Swimming is wonderful exercise. Good for pregnant women, can give babies independence before they can walk, and be fun and exciting for young children.
Babies
You can introduce your baby to the water as early as three months, though most parents like to wait until their child has had all their immunizations before going to a public pool especially- just to be safe. Babies react differently than children or adults and get cold in the water. However, there are many baby swimming accessories that help with this, such as baby wetsuits to keep them warm and swim nappies to prevent nasty accidents.
The Dive Reflex
We’ve all seen those pictures of babies underwater, made iconic by the Nirvana Nevermind album cover. They can learn to swim underwater for short distances partly because of the Dive Reflex- a reaction caused by submersion that means that babies hold their breath and open their eyes.
Toddlers
The best way to do this is with lots of confidence in yourself and your child, fun and games. Incorporate lots of floats and buoyancy aids, to encourage happiness in the water, and the confidence to swim. Some suits have buoyancy aids that are attached to the body, which helps ease the transition to swimming without aids, as opposed to armbands, that can carry the risk of slipping off and can leave your child feeling vulnerable without them.
Classes
There are many organised classes that can teach your child to love the water and learn to swim from an early age. If you start lessons when your baby is very young, they will learn to swim underwater, but as the diving reflex weakens, your child will then be taught to swim above the water. Classes are a great idea too because your kids will socialize with other children the same age, and can also encourage parent-child bonding.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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