5 Things to Look for in a Baby Swim School

Most people are amazed at how young a child can be to start learning how to swim. In many cases, even infants can be exposed to water and taught basic water safety skills. Some can learn to swim when they are just a few months old. If you’re considering baby swim lessons in Los Angeles, here is what to look for in a swimming program.

Focus on Baby Swimming Lessons

The best baby swim lessons will come in classes that are specifically geared towards and designed for infants and their parents. Every participant in the program will have an infant or at most, a toddler that is to be taught to swim.

Emphasis on Water Safety for Parents

While every parent wants their child to be safe around water and would never do anything to expose their child to danger, many parents don’t know much about water safety policies, procedures, and protocols. A good baby swimming program will focus as much on the parents and teaching them water safety as it will focus on teaching the infants to swim.

Comfortable, Controlled Environment

Just about everyone has been in a community swimming environment when the water has been too cold or too warm. While it’s uncomfortable for adults, it can be very uncomfortable and even dangerous for infants. The facility and water temperatures are important as infants can be susceptible to hyperthermia. You want the water to be warm and comfortable. This prevents babies from getting too cold. Putting a baby in cold water can make them even more agitated. There should be towels readily available, easy access to steps to exit the swimming area, and accessible emergency equipment in the case of an accident.

Baby with Mom in Pool

Competent, Experienced Staff

You want someone who knows how to teach swimming classes for babies. Teaching babies requires a different set of skills than instruction for older children. You want your instructor to be certified, proficient in water safety, and have significant experience in teaching very young children.

This includes knowing how to teach the child to blow bubbles when they’re in the water as it can help them prevent inhaling water when their face goes underwater. They should know how to help build the trust-bond between parents and their infant child, so the child trusts the parents when they’re immersed in an unfamiliar environment. The instructor should also cover how to partially submerge young children and any warning signs that the infant may need help. Other skills that the instructor should focus on are teaching infants how to reach for the wall and to come to trust any flotation tools used to keep them above water.

A Full Physical and Mental Workout

One final element of a swimming program you should insist upon is that it provides your infant with a full physical and mental workout. A focus should be put on strengthening your child’s heart, lungs, and respiratory system as well as in muscle development. Additionally, the curriculum should include a lot of activities to engage the child mentally.

Numerous studies cover the benefits of teaching very young children to be comfortable around water and to swim. Make sure you use this checklist to choose the one you join. For more information about baby swimming lessons in Los Angeles, check out the Swim Right Academy.