
The general recognised best age to begin formal swimming lessons is 4 years of age. Should you wish to introduce your child to the aquatic environment prior to 4 years of age, baby and pre-school kids lessons do exist.
Baby swimming lessons
There is no set earliest date to start baby swimming lessons. It is also worth noting that these baby swimming lessons should only be conducted by a qualified baby and pre-school teacher. Guidelines which need to be considered when teaching babies and pre-school kids are as follows.
Things to consider during your child’s lesson
Consult your doctor, mid-wife or health visitor should you be interested in baby swimming lessons. Secondly the water temperature should be higher than your local swimming pool. It is worth noting that this should be at least 30 degrees for babies over 3 months.
Baby and toddlers who are not toilet trained should wear specially designed nappies. It is also worth noting that baby swimming lessons should not take place in sea water pools under 6 months. Another topic to discuss is teaching methodology. A baby and pre-school teacher should not conduct more than 12 parent and child pairs at the same time. Obviously the smaller the groups the more guidance and instruction you will receive.
Lastly, submersions – submersions will form part of your babies swimming lesson and these should be done in line with recommend guidelines. No more than 4 submersions for babies under 6 months and no more than 6 submersions for babies between 6-12 months. Incidentally there is no upper limit provided for the number of submersions for babies over 12 months.