Swimming is an essential life skill.
The sooner a child can learn how to swim the easier it will be for them which is why I wanted to get my children in the pool as soon as possible.
This week marks National Baby Swimming Week and is a great time to discover all the joys and benefits of baby swimming for babies and parents alike.
Babies love swimming! It’s one of the few things they can do from birth, and it feels entirely natural to them – as they’ve just spent nine months in the womb!
Because they’re free of the restrictions of gravity, and able to use muscles they’d never use until they start rolling, crawling, walking and running, babies love the sense of freedom water gives them.
And whilst the emphasis in the lessons in swimming schools like Water Babies is often on strengthening the bond between parent and child, swimming from birth is also excellent for their development.
The HSE advises that you can take your baby swimming at any time before and after their immunisations .
It’s never to too soon to get them in the pool, as long as the water is warm enough (above 30C for a baby older than 12 weeks or heavier than 12lbs, and above 32C if they’re younger or smaller).
Baby swimming is academically proven to have a number of physical, mental and emotional benefits.
By the time they start school, children who have been to structured swimming classes in the early years were found to be ahead of their non-swimming peers by eleven months when it comes to oral expression.
As well as helping to significantly impact little ones’ strength and co-ordination, baby swimming has also been proven to boost confidence and stimulate positive emotions.
I wish that I had taken swimming lessons when I was younger because even now as an adult I still struggle and it’s much harder to find lessons for adults than it is for children.
I’m glad my own children are already well on their way to becoming strong swimmers and who knows maybe they could teach me a thing or two.
If you fancy celebrating National Baby Swimming Week why not hit the pool with the kids between October 14 and 20 and discover all the joys of the water yourself.
