
• Because of the stimulation of being in a new environment and using their bodies in new and different ways, swim lessons take up a lot of your baby’s energy that will require them to need more sleep which means it’s more likely your baby or toddler will sleep through the night.

How Children Should Take Swimming Lessons

• It is very important that parents choose the right swimming program for their child considering professional swimming lessons with certified instructors offers your child the chance to interact with other children and is probably the safest way to go.
• Be sure to visit any swimming facility you are interested in before enrolling your child in that program to make sure it has everything you want including good safety precautions and appropriate water temperature to learn can babies swim.
• Swimming facilities often offer financial assistance or have free lessons throughout the year.
• Remember that until children age 3 and under must attend swimming lessons with a parent in the water with them.

Staying Safe with Swimming Lessons

• Parents should always be within arm’s reach of their baby or toddler even if they are in a floaty or life vest.
• Every member of a family that is taking swimming lessons should learn CPR and the rules and guidelines for safety in the water.
• Stay alert and undistracted around any body of water, even the smallest like a pond or bathtub because it is possible for children to drown in as little as one inch of water.

Swimming lessons offer the best way for babies to learn to explore the water in safety and comfort while also offering the most amazing benefits for children with an overall positive impact on your baby’s development that will last a lifetime.