The second-leading cause of death for children aged one through four is accidental drowning. That’s a frightening statistic that, sadly, has caused many parents to keep their children away from swimming pools. But, this might not be the wisest choice.
There’s a ton of evidence that proves that early exposure to swimming, primarily via baby swimming lessons, can help your child avoid pool dangers such as unintentional drowning. But increased safety and awareness are just a few of the potential benefits of attending infant swim lessons with your child.
Read on to find out more!
Baby Swimming Lessons Can Benefit You and Your Child
While it’s natural for some tots to feel afraid when looking out across deep water, sticking by their side and supporting them through their lessons can help deepen your bond with your child and boost their self-confidence!
Infant swimming lessons are far more exciting, fun, and rewarding than you may initially believe! Check out these amazing benefits of taking a baby swim class!
1. A Whole-Body Workout
Swimming isn’t an exercise that only targets one part of your body. It works out your lungs, your heart, your arms, and your legs. For your infant — who is still actively developing — this exercise can accelerate growth and help them skyrocket past expected physical milestones.
Water-aerobics and gentle water-based exercises are a fantastic way for people of all ages to build muscle strength while reducing muscle and joint strain. Also, as infants learn how to hold their breath underwater, their lungs continue to grow stronger!
Overall, these early physical boosts can help your child enjoy a healthy, fit life with fewer physical hurdles.
2. Better Sleep for Everyone
Anyone who has ever tried to exercise after years of being out-of-shape can tell you how exhausted they feel after only a few minutes of jogging, lifting weights, or stretching. Infants have very little muscle mass when they’re born, and must develop a staggering amount of strength during their early months to sit up, stand, and learn to walk.
All of this exercise can take its toll on tiny tots, which is why naps are necessary. Still, it’s common to find that children aged two and older have longer, more consistent bursts of energy.
Channeling that wild spirit into something constructive, like learning how to swim, can ensure that both mommy and baby get to take a nap after they come inside and dry themselves off — no convincing needed!
3. Faster Mental Development
By the time that young swimmers start kindergarten, they may be more than a year ahead of their peers in terms of language, arithmetic, and critical thinking. That boost occurs at a crucial time in child development when associations are still being formed.
Consequently, a child who feels confident about their early schoolwork is likely to enjoy school and work harder in the future to maintain excellent grades. Your child may even be able to skip a grade or enter into a gifted student program thanks to their accelerated mental development!
4. Stronger Emotional Bonds
Taking the time to teach your child how to swim, or attend lessons with them is bound to result in a more reliable emotional connection between parent and infant. There’s a strong bond of trust that builds when a small child is consistently “saved” and protected by their parent during swim lessons.
Being in the water may also remind some tiny children of being in the womb, and associating your presence with that pre-birth safety and comfort is a fantastic way to strengthen your already strong bond.
5. Increased Safety and Awareness
While it’s essential to watch your young child around the pool, no matter how much training they’ve had, swimming lessons can significantly reduce the likelihood of drowning — by approximately 88%.
6. Chances for Peace and Relaxation
Teaching your baby how to swim, primarily when they’re supported by buoyant equipment, can be a supremely relaxing experience. This is especially true of parents who decide to hold lessons at home in a private, customized swimming pool!
In fact, you could choose to install a small, child-friendly pool in your yard or home to encourage your little ones to enjoy their lessons and exercise.
7. Greater Sense of Accomplishment and Pride
Learning how to swim is a big deal, especially for adults. Some people may avoid the ocean, large lakes, and swimming pools for their entire lives simply because they do not know how to swim. This experience can bring-on feelings of shame and self-doubt, regardless of a person’s age.
That’s why teaching your child how to swim earlier, rather than later, is one of the best ways to boost self-confidence and pride in your little one. They can confidently tackle pool parties, beach trips, and lakeside vacations with ease. And, for the rest of their life, they will never fear an opportunity to go swimming!
8. A Stronger Sense of Identity and Independence
As a parent, you are tasked with many responsibilities and roles. One of those roles is “the teacher.” Preparing your child for the world is one of the primary goals of being an excellent parent, and teaching independence is the first step toward accomplishing that goal.
Baby swimming lessons can help imbue your tot with a new sense of independence that can help them to master initial hurdles like dressing oneself, toilet training, and feeding oneself. This can-do attitude is sure to stick with your child for the rest of their lives!
9. Faster Motor Skills and Better Balance
Baby swimming lessons can encourage better motor skills and balance from a young age! Children who learned to swim at a young age, and who continued to practice their swimming, tend to flourish in school when asked to cut paper, color, perform simple math problems, or read aloud.
Your child’s early brain development, early physical development, sense of self, and sense of familial security can all be improved with infant swimming lessons. The price to pay for so many outstanding benefits is so small that there’s no reason not to get your child involved as soon as possible!
Tackle Infant Swim Lessons From the Comfort of Home!
You don’t have to frequent the local community center or gym just to treat your child to baby swimming lessons! You can easily enjoy the bliss and benefits from the comfort of home.
A free, no-obligation consultation only requires a few minutes of your time, but a quality home swimming pool is sure to last a lifetime. If you have any additional questions about residential swimming pool installation options, please reach out today!
