Swimmers with a pacifier
They get off their swing, put on their swimsuits and
dive into the pool. Some of the little athletes
of this report they know how to swim even before
walk!
By Eleni Daskalaki
The day I went to the indoor swimming pool for the report
of the Olympic Stadium was rainy and cold. A typical
winter day. With difficulty I made the decision to go out
from my house and I was wondering which parent would go
his baby in the swimming pool in winter weather. But when
When I got there, my mood immediately improved. A little
blue reflection of the water that brought to mind the
summer sea, a little carefree laughter of the little ones who
They were swimming merrily in rows, a little bit of the girls
synchronized swimming that were taking place at that time
their training, drawing attention to them, I began
to enjoy my visit.
While looking for the baby swimming pool, I saw a
warm and cute image. The polygonal swimming pool in
ideal size for children from 9 months to 3 years old,
enclosed in glass to keep warm
atmosphere, babies splashing around chasing
colorful plastic balls and older children to
they show off their proud parents their clumsy dives, all
together they were enough to wake up the mom in me and
I'm thinking maybe I should bring my son to the babysitting service too.
swimming of the Nireas Chalandri Athletic Club. “It must
to be from the magazine. I am Margarita, the
coach of the little ones. But we'll talk about it later because
"As you can see, babies don't hold on," she introduced herself to me.
smiling girl and immediately rushed to the pool.
Really two little girls, a little older than one
year old, they had put on their one-piece swimsuits and were waiting
impatiently at the edge of the pool for Margarita to get involved
in the water.
One of the two little ones, Marina, with the
who left the safe embrace of his mother and put the
crying. Her mom, much calmer than me,
rewarded every time between her moans
pushed the ball or bathed the baby doll, like
the coach told her. When we moved away to
To calm the little one down more easily, I found the opportunity to
talk to her mom. “Marina is sixteen months old and
this is her sixth lesson. Bringing her into contact with
water and swimming were my desire and
decision, since she herself is too young to be able to
express her opinion. The fact that she is crying at this moment when
She's with the coach, she won't make me stop her.
And that's because at home, while I'm preparing it, it's running
to bring her swimsuit, she announces to everyone that we
now we go to "congo" - the word he has for
swimming pool – and generally seems happy to come.
If at any time I see her resentful or unwilling,
If she wants to start, then I will respect her refusal.
When I learned that there are swimming classes for such young children
Guys, I was excited, because swimming is something that interests me.
I really like it too. My goal is not to
lead to championship. My desire is to
to encourage sports, a healthy lifestyle and
thinking.
Before we started swimming, the pediatrician gave me
his consent and agreed that swimming was
something positive for Marina...".
Irene, 3 years old, comes to the swimming pool from
September and her familiarity is evident. She does
dives in the water, opens her eyes in the water and
she swims even without her life jackets.
"I was taking my oldest son to the swimming pool so it was
"It's natural to bring Irene too," her dad explains to me.
3-year-old Irene and 5-year-old Konstantinos who
swims with the older children. “Since we live in a country
surrounded by the sea, I believe that our children
they must learn to live with water. It is
the percentage of Greek children who do not know is excessive
swimming but also in general of people who drown
every summer at the seaside. So by bringing the children
my to learn to swim properly, I believe that they
I ensure a significant level of safety for life.
On the other hand, we see that children who live
in Athens, locked inside the house, they don't have many
opportunities for relaxation and activity that are important to them
so necessary.
So the swimming pool is for us a
good choice. Swimming is an outlet for
energy that children and adults have within them
conditions of our everyday life do not help them to
to decompress. Judging from my son, who is a little
bigger and swims longer, it's obvious
how much sports have helped him. At five he is swimming
comfortably without a life jacket, his body has begun to acquire
correct lines and the main thing is that he really likes it
swimming and seeks it. I believe the same is true
and with Peace, even if it is still fragile."
Long dives with the… diaper
While we were talking to Irene's father, two little sisters
arrive. Margarita embraces the youngest and
together they begin the games and the dives. In a
moment I see the coach diving into the baby and
where I wait for it to come out of the water... crying, this
starts laughing. His mom looks at him confidently and
She smiles too.
'Very young babies, once they have overcome their natural fear,
which is mainly for the unknown person with whom
they suddenly find themselves hugging each other in the water, they remember
instinctively the contact with water, as they experienced it in the
their mother's belly. Babies still have spontaneous
reflexes for swimming and breathing inside the
water, something that older children need to
"We learn with attention and patience," says the gymnast who
is training.
"It's not dangerous to bring, say, my baby, who
"She's almost nine months old, so she's going to learn to swim," I ask her.
"Babies and young children are held in the arms of the
coach the whole time he is in the pool. When
begin to get used to and become familiar with, the
we move away from our embrace, but always holding
Then the babies start to dive with their
eyes open and enjoying contact with the water,
Children calm down and relax, and even more so after
swimming they are tired and fall asleep very easily.
However, the greatest difficulty at all ages is not
It's both the water and the contact with the coach that
It's a stranger who the child needs time for.
to get used to.
That's why in the first lessons the
more children cry. In these cases
I'm trying to get to know each other a little outside the pool and in the
I then hold them in my arms and we walk around the
a point where they step, to feel more secure.
But once they get over their initial fear, most
they enjoy swimming and don't want to get out of the pool
pool".
I remember a conversation about the unique relationship that
The kids have the water I had with Vicky.
Zerva: “For babies, water is something very familiar, a
of their favorite toys. Contact with water
offers children peace. In addition, playing together
it also gives them practical knowledge about nature
as well as helping them learn to coordinate their
their movements. Children playing with water
discover its properties: You can put it
in a container and take its shape, but it remains the
the same wherever they are. This subconsciously helps them to
they perceive themselves, that in this way we too can
adapt to different situations while remaining
themselves. This subconscious knowledge is valuable for the
the child's emotional development and interpersonal
of relationships".
From theory to practice
When I saw 3-year-old Charalambos getting ready for the
his lesson, I was immediately excited. “This is mine
"ours", I thought, meaning that he is the same age as the
my son Valerio. I watched him with great interest
stubbornly trying to swim without a life jacket,
he dives, clasping his hands together and with
I was jealously watching his mom brag about him. With a
secret code that moms have to
are recognized, we quickly went from the plural
of the report in the friendly singular of two women with peers
children, since our second children have also been born with
a few days' difference. "The hawk has begun the
swimming pool for about three months and he liked it
from the beginning the contact with water. While many children because
the coaches say, they cry or get upset at first
lessons, Charalambos seemed to like it from the very beginning
"He is pleased and has made progress very quickly,"
says his mother.
“On the days I don’t bring him, he misses me a lot. It’s a
lively child and it is obvious that he needs to
to release, to channel his energy. So
On the days we come to the swimming pool it is calmer.
and more relaxed. Especially when there is a new
baby at home, the older child needs one
"distraction" that will make him feel proud
and confident about himself, but it will also help him to
"spend his energy."
The work is finished, the report material is
enough, but I refuse to leave. I look at the children who
play, learn and make friends in the water. It is
very important to start sports early. So
we lay the foundation for them to love exercise and
healthy life, to consider them part of their lives, which
"tomorrow it can protect them from various evils",
the coach tells me as if she's reading my thoughts.
"You can, you know, bring the child for 10 minutes
trial without writing it down. From its first
reaction we will be able to understand if he will like it
the swimming pool".
We will start a swimming pool because...
Through playing with water, children learn to
float and take first steps in technique for
swimming.
Swimming is the best exercise for little ones
children who are not allowed to do other types
gymnastics.
Their physical fitness and respiratory function are strengthened.
ability, heart function, posture improves and
the position of the body.
Psychologically it also helps children overcome their
their fears and gain courage and self-confidence and
they become more autonomous.
Children who exercise get sick less and are less likely to
they easily catch childhood diseases
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