When should you start infant swim lessons?

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I feel like I blinked and Caleb is rounding the corner to being 18 months old. It’s flown by so fast. Last week we went camping and Caleb went on his first canoe trip. Thank goodness for infant life jackets. Caleb is even more adventurous and fearless than Liam (who knew that was possible?) and tried climbing out of the canoe to get in the water. It reminded us that we really need to get Caleb started on swim lessons. He’s so mobile (and fast), so teaching him water safety is really important. Which got me thinking – when is the best time to start swim lessons with your baby? I had the opportunity recently to sit down with Lisa Armitage, the owner of Goldfish Swim School in Dublin, Westerville and Lewis Center and a water safety expert, to ask her all my questions about infant swim lessons:

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How do I know if my baby is ready to start swim lessons? Are there any developmental milestones they need to meet first? 

At Goldfish Swim School, babies can start Mini-Level swim classes at four months of age or when they have independent head and neck control. We encourage parents to start their babies in swim and swim safety lessons as early as possible.

Four months seems really young. What are the benefits to starting infant swim lessons so early? 

Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children under the age of four, so it’s never too early to start teaching the fundamentals of swimming and safety. Many children are enrolled in recreational activities, but swimming is a life skill and one that can be used from a very early age so we recommend making it a top priority. Four months old is a good age to start infant swim lessons. At that age, they are often not fearful of water and at that age it’s all about getting them acclimated and comfortable in water. It’s also a great bonding time for parents and caretakers and their little ones.

Goldfish Swim School offers three different Mini level classes. What are the differences in the classes besides age? 

Goldfish Swim School’s Mini-Level classes offer parent or caregiver participation for the youngest students and other non-parent classes for those who are older and a little more experienced. The Mini classes are for kids ages 4-35 months old. It’s great bonding time for parents and little ones where kids will work with their instructor to learn how to be comfortable in the water, basic swim skills (e.g., pulling paddle, “Superman” glide, float on their backs in the sea otter position and kicking while holding onto a barbell), and water safety. Our Mini 3 class is for children ages of 2-3 where the parent or caregiver is not in the water, and the student is with the instructor and a maximum of 2 other students.  This is a very fun and unique class for younger children who are comfortable being away from their parent and working independently with the instructor.

What’s the benefit to doing a class with adult participation? 

The parents/caretakers and their babies practice basic comfort skills together. With an adult in the water, everyone sings songs, practices tummy time, and gets the kids used to being comfortable. They’ll also practice their grasp reflex, move on to holding onto the wall and eventually inching their way down it.  Once they’re ready, these baby swimmers will learn the proper technique to get out of the water safely: “elbow, elbow, tummy, knee.” It’s a great bonding time for the adults and little ones.

Weekly lessons for a baby feels a little intimidating…does my baby really need infant swim lessons that often at this age? 

At Goldfish Swim School, we believe in perpetual, year-round swim lessons and at four months of age, babies can begin learning this important life skill. It’s the consistency each week that keeps their swim and water safety skills sharp, and the lessons help with confidence, socialization and most importantly, the lessons are fun!

My baby hates just being in the bathtub. Should we wait? 

The more you give your baby the opportunity to practice being in and acclimating to water, the more they will be comfortable in it. Bathtubs are a great place to practice. For many kids, becoming accustomed to having water splashed in their faces and going underwater is easier to do the younger they start doing it. We keep our pools at a warm 90 degrees at Goldfish Swim School to make kids as comfortable in the water as possible. 

My baby already loves being in the water. Is it okay to wait until they’re older to start swim lessons since they’re already comfortable being in a pool? 

It’s never too early to enroll in swim lessons and learn to swim. Beyond teaching your child to be comfortable in and around water, Goldfish Swim School instructors help them learn to go underwater and hold their breath and basic safety skills. This helps to build a strong foundation for learning to swim. 

We don’t have a pool or live near water. Why do we need to start lessons now? 

Water is everywhere – from bathtubs and toilets to neighborhood retention ponds and creeks to lakes and oceans – and even if you don’t live near a body of water, accidents can happen in your home or on vacation. Accidents can happen anywhere and drowning rates are high for young children, which is why we advocate for children beginning lessons early.

If you’ve been wondering how early your baby should start swim lessons like I was, I hope that Lisa helped answer some of your questions. Are you planning to sign up your little for lessons? Leave a comment and let me know! I need to sit down with our schedule to figure out when the best time is to schedule classes for Caleb. I’ll keep you posted on how they go!

Looking for accessories for your baby’s first swim lessons? I recommend these and these for swim diapers and SwimZip for bathing suits!

This post is part of our partnership with Goldfish Swim School. All opinions are completely my own.