8 Benefits of Infant Swim Time

Introducing Your Baby to Swimming

It might feel a bit premature to bring your baby to the pool before they've even started walking. However, the experience of being in the water offers numerous advantages. Immersing your baby in water provides a distinctive sensory experience that stimulates their body in unique ways, leading to the development of billions of neurons as they kick, glide, and splash. Children introduced to swimming at an older age often develop a sense of fear or negativity towards it. On the contrary, younger children tend to be more open to floating on their backs, a skill that is achievable even in infancy! Let's explore the various benefits that early swim sessions can offer your baby.

1. Swimming May Improve Cognitive Functioning

Bilateral cross-patterning movements, which use both sides of the body to carry out an action, help your baby’s brain grow. Cross-patterning movements build neurons throughout the brain, especially in the corpus callosum, facilitating communication, feedback, and modulation from one side of the brain to another.

Down the road, this may improve:

• Reading skills
• Language development
• Academic learning
• Spatial awareness

When swimming, your baby moves their arms while kicking their legs. And they’re doing these actions in water, which means their brain is registering the tactile sensation of water plus its resistance. Swimming is also a unique social experience, which further enhances brain development.

A four-year study of more than 7,000 children by Griffith University in Australia suggested children who swim have advances in physical and mental development compared to their peers who don’t swim. Specifically, the 3- to 5-year-olds who swam were:

• 11 months ahead in verbal skills
• 6 months ahead in math skills
• 2 months ahead in literacy skills
• 17 months ahead in story recall
• 20 months ahead in understanding directions

However, the study’s findings were only an association and not firm evidence. The study was also sponsored by the swim school industry and relied on parental reports. More research is needed to explore and confirm this potential benefit.

2. Swim Time May Reduce the Risk of Drowning

Swim time may reduce the risk of drowning in children over 4 years old. Swimming may reduce the risk in children ages 1 to 4, but the evidence isn’t strong enough to say for sure. It’s important to note that swim time doesn’t reduce the risk of drowning in children under 1.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), drowning is a leading cause of death among children and toddlers. Most of these drownings in children under 4 years old occur in home swimming pools. If you have a pool, early swim lessons may be helpful. Even the youngest babies can be taught swimming skills, like floating on their backs. However, for infants under 1 year old, this doesn’t guarantee drowning prevention. Even if your child has had swim lessons, they should still be supervised at all times while in the water.

3. Swimming May Improve Confidence

Most infant classes include elements like water play, songs, and skin-to-skin contact with parents or caregivers. Children interact with one another and the instructor, beginning to learn how to function in groups. These elements, plus the fun of learning a new skill, may boost your baby’s self-esteem.

A 2010 study suggested that 4-year-old children who had taken swim lessons between the ages of 2 months and 4 years were better adapted to new situations, had more self-confidence, and were more independent than non-swimmers.

An older study reinforced these findings, showing that early, year-round swimming lessons for preschool-age participants were associated with:

• Greater self-control
• A stronger desire to succeed
• Better self-esteem
• More comfort in social situations than non-swimmers

4. Increases Quality Time Between Caregivers and Babies

Even if you have more than one child, swim time that involves a parent in the water promotes one-on-one bonding. During a lesson, it’s just you and your little one focused on each other, making it a wonderful way to spend quality time together.

5. Builds Muscle

Swim time helps promote important muscle development and control in babies at a young age. Little ones need to develop the muscles needed to hold their heads up, move their arms and legs, and work their core in coordination with the rest of their body.

Swimming improves muscle strength externally and provides internal benefits by getting joints moving. It also benefits cardiovascular health, strengthening the heart, lungs, brain, and blood vessels.

6. Improves Coordination and Balance

Along with building muscle, time in the pool can help improve coordination and balance. It’s not easy learning to move little arms and legs together. Even small coordinated movements represent big leaps in a baby’s development.

A 2003 study found that swimming lessons may help improve children’s behavior as they grow. While the study didn’t specify why, it may be that children are trained to listen to an instructor before getting in the water and are prompted to follow instructions.

7. Improves Sleeping Patterns

Swimming requires a lot of energy for babies. They’re in a new environment, using their bodies in new ways, and working hard to stay warm. All of that extra activity burns energy, so babies tend to be sleepier after a swim lesson.

It might be helpful to schedule nap time after swimming or adjust bedtimes on swim days.

8. Improves Appetite

A day in the pool often makes people feel hungry, and babies are no different. Physical exertion in the water, combined with the body’s effort to stay warm, burns a lot of calories. You may notice an increase in your baby’s appetite after regular swimming sessions.

Safety Tips

Newborns and infants should never be left alone around any body of water, including bathtubs or pools. A child can drown in even just 1 inch of water.

For children under 4 years of age, “touch supervision” is best. This means an adult should be close enough to touch them at all times.

Other important safety tips:

• Be aware of small bodies of water, like bathtubs, ponds, fountains, and even watering cans.
• Always ensure children are supervised by an adult while swimming.
• Enforce safety rules around pools, such as no running or pushing others underwater.
• Use a life jacket while in a boat. Avoid using inflatable toys or mattresses as substitutes.
• Remove the cover of your pool completely before swimming.
• Avoid distractions (like using a phone) while supervising children in the water.

The Takeaway

As long as necessary precautions are taken and your baby has your undivided attention, swim time can be perfectly safe.

Another benefit of infant swimming is the bonding experience between parents and children. In our busy world, slowing down to enjoy experiences together is rare. Swim time provides an opportunity to be fully present while teaching important life skills.

So grab your swim bag and wade in!