Swimming is a life skill that literally doubles as a lifesaver. This is why, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, you should begin teaching your young toddlers to swim at the age of one. However, you must note that learning this skill can be quite expensive.
Lessons.com estimates that, on average, it costs $20–60 to be tutored privately.
What age is best to start baby swimming lessons?
Experts say it is okay to start your kids’ swimming lessons at the age of one. Children below 12 months aren’t yet able to lift their heads above water to breathe; hence, you might want to put the swimming lessons on hold when they are that age.
When they are starting out, the major focus should always be on getting them comfortable with the water. You can do this by holding parent-baby water classes to get them used to being in the water.
However, you must note that not all children may be ready to swim at that young age. Some children might take longer. Hence, you must take into account their physical and mental readiness to begin their swimming journey.
Is swimming good for a 2-year-old?
Teaching your child to swim from a young age is one of the most valuable gifts you can give them as a parent. Swimming is an exercise that can help promote the mental and physical health of your child or toddler.
Teaching them to swim helps them explore the world around them and see it in a different light. This is in addition to the fact that swimming basically equips them with life skills that can ensure their safety in the future.
Statistics have shown that about 88% of toddlers who learn how to swim have a lower risk of drowning.
I’ll go over some of the advantages of learning to swim that you mentioned last time.
- Muscle development is accelerated.
In general, swimming is an exercise that involves the entire body. You can fast-track your toddler’s muscle development by guiding them through swimming courses that will help them develop muscle strength. They stand a lot to gain, as swimming promotes excellent cardiovascular health as well as strengthening their blood vessels.
The CDC also records that people usually prefer water-based exercises to land-based ones.
- increases cognitive and motor skills
An Australian university, Griffith University, discovered in a study that children who learned to swim at a young age developed increased cognitive and visual motor skills faster than non-swimmers.
- Enhances appetite
This is good news for parents whose children have difficulty eating or are picky eaters. Swimming is an exercise that causes calorie loss due to exertion. So naturally, this will create hunger in your children and, in turn, an increased appetite.
- improves sleeping patterns
Is your child having trouble sleeping? Then try engaging them in swimming. Engaging children in exercises can help improve sleeping patterns. This means that your children can get better rest while their bodies develop and grow optimally.
- Better balance
Swimming is one exercise that can cause the development of better balance and coordination in your kids. This is because it places a lesser strain on their joints and connective tissues due to the force that the water generates. In addition to this, your toddlers can gain more strength and flexibility.
Is one swimming lesson a week enough?
Swimming is an enjoyable exercise, and once you get the hang of it, you can really reap its benefits. However, learning how to swim is a task whose length can vary depending on the individual and some other factors. So one can’t definitively say that having a swimming lesson once a week is enough or not. I will be discussing those factors that can influence how long it will take to become adept at swimming.
Fear of water: This was one of the most important factors in determining how quickly you learned to swim in school. Any swimmer will tell you that the first step in learning how to swim is overcoming the fear of water. Once you have learned to feel comfortable in the water, then it’s easier for you to take whatever fundamentals your tutor is trying to lay
- Consistency: the saying that “practice makes perfect” is really true in this case. How consistent you are in taking lessons and continually trying out what you have learned will determine how fast you learn to swim.
- Willingness to learn: It’s very clear that your willingness to learn is proportional to how fast you can pick up your swimming tutorials.
- Motor coordination: people with advanced motor skills, such as athletes in other fields, will naturally tend to learn to swim fast.
- Adeptness of tutor: how good and experienced your swimming tutor or instructor is can also influence how fast you learn how to swim.
What are the procedures for teaching a toddler to swim?
I will be listing some general steps that you can implement for your kids to learn how to swim.
- Feeling comfortable in the water: As stated above, the major step you have to take as a beginner is overcoming your fear of water and being comfortable in the pool. You can get them to start by kicking in the water while hanging on to a float. They will like it, and it is a fun way to start.
- Make them make bubbles: After they are done learning how to kick comfortably in the water, get your toddlers to create bubbles in the water. This exercise simply involves them holding their breath and gradually submerging their heads in the water. A lot of them might be scared at first, but the instructor should do well to take the lead while they follow suit.
- Paddling: Teaching them how to paddle is basically the core of swimming. They can start by learning the “doggie paddle” style, which is one of the easiest to learn. They can go on to learn alternating leg kicks and pulling back the water with their hands. They will learn to coordinate these moments together.
- Make it fun: children, especially toddlers, get bored easily, so try to make your swimming lessons much more fun by setting up challenges or milestones for them to reach. You can challenge them by making them swim farther distances, swim through hoops, or swim a particular distance within a time interval.
How long can a toddler stay in the pool?
A rule of thumb is that children under the age of 12 months should not spend more than 30 minutes in the swimming pool. Children older than that can stay for longer periods of time, but they should still be closely monitored, and they shouldn’t even stay in the pool for more than 2 hours at a time.
The reasoning behind this is that the systems of babies under 12 months of age can’t regulate their body temperatures effectively. This means that they are at a greater risk of catching a cold.
As a parent, you should also take note of these signs when your kids are in the pool.
- Shivering: When your toddler starts shivering, it’s a definite sign that they are catching a cold, and it is time to take them out of the pool. You should warm them up by patting them dry and then covering them up with warm clothing.
- A blue tinge or hue on the lips: This is another sure sign that your toddler is sick. Get them out of the pool quickly.
Are toddler swimming lessons worth it?
The simple answer to this is yes. Studies show that there is a reduced risk of drowning among children who know how to swim. Inasmuch as it is your duty as a parent to prevent children from going near a pool unsupervised, it is still in their best interest to get them ready to swim from a young age.
What are some safety measures to take with your toddler?
According to CDC data, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in toddlers under the age of four. Hence, it’s essential to ensure that care is taken when children are around the pool. I will be listing some safety measures to put in place.
- There should always be an adult monitoring the kids around the pool.
- Kids should not be allowed to swim alone.
- Don’t allow children to jump into water that is up to 9 feet deep.
- Learn CPR
- Do not allow children to swim during storms.
