How to Teach Babies to Swim According to Age

How to Teach Babies to Swim According to Age: There are various benefits that can be obtained from teaching babies to swim. Besides being able to increase the closeness between babies and parents, swimming can also affect the intelligence and confidence of babies.

How to Teach Babies to Swim According to Age

Although the baby's feet and hands automatically move when entering into the pool, it does not mean it is easy to teach babies to swim. You have to know what needs to be considered so that the safety is maintained, because the baby has not been able to hold his breath and raise his head to the water well.

In addition to noticing the safety of swimming pools, teaching babies to swim also requires special tricks. The following is how to teach babies to swim based on their age:

1. Infants aged 6-18 months

Teaching babies to swim can be done as early as possible. But the most recommended time is when he is six months old. As a first step, try splashing pool water into the baby's body to make it adapt to water. Let the baby explore the water and feel comfortable in the water.

Teach the baby to do the kicking and pulling the legs as basic movements. Next, you can introduce mouth movements to blow air bubbles.

Another fun activity for this age is to make it glide and float in the water on its supine position. In order for babies to enjoy playing in the water more, invite movement activities to glide in several different directions.

2. Infants aged 18 months to 3 years

At this age, babies can be taught to kick or paddle their arms. When you are close to three years old, you can teach him to hold his breath, let him in and out of the shallow swimming pool, and do more varied games.

Games that are suitable for babies at this age, including playing ball throwing or pretending to be a train by walking in the water along the edge of the pool. This game is effective in stimulating the baby to move and paddle his arm to swim.

To practice his ability to dive, you can ask him to pick up objects at the bottom of a shallow pool. These games can be an effective way to teach babies to swim.

3. For babies aged 3-5 years

When your baby is older or has entered the age range of 3-5 years, activities in teaching babies to swim can already be more varied. Teach him to move his legs and arms to push his body to move forward in the water. Teach also how to float, both floating on your back or on your stomach.

At this age, children can be taught to be careful in swimming pools. Give the understanding that walking by the pool without adult supervision is dangerous.

Parents can teach babies to swim directly or register them for swimming learning classes. But don't forget, pay attention to the cleanliness of the swimming pool, because babies are still susceptible to infection with germs or viruses.

If necessary, ask your pediatrician first if your child's health condition makes it possible to start learning to swim. This is important, especially if your child has a history of congenital heart disease, asthma, or epilepsy.