How Soon Can My Baby Take Swimming Lessons?

You'll find that many swim programs that offer infant swimming lessons require the infant to be in a group lesson and the parent to be in the pool with the child until the baby is 4 years old - these lessons are mainly geared towards water acclimation and group fun. But at Sunsational Swim School, we believe that the sooner you start teaching real water safety skills, the safer your child will be in and around water. We offer private lessons with qualified instructors who can begin teaching your child to swim at six months, and focus on developing real swimming skills as soon as they’re able to walk.

Up to One Year

For children up to a year, the focus is on safety around and in water, and building your child’s level of comfort. This is the foundation of the skill set that will help your child to be as safe as possible and to enjoy water-based recreation for the rest of his or her life. The child will become comfortable with singing, splashing, bouncing around and playing in water, and even at ease with being submerged – we begin by pouring water over the child’s head, giving them a cue that it’s about to happen by counting, 1-2-3. Later on, we use the same cue to tell them that we’re about to put their head under water. This teaches them how to avoid accidentally taking in water.

2-3 Years

At this stage in your child’s development, they’ll be very active in the water, and be as comfortable in an aquatic environment as they are on dry land. Your child will learn how to float on both their back and front, and will be able to kick and paddle. Even children under age 2 can learn these skills, with repetition and continuous lessons, so it’s important to commit to a long-term program of instruction.

Water Safety for Young Children

It’s important to be safe in the water at all ages, and that’s why we at Sunsational Swim School believe that you should begin private swim lessons for your child very early in life. Most water safety rules, like no running or horseplay around the pool, no swimming alone, and so on are intended for all ages. There are, however, some concerns that are specific to very young children.

It goes without saying that you should keep a baby, at all times, in your arms. Also, never submerge a child without letting him or her know what you’re about to do – remember the 1-2-3 cue.

If the child is not toilet-trained, make sure they’re wearing a swim diaper to prevent health risks to others who might be using the pool.

Remember that it’s possible for an infant to drown in under 30 seconds, in an inch of water, so never leave a child unattended near water, not even for a minute.

Make sure that the gate to the pool is always closed, and the latch isn’t within reach of children.

Keep it safe, start them young with private lessons from Sunsational Swim School, and your child will be swimming and loving the water in no time!