Time for the Swimming Pool!!

Time for swimming pool

Once our baby turns 6 months old, we can buy him his first swimsuit, not only to start his trips to the beach but also because it's time for him to start swimming.

By Eleni Daskalaki

With the collaboration of Pediatrician Evangelos Kantaros and Professor of Physical Education Margarita Kontzia
My girlfriend's son is 7 months old and already enjoying his dips and stretches in the baby pool of the Olympic Stadium! According to the proud mother, the little one is calmer, sleeps better at night and shows in every way he can how much he likes this new activity. New of course, but not unprecedented, since the feeling of water on his body is clearly familiar to him after 9 months in the moist environment of the womb. According to experts, this is one of the reasons why babies adapt much faster than older children to the pool and relax in the water.

Another advantage of the Lilliputian swimmers is that they still retain the spontaneous reflexes for swimming and breathing in the water, something that older children need to learn with care and patience. Thus, as soon as babies are in the water, they automatically “close” their respiratory tracts and can dive without drinking water. Another impressive fact is that they instinctively make the familiar swimming movements with their bodies. So is the swimming pool a “smart” choice, especially now that summer is approaching and we want to smoothly and safely bring our children into contact with the sea?
Let's go for long dives!

“Every baby reacts differently to the first contact with water,” explains Physical Education teacher, Ms. Margarita Kontzia, “and this depends on each person’s personality and adaptability to the liquid element. There are babies who laugh and rejoice from the first contact and others who cry and need a few lessons until they get used to it. The familiarization period lasts about 4-5 skill lessons. However, as time goes by, all babies love the water and enjoy swimming lessons.” Of course, the earlier they start, ideally as soon as they are 5 months old, the better. At this age, children have the benefits of the breath-holding reflex and the swimming reflex. Thanks to the epiglottis reflex, when a baby is submerged in water, he holds his breath and does not swallow water. Accordingly, the swimming reflexes correspond to the primary motor behavior of newborns. These innate movements, referred to as a memory from life in the womb, can, if cultivated, become voluntary swimming movements from the 11th month and then lead to learning to swim after 16 months.
But do babies make long dives? It seems that they do, since as the trainer tells us, when they are timed, they can swim for a few seconds between two adults - for safety - and around 16 months they manage to swim independently for a while.

Baby swimming pool

The curiosity was great and I wanted to see the little swimmers with my own eyes. So I followed my girlfriend and her son to a lesson. In a small children's pool about 1.5m deep, mothers and babies followed the instructions of the coach and did the exercises and games she suggested to their babies. The babies' cooing laughter was interrupted for a few seconds for the little swimmer to do his long dive and then they continued as if nothing had happened. As the coach explained to us, the pool meets all safety standards, is heated to a constant temperature, so that babies and parents feel comfortable, and is cleaned with ozone.

The half hour of the lesson passed without me realizing it, since I was literally going crazy with what I was seeing and regretting that I missed the opportunity to give similar lessons to my children while they were still babies. On the way back, the little boy was sleeping carefree in his seat and my friend described to me how much calmer he had become in the weeks he had been swimming.

The benefits of swimming

“Contact with water strengthens babies' immune systems,” points out Ms. Kontzia. “Water, thanks to its natural characteristics, such as buoyancy and resistance, provides infants with a familiar environment and many opportunities for sensory activation, which they could not have otherwise. It gives them the opportunity to discover ways to control their body, to change posture and position, to observe the world from a different perspective. It has been proven that contact with water supports the overall development of infants by positively affecting their motor, muscular and neuropsychic development. Infants who follow corresponding programs, as they grow up, have a greater variety of movements, a higher degree of self-confidence and are more independent. Thanks to swimming, their sleep becomes more pleasant and calm, since the water regulates their muscle tone and relaxes them. Furthermore, because the lessons are held with the cooperation of the parent, the bond between mom-dad and baby is strengthened and even more intense emotions develop. Finally, it contributes to the development of the child's personality, who socializes better within the group and naturally through These safe and enjoyable activities are fun for babies. Let's not forget that this entire process, especially at such a young age, promotes lifelong exercise in general and swimming in particular.

The pediatrician's opinion

Pediatrician Evangelos Kantaros answers our question about how safe swimming is for children of all ages, from infants to older children. Subconsciously, water reminds babies of life in the womb, calms and relaxes them. Endorphins, hormones that are secreted in the brain when they are calm and have a beneficial effect on the child's daily behavior, help with this. Many parents of babies or older children worry that chlorine or swimming in the pool in general may affect the health of tiny swimmers. However, this concern is unfounded. Swimming is completely safe, suitable for all ages and all children without exception.