What does baby swimming really have
to offer?
Simon has been the owner of Water Babies Kent for almost 13 years and over that time has taught thousands of
children. As a father of 3 himself he understands how precious our time is and how precious our little ones are.
More information on Simon and Water Babies can be found at http://www.waterbabies.co.ukWhen I first stumbled across Water Babies lessons 14 years ago I
didn’t really think too much about the benefits of baby swimming. I
suppose I just thought it might just be a nice thing to do with my
daughter. Since then, as a parent of 3 and as a Water Babies teacher
of over 12 years I have been amazed at how much there is to gain
from getting your little one in the water. Let me tell you about just
a few of the benefits.I’ll start with the most obvious one. Water safety. Learning safety
skills in the pool can really save lives. Unfortunately drowning is
still one of the top causes of accidental deaths in infants. That said,
I have had children in my classes that are still with us because of
the skills I taught them. Most people don’t realise that water
confidence is the foundation of water safety. If a child falls in the
water, surprise and fear can stop them doing anything to help
themselves. Confidence in water gives them the chance to put some
of their lessons into action.Healthy lifestyle is something that is really important to me.
Childhood obesity is high and on the rise. Screens are ever more
present and fostering positive, active patterns of behaviour as a
young family can help start to tackle that. It may seem like a small
thing but a 30 minute swim session for a baby can be equivalent to
you or I, working out for an hour in the gym. Its good exercise for
parents too!It gets deeper (pardon the pun), its not just cognitive benefits. The
physical benefits pretty much cover every base. Better balance and
better at grasping. Baby swimmers are also significantly stronger
and more coordinated, but that’s not the best of all. Swimming
improves babies sleep patterns. I know! Who wouldn’t put that one
top of the list?The list would not be complete though without highlighting some
of the psychological benefits. Infant swimming stimulates positive
emotions and perhaps surprisingly, has long lasting effects on
building confidence. As a dad, the big one for me psychologically is
how beneficial it can be for parent and child bonding. After all,
that’s what lead me to baby swimming in the first place.Baby swimming is about swimming. It’s a life skill. It’s a lifesaving
skill. With 92% of 7-11 year olds who attended baby swimming
lesson able to easily swim 25m or more, versus the less than 45%
of their peers, the swimming side of this thing is a no brainer. As a
parent though, so much of our job is to give opportunities. Some
they squander, some they use to grow, some they wish we never
thought of. But the sheer amount of opportunity in the water makes
it the only place I think you should definitely, 100% make part of
your little ones growing world.By Simon Dallender
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