Swim Lessons, Early

This is my pitch to get your kid started with swim lessons pretty much as early as possible, and that means like within a few months of birth, or certainly in the first year.

It is easier to get your kid adapted to water when they are fresh out of being submerged in liquids for the first 9 months of their life. In that first year they’ll still have an adaptation to hold their breath under the water. And, putting their face under the water isn’t a struggle— and if it is, you still outpower them.

Maybe the idea of “outpowering” them to submerge their heads sounds cruel, but in my mind it’s much preferable to doing the same with a 5 year old who is screaming, crying, kicking, and trying to run away. I’ve seen it at the swim school, at public pools and splashpads, at lakes and backyard pools. Older kids who have just never put their head under the water, and as an extension likely have no idea how to swim to safety if needed.

Because really, it’s about instilling a sense of comfort with water, and by extension the ability to react calmly to unexpected water situations. It seems most swim courses around here prioritize or at least include instruction on how to get to safety in an unexpected situation. Things can happen, like falling into a pool, falling off a boat, or being caught off guard by a large wave in a wave pool.

Unlike many other skills classes that kids are signed up for, swim classes uniquely benefit from starting with very young children.