Swimmers from a swing..

Swing swimmers

Do you want your baby to become smarter, stronger, calmer, more sociable? Maybe even a great swimmer? Dive into the pool with him.

Infant and toddler swimming is slowly starting to win the hearts of both young and old. This enjoyable, educational and highly beneficial activity for the child's (and parent's) health has dynamically entered our lives in recent years and is growing rapidly.

Get to know baby swimming

The first experimental swimming programs for infants and toddlers began in Germany 30 years ago, with the aim of familiarizing the little ones with water, so that they would become good swimmers. However, in the process, it turned out that initially flotation and then learning to swim came second, as the benefits to the psychomotor development of children were much more important. “I believe that there are only positives in this type of activity,” points out Ms. Maira Mylonopoulou, neonatologist at the “Miter” maternity hospital. “Among the negatives, I would put, in parentheses, the issue of hygiene of the spaces used. They should be clean, properly equipped and the people trained.”

From 6 months… to the depths

Infant and toddler swimming is aimed at children aged 6 months to 4 years and is carried out by trained physical education teachers with the participation of parents, in a heated pool (29-32 degrees Celsius). "Water provides infants with a very good opportunity to discover that they are capable of managing their movements. In this environment, they can perform spontaneous and autonomous movements, which would not be possible in any other case," emphasizes Ms. Margarita Kotzia, a Physical Education teacher with a specialization in swimming and a postgraduate degree in babyswimming, instructor of the program at the OAKA pool.

The benefits for children

It has a positive effect on the motor, muscular and neuropsychic development of infants and toddlers.
Infants who have attended water movement programs have developed a greater variety of movements and positive emotional behavior.
Children who are involved in learning to swim from such a young age gain adaptability to stimuli, courage, self-confidence, and independence.
The parent-child relationship is strengthened.
Through contact with other infants, they better develop their personality, their intelligence, and become social.
After swimming, sleep is more pleasant and peaceful, since the water regulates their muscle tone and creates a feeling of relaxation. Swimming in warm water is familiar to young children, as it resembles the state they experience as fetuses in the “aquatic environment” of the womb.
Swimming strengthens their immune system.

Parents also win

“The relationship with their child is strengthened. Imagine that in the first lesson we had them listen to their babies' heartbeats while they were in the water. They learn more about their child and are happy to see them make some movements, have some skills that they didn't even expect. Fathers also come to the lessons, because this way they find the opportunity to spend some time with their child, as their professional obligations don't allow them to see them as much as they would like,” says Ms. Kotzia.
Are there any risks?

“Only if the spaces are not suitable. Then, mainly babies are at risk of skin infections and very young babies from urinary tract infections, because they are more sensitive,” emphasizes Ms. Mylonopoulou. However, Ms. Kotzia assures that there is no risk. Not even for accidents, since the pool meets all safety standards and learning takes place with the participation of parents. Besides, as she says, at the same time as swimming, both children and parents are taught some lifeguard skills to prevent accidents.
Can all babies?

“Almost all children can attend this program,” says Ms. Mylonopoulou. “Caution is needed only in some special cases, such as for example in children with asthma, because the chlorine in the pool is excessive and can cause asthma attacks. Also, it is good for premature babies to start the program after they are one year old. Children with certain dermatological problems should also avoid the pool, for hygiene reasons and for the safety of other children.”

Diving is a pleasure

Holding your breath is an important element in this training. However, deep dives require special technique. In the first months of their life, children instinctively hold their breath in the water. But little by little, they forget this and so the instructor is called upon to teach them to hold their breath. “Infants at the age of 6 months perform reflexive swimming movements and reflexive breath holding when they are underwater.
When babies are submerged in water due to the reflex movement of the epiglottis, they can hold their breath without swallowing. This is one of the reasons why learning to swim should be done from 6 months, in order to cultivate these characteristics. Reflex swimming is the pre-natal motor behavior that newborns have in the water immediately after birth. These innate reflex swimming movements are referred to as a phylogenetic memory from the life of infants before they are born and if cultivated correctly, they can become voluntary swimming movements from the 11th month, while through appropriate stimuli and proper guidance they can lead to learning to swim independently from the age of 16 months. Of course, even after this age, it is never too late for children to start swimming, so that they can reap the significant benefits of babyswimming, Ms. Kotzia tells us.

Is there a failure rate?

“No, because our goal is not just for them to swim, but for them to learn things through safe and enjoyable activities, always according to their personality and abilities. We will never force a child to do something in order to have negative results. We follow the rhythm of each child, because each one is a separate unit and must be treated accordingly,” points out Ms. Kotzia.

Swimming lessons in the winter

It is advisable for lessons to start in the fall and be held systematically throughout the winter and spring, so that by summer the child has received the first basic training and is more ready for the sea. The swimming pools where the programs are held have the appropriate equipment (heated indoor pool, heated children's changing rooms, etc.)