“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!” Nothing like a catchy jingle to get you in the mood for something fun to do, especially this summer! June was National Safety Awareness Month, but it’s always a good time to discuss swimming safety. After all, it is of utmost importance to talk about one of the top 5 causes of childhood death: drowning. Prevention is KEY!
3 Swimming and Water Safety Tips:
- Who can swim? ANYBODY. Really. Infants and babies swim for interaction with their parents/caregivers, and there are so many different ways to play with a baby in the water. Even if they are on a safe baby floatie or in your arms, it is all about connection! At the age of 1, it is an ideal time to begin swim lessons for building exposure, confidence, and basic, foundational skills of holding breath in the water.
- Why do we teach swimming? The main thing is for the child to be willing to get in the water and learn water safety skills if they are in the water. Swimming is a skill that should be taught from an early age. And of course, if the person enjoys it, they can develop those skills further.
- What are some tips once my child is enrolled in swim? Honestly, the best tip that I can share is to encourage your child to be confident in/around the water. The language you use matters. For example, “Be careful, that’s the deep water and you will drown” is very different from, “Let’s swim to the other side. The water is 4 ft deep, but we will explore what it is like, together.” If you talk about swimming/water through a positive lens, your children will take it the same way. Your bravery becomes theirs, just as your fears can also become theirs. Let’s take a neutral stance and allow them to decide how they feel about exploring different areas of the pool/water. As long as you are together, you are safe!
For perspective, I was enrolled in swim lessons since I was one year old, while my husband was not enrolled in swim during his childhood (or adulthood, for that matter). I knew that it would be important for our son, Enzo, to be enrolled in swim early on because that would be a lifelong skill for him.
At 11 months, we enrolled him in swim. First, we started off with baby and parent classes led by an instructor. Since then he has progressed his way to swimming in a group, with an instructor. This June, Enzo turned 3 years old and he has become so confident in the water. He tells us he wants to swim and puts his head in and out of the water since he knows he can hold his breath. It gives my husband and me so much peace, knowing that Enzo enjoys the water and knows how to be safe in it! I am low-key hoping he picks up swimming as a hobby as he continues to grow (as that was a dream that I never fulfilled for myself).
Stay safe in the water, dudes!
