The summer season is in full swing, and it’s the perfect time to introduce your little one to what will soon become one of their favorite activities: swimming! Did you know you can begin formal swimming lessons for your baby as young as three months? Yes, it’s true! Aside from reducing their risk of drowning, swimming can help young children develop many other skills. There are numerous reasons why you should consider exposing your little one to this important life skill and fun activity.

Swimming is a great way to help babies strengthen their muscles and develop coordination. As they’re required to move different parts of the body at the same time to move through the water and stay afloat, their overall coordination is enhanced. Babies need muscle strength and control to hold up their heads, move their limbs, and develop the core strength to help them sit up and eventually push to stand and walk. Movement in water gives them enough resistance to develop and strengthen their muscles and joint flexibility. It’s also great for their cardiovascular health.

An Australian study showed that children who were taught to swim at an early age, and practiced those skills regularly were frequently a year ahead of their non-swimming peers in cognitive and physical development when it was time to start school. The movement associated with swimming organically encourages children to reach across the body with their arms and legs, also known as "crossing the midline." This ability is an important developmental skill proven to help a child’s brain to grow! Swimming helps young children develop the motor skills they’ll need to do all kinds of school-related things such as holding writing utensils, building with blocks, and even balancing on their seat. Cognitive skills, including attention and memory, are also enhanced by swimming; being immersed in a language-rich environment and learning how to follow instructions have a big impact on literacy!

Swimming is also a great way for you and your baby to bond with each other. Most swim lessons for babies and toddlers encourage caregivers to get in the water alongside their children. Water play provides a feeling of weightlessness and freedom that are hard to come by elsewhere and are beneficial to mental health — for swimmers of all ages. Plus, being with your baby in the pool without technology and other everyday distractions forces you to slow down, focus on each other, and spend some one-on-one time having fun and splashing around!

And of course, the number-one reason to teach a child to swim is that it can reduce their risk of drowning. Of course, all children need supervision around water, whether they’ve had swimming lessons or not. However, even the youngest babies can learn potentially life-saving swimming skills, like floating on their backs to keep their faces safely out of the water. As they grow, they’ll be more comfortable and cautious around bodies of water and already have good background knowledge of the need for water safety.

Knowing all the great benefits of swimming, maybe it’s time you found some swimming lessons for your baby. Check out these links for more information:

• Learn to Swim In and Around Philly
• FitnessAlive Philly - Baby + Toddler Bubbles: Parent-and-Child Swim
• American Red Cross: Keeping Infants Safe at the Pool
• American Academy of Pediatrics: Pool and Swimming Safety Tips for Families
• American Academy of Pediatrics: Swim Lessons for All Children

And check out our Free Library Community Book List: Swim, Baby, Swim!