Why Swim Lessons Should Start At 4 Months Old

You waited. You watched. You counted down the days until your precious bundle of joy made its way into your arms. And even though the wee night hours seem long, you’ve quickly come to realize that the weeks pass quickly.

So it may come as a surprise that your newest little angel is ready for swim lessons as early as four months old. “But how?” you ask. “My baby was JUST BORN.” We know. And, yes, they’re ready. Because your future Tot is also mere months away from mobility, and water is everywhere — and fascinating to every curious crawler.

Babies Learn Quickly!
Children develop by leaps and bounds in the first year of life, even in a matter of weeks. For example, at two months old, your little one can hold their head up and begin to push up when lying on their tummy. By four months, they may be able to use their hands and eyes together, seeing and reaching for objects. They may also be able to roll over from tummy to back. By six months, your little one may be passing objects back and forth between hands, rolling from front to back and sitting up. They’re growing and making BIG STRIDES!

The period of rapid progression at four months is the ideal time to begin incorporating the water into the mix of their milestones, so they can adapt and adjust to the water differently. Here are a few reasons why:

• As lung and air capacity increases, your baby’s buoyancy changes, and the way their body moves and floats in the water has to be trained to adapt.
• As the natural kicking reflex begins to dissipate, your baby can be taught how to kick consciously.
• As your baby learns to follow objects/people with their eyes while turning their head, they can begin to learn to safely submerge and turn their eyes to safety — where to get air, find the wall, etc.

Parents Learn, Too!
A caregiver’s natural instinct to protect and introduce their baby to the water safely comes with the best of intentions, but often times, caregivers need to be instructed about proper technique to help their children experience the water with a long-term goal in mind. Learning to safely submerge based on breath control and how to recognize when and how a child resumes normal breathing are just a couple of the valuable tools that every caregiver should have in their toolbox of raising safe, happy and healthy children.

At Aqua-Tots Swim Schools, we want to give your precious children a lifetime of water adventures, and that starts with a foundation of water safety from the very start. We’ll see you and your bouncing baby at the pool!