Every toddler should learn how to swim. However, there are many things to consider before putting your toddler into swimming lessons. Here’s a quick guide help you decide.
by Troop Atomic Mommy
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Swimming is a fun activity and an essential life-saving skill. When we talk about the right age to swim, remember that there is no right age, and every child will prepare to swim at their own pace.
Putting a toddler in swimming lessons is good because everyone should learn how to swim. If your child loves to be in the water and frequently goes to a pool or the beach, that is a sign for you to put them in swimming classes.
It would help if you looked for a perfect swimming program for your toddler as soon as possible to teach your child. Always look for a class with a lower student to teacher ratio because it will be easier for your toddler to learn.
Do I Need to Enroll My Kid in Swimming Lessons?
Every child should learn to swim. However, it’s different for every toddler. Some toddlers like to be in the water, while others are more hesitant. If your child loves the water, enrolling him or her in swimming lessons may be easy. But if your child is not a fan of water and protests every bath or shower then it is not a good idea to put them in swimming lessons. It will help if you wait for the right time to teach your toddler.
What to Consider While Signing My Toddler for Swimming Lessons?
1: The Health of Your Child
It is essential to consider your child’s health before enrolling them in swimming lessons. It would be helpful if you had their health cleared by a pediatrician before signing them up for swim classes. If your child has some health issue or gets sick quickly, swimming may not be the right type of class for them until they are older with a better immune system.
2: Your Schedule
Swimming lessons are practical when they are constant. If you put your toddler in swimming lessons, you should ensure you are present for every lesson. Toddlers feel safe when their parents are around them. Therefore, ensure you schedule your child’s lessons around your work schedule so you can be physically present for their lessons.
3: The Cost of Swimming Lessons
Before enrolling in classes, always check the cost. The cost of the lessons should fall within or below your budget so that your child can continue them for a long time. If the price is too high and you cannot afford the classes, you can opt to purchase bulk lessons for a short period of time. This will allow your child to take swim lessons while also not causing budgetary concerns.
4: Your Child’s Comfort Level
You should ensure your child is comfortable with the swimming lessons. It’s not about the fear of water, it’s about the surroundings. Sometimes toddlers are not satisfied with strangers, and they feel scared. Therefore, you should be there with your child the first few days to ensure a smooth transition between your child and the teacher. This will help them become comfortable around everyone.
5: Quality of the Program
It will be good if you take time to select the right swimming lessons for your child. You should always read reviews and ask other parents for suggestions, and you can also ask other parents for a recommendation. Consider everything before choosing the swimming classes.
6: Experienced & Certified Instructors
Many people can swim, but only a few can teach toddlers. Therefore, be sure to select an instructor who is a certified trainer. You should aim to find well-experienced and certified instructors who specialize in toddlers. It will ensure that your child will learn and be safe. Be sure to ask to see the instructors’ certification so you can be sure in your child’s safety.
7: Let You Attend the Classes
Make sure to find a place where parents can accompany their children. It is one of the best tips for swimming classes, and it will help your child adjust in their initial sessions. Therefore, find courses where you can stay with them to make them feel safe and comfortable. It will also help you examine how the teacher teaches and interacts with the children.
8: Purity of Water
As new learners, your toddlers can frequently swallow water. Therefore, a place with good water hygiene and chlorination levels is a must-check tip. There should be no contaminants with the least amount of chlorine feasible.
9: Regular Progress Reports on Your Child
In a month, ensure the instructor regularly updates you on your child’s progress. A teacher should review with students what skills and strategies they have mastered during the lesson.
Benefits of Swimming Lessons for Toddlers
There are a lot of benefits of swimming for your toddlers. Enrolling your child in swimming classes is an excellent choice, as it will help your child a lot and provide many benefits.
1: Enhance Your Child’s Appetite
If your child does not eat properly, their appetite may be slow. Swimming classes are one of the best options to boost toddlers’ appetite and metabolism. Regular swimming classes will help your child use abundant energy and enhance your toddler’s appetite.
2: Develop Better Visual-Motor Skills
The second benefit of swimming lessons is the development of visual-motor skills. Swimming lessons are perfect for your toddler because they also develop cognitive abilities.
3: Boost Social Skills
Enrolling your child in swimming lessons will be the best option to boost your toddler’s social skills. Your child will meet other children their age, and learning together will develop a strong social bond to boost their social abilities.
4: Reduce the Risk of Drowning
If you send your child to take swimming lessons, it will develop life-saving skills and reduce the risk of drowning in water. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells in their research that children under the age of 14 are more likely to be faced with the risk of drowning. Therefore, it is the best idea to enroll your kids in swimming classes to enhance their skills.
5: Improves Heart Rate and Blood Vascular Function
Swimming is an excellent sport for toddlers. It helps to increase the lung capacity of your child, and it also improves heart rate and vascular function. Additionally, swimming aids in the growth of muscles.
Swimming Instruction for Toddlers
Before sending your toddlers for swimming lessons, you should take precautions; it will help them be safe and learn freely.
1: Prepare Swimming Gear
Before sending your child to learn to swim, you should prepare your child with swimming gear, including a swimsuit, cap, goggles, sunscreen (if outdoors), swim diaper, towel, and earplugs. You should ensure you provide all the necessary swimming equipment to your child to encourage higher levels of success in the water.
2: Monitor and Teach Safety
Swimming is fun but dangerous if not taught correctly. Your toddler can incur many types of personal injury during swimming classes. Personal injury laws can be daunting to understand for a common person, but such laws aid in getting the compensation for the damages incurred. Therefore, you are responsible for monitoring your child and providing them with safety measures. It would help if you also taught your child how to use the pool safety equipment.
3: Don’t Force Your Kids to Learn
The most vital tip for swimming classes is to refrain from forcing your kids to learn. Letting them have fun and be comfortable for a few days is essential. It is recommended that you allow them to explore the area and take their time to progress.
Tips for Supervising and Keeping Your Child Safe during Swim Time
1: Pay Attention
You should pay attention to your child when in water. Avoid doing other activities like reading, playing games, and using a cell phone.
2: Avoid alcohol
When your toddler is in the pool, and you are keeping an eye, avoid using alcohol or drugs—using alcohol or drugs while looking after your kid will impair your supervision.
3: Keep Your Child Near
If you are with your new learner, be in the water with them. Kids usually get scared quickly, and they panic. Leaving them unsupervised even for a second can be harmful because there are greater chances of drowning. Therefore, always keep your child within arm’s reach.
4: Never Leave Your Child with a Stranger
You should ensure that you never leave your child in or near any water bodies under the care of a stranger or another child. They may not be attentive or may leave your child and go away. And if you leave your child under the care of another child, it can be harmful to both because they both are without the skills to properly look after each other.
5: Assign a Water Watcher
If you are at a party or picnic near a pool or lake, it’s easy to get distracted. Make sure you assign a water watcher that you have the greatest trust in. A water watch will keep an eye on your child’s every activity. This way, your child will be safe, and you can enjoy your time.
6: Take Proper Safety Measures
Wear a life jacket when you are in or close to natural bodies of water, such as lakes and rivers. Check to see if the U.S. Coast Guard has approved them and fit them correctly. When children are at a pool or water park, people who can’t swim should always wear life jackets.
7: Learn Some Safety Tricks
Know how to react when there are problems and how to spot indicators of distress. Everyone—including parents, caregivers, and older kids—should learn CPR and safe rescue practices to respond to a drowning occurrence. Safety on the water is a family affair!
Conclusion
Swimming lessons are great for toddlers and can bring a whole suite of benefits to them. Remember to always support your toddler during their swimming progress. And be sure to provide them with regular swimming workouts and routines so they can get better. Above all else, make sure your kids feel safe during their swimming lessons.
