After a baby arrival, new parents wonder what is the perfect time to introduce their little ones to the world of swimming. It is important that they will know how to behave themselves in the aquatic environment and develop skills such as psychomotor skills, reaction, stamina, etc.

But the question is... is it really necessary for a little youngster to learn to swim from such a young age? To begin, it must be said that a child will not learn how to swim until he or she is three or four years old. What they practice beforehand will be nothing more than playing or having exercises that stimulate little ones and show them how fun it can be. At the same time, they learn the obstacles they may face, helping them to detect their limits.

If a baby is not introduced to a pool from an early age, absolutely nothing happens. But let's say that those who have grown up knowing this water environment and performing well from such a young age will know what it is to move in the water without fear. However, they are more cautious because they have honed some rules throughout their learning.

A baby who enters a swimming pool for the very first time needs to go through several stages while learning to swim. Before taking their first steps, they will have to get used to the new environment, then learn how to react, and then they will be able to move agilely in the water. After going through all these phases and feeling confident in the water environment, your baby will be ready to swim.

Let’s go through all the steps as well as the benefits of teaching a baby how to swim.

Aquatics and Newborns - a Perfect Match

The term neonatal aquatics refers to the ability of newborns to immerse themselves and move easily in water. It differs from swimming because it does not aim to teach the baby the basics of swimming but only to make him relax and promote their sensorial and motor development.

More and more pediatricians are suggesting neonatal aquatics courses to their little patients. This is because newborn babies are perfectly at ease in water. Let’s remember that they spent their first 9 months of life in the mother’s womb, immersed in amniotic fluid. For them, being surrounded by water is equivalent to finding that comfortable environment that enveloped and protected them before coming into the world.

Furthermore, when they are immersed in water, babies experience a sense of lightness and freedom of movement that they certainly do not have outside the pool. And this makes them feel good.

The Benefits of Aquatics for Babies

But is a neonatal aquatics course only useful for calming a baby and making them feel relaxed? No, although this would be a more than valid reason to enroll a baby in the pool. There are many benefits that it brings both to the child and the parents, from a physical and emotional point of view. Let’s try to understand what they are.

Neonatal Aquatics and Sensory Stimulation

We know how important the senses are for a newborn. They help them to know themselves and the world around them. We all understand how useful it is to give kids the opportunity to refine them by putting them into play. Well, water is perfect for this purpose. Its flow, the heat, and the new senses it gives to the skin are invaluable sensory stimulations for the baby. Thanks to them, a baby will be able to develop or refine their perception and learn skills while having fun and relaxing.

Muscle and Joint Development in Water

In water, children do not have the problem of the weight of gravity - they can move freely. Consequently, they can assume positions that they absolutely could not assume outside the pool. Therefore, neonatal aquatics helps the baby to discover new postures and promote muscular, skeletal, and elasticity development. It also helps improve balance as well as coordination and, therefore, develop motor skills.

Neonatal Aquatics to Improve Breathing and Circulation

The water environment helps the child learn more quickly to control their breathing. They also learn to breathe more deeply and to expand the diaphragm. This makes their lung capacity improve, and since the respiratory and circulatory systems are interconnected, blood circulation can also benefit greatly.

Neonatal Aquatics to Promote Sleep and Appetite

As we all know, moving is one of the top-notch ways to relax and relieve stress. Even a newborn can benefit from it. Getting tired in the pool could lead him to rest better in the evening and also to have more appetite. So neonatal aquatics could be very useful for all those kids who have no appetite or who have trouble falling asleep ... and, consequently, also very helpful for their parents!

Creating the Child-Parent Strong Bond

Even from an emotional point of view, neonatal aquatics really brings many benefits to children. This is because one of the parents will also have to get into the water with the baby. You understood correctly, you, moms or dads, will have to wear a swimsuit and take a nice bath.

Don’t even think about entrusting your little one exclusively to the instructor. Not because they are not capable of taking care of your baby but because the newborn would feel lost without you.

The closeness of the parents will reassure the child, allowing them to deal more easily with even the small problems that may arise. Having a mom or dad close by will encourage the baby not to give up and will make them feel protected. There is nothing better for a baby than practicing with their parents an activity that amuses them and, at the same time, allows them to be in close contact with their parents.

Increase Baby Confidence and Independence

Do you have any idea how much a child’s self-esteem can be strengthened when they reach a certain autonomy in the water? By learning to interact with the aquatic environment, to move, to float, the child, even if so small, will grow with the conviction of being able to face all the challenges. And believe me, it is no small thing.

At What Age Can a Newborn Go to the Swimming Pool?

Water is a perfectly suitable environment for newborns. For this reason, many parents take advantage of their little ones’ predisposition to swim to take them to the pool from the first months of life. What is the perfect age for visiting a swimming pool? It is necessary not to anticipate the timing too much because after birth, the child must, first of all, let the area of ​​the umbilical stump heal. And then it is necessary to avoid any sudden changes in temperature, which unfortunately are frequent in swimming pools.

The best-equipped pools can accommodate three-month-old babies, but generally speaking, aquatics courses start at six months. It is essential that the water temperature is 32 degrees. In this phase of life, moreover, the baby can count on involuntary apnea that allows them not to drink if they end up underwater. How does it work? If immersed with the head up to almost a year, it automatically closes the glottis, blocking breathing and isolating the digestive system from the airways.

Water courses for little ones are actually courses for parents too because up to three years old, they have to accompany their children to the pool. So, the best age to go with your little one to the pools is as early as you feel comfortable about it. Keep in mind that children who start going to the pool early usually learn to swim without being afraid of the water. From a physical point of view, they stimulate the cardiovascular system and neuromotor development.

7 Rules for Taking Your Baby to the Pool

• Choose a well-organized facility: with child-sized pools but also with changing rooms equipped with changing tables and spaces for breastfeeding.

• Opt for courses with small groups. Ideally, up to 5 newborns, you can go up to 10. More could be chaotic.

• The water temperature should be at least 30 degrees, but if the baby is less than six months old, a temperature between 32 and 34 degrees is recommended. The difference between inside and outside should be a maximum of three degrees.

• Your baby will need swimsuit diapers for pool visits. If you notice that they don’t move well or that the panties tend to become tight because they swell with water, choose the latex swimsuit, which sits well and facilitates movement.

• Don’t insist if the child complains, doesn’t want to go into the water, or seems cold.

• Between 3 and 24 months old, the time spent in water should be approximately 25 to 40 minutes.

• After the bath, wrap your baby in a towel and wash them immediately with warm water. Then, dry your little one carefully, paying close attention to the ears. When the child is dressed and warmed, you can think about taking them home.

Baby Swimming: Is It Dangerous?

While there are more and more families interested in this activity, some parents have many fears regarding the possible risks and dangers of neonatal aquatics courses. So, is it really dangerous? What are the risks and contraindications?

Water-related baby activities are mostly safe. The newborn is followed in the water by both the parents and highly qualified instructors who accompany their movements in complete safety. As stated earlier, after having lived for 9 months immersed in amniotic fluid, the child retains a natural survival instinct that allows babies to stay afloat without problems.

In short, there are no contraindications for neonatal swimming. The only recommendation is simply to wait for the navel to heal completely and not to start diving before having had all the mandatory vaccinations. Once this is done, all that remains is to choose the most suitable pool for you!

Conclusion

Playing with your baby and letting the water caress them is the most beautiful thing there is. For this reason, try to overcome all your fears and try to enroll your baby in a neonatal aquatics course. This way, you’ll contribute to a family vacation by the beach in the future, knowing that your child is fearless in the water.

If you don’t have the opportunity to take your little one to the pool, let them play in the bathtub anyway, in your company. Obviously, don’t fill it too much, and place a nice non-slip mat on the bottom for safety. A nice bath with mom or dad will entertain your baby and also tire them out. And finally, everyone goes to bed happy and content.