Swimming is an essential life skill for your child and a sport with good health. Therefore, let your baby practice swimming early but still do not forget to ensure safety rules.
Swimming is not only a healthy sport but also helps a lot for both the physical and mental development of the baby. There are many swimming courses offered to children 4 years of age and older and for children 1-4 years old when they are ready to learn to swim. However, parents should note that each child develops differently, so children also have different ages to learn to swim. Introducing your baby to the aquatic environment early is a way to help him feel life. This article will help you to start giving your child swimming practice early.
At 6 months of age (the time when your baby can kick water and his neck is already stiff), he or she will start to enjoy being in the pool. So, you can let your child learn to swim from 6 months old. You don't have to worry about the chlorine in the pool water can affect your baby or see your baby screaming during his early swimming lessons. If you like playing in the water, your baby will love swimming right away. Besides, you should also take time to get used to cold water.
At the top of the list is swim diapers. In addition, you should prepare the following:
A bottle of warm milk for your baby after a swim if your baby bottle
A large towel with a hood part
A little cake for snacks if your baby has started to practice solids because swimming is easy to get hungry
A few toys to help your baby feel the space happier and more relaxing
Diaper bags and towels.
You must check the water temperature is warm enough. Babies under 6 months of age need an optimal temperature of 32 ° C. The temperature should be warm enough to keep the baby's body warm and help him move in the water easily.
As soon as your baby starts to shiver from the cold, you should take your baby out of the lake and wipe her body. Children lose heat more easily than adults, so babies should not stay in the pool for too long.
You can start swimming for 10 minutes at first attempts and increase to 20 minutes in subsequent times. Time underwater for babies under 1 year is maximum 30 minutes.
If your baby has a cold, is upset or has a stomach problem, you should not let your baby go swimming, but wait for the baby to fully recover after at least 48 hours.
If your baby has a skin disease, you can consult your doctor to see if the chlorine in pool water is irritating to your baby's skin. Make sure you bathe your baby well after swimming and apply moisturizer all over, especially if your baby has dry or eczema skin.
Check the water depth. Keep your feet exposed to the water first, especially for children who have just been exposed to the water
Do not jump into the shallow water areas of the pool
Do not jump over pool pipes or other pool toys
Take swimming classes to learn how to refill properly.
Watch your baby carefully. You must be with your baby at all times when he or she swims in the lake and do not leave him alone without anyone watching.
Track your baby's swimming time. Each swim should not exceed 10 minutes. You can gradually increase the time and take your baby out of the tank if he shows signs of chills.
If your baby is a little older and often playful, teach them not to run and jump on the lake shore because it is very slippery, easy to fall. Please let your baby wear a life jacket when going to the lake.
Whether swimming at the beach, a home pool, a lake or a river, you need to make sure your baby is safe around these areas. Children and people who cannot swim, need to follow swimming safety rules to be confident when entering the water. This rule will never be redundant, especially for young children. Before any unfortunate accident occurs, you should master the above safety rules so that your baby can fully enjoy the joy of swimming.
You should choose a swimming pool that has electrical safety equipment when the pool is not in use and has alarms installed in the water, inside the house, and around the pool area.
The swimming pool must have rescue equipment such as a desk phone with a rescue agency number, an emergency number and a rescue hook.
Swimming pools must have a protective fence around at least 1.2m high with self-closing / latching gates and latches beyond the reach of children.
Ideally, you should wait until your baby is 6 weeks old as you could get a postnatal infection if you swim earlier. If you have a caesarean or have an episiotomy, you should wait longer, preferably after you've finished your last postpartum check.
Despite normal birth, you have lost a lot of blood because of the separation from your womb after the baby is born. Usually, mothers will suffer from fluid production until 6 weeks after giving birth .
Most infant swimming classes are as young as 6 weeks old. You do not have to wait until your baby is fully vaccinated to practice swimming. One point to note is that you should let your baby swim in a pool with water temperature of about 32 ° C is best.
There are a few things you can do to limit your baby crying or screaming:
Let your baby get used to the water slowly. Hold your baby tightly and give him a sense of security.
There's no need to rush and always start slowly. Have your baby move slowly in the water.
Once your baby gets used to it, you can offer your baby some fun activities like daming water.
Compliments your baby even if it is a small act.
For starters, you can let your baby wear a life jacket or use a arm float, back float.
If you are considering giving your baby swimming lessons, here are some tips to keep in mind:
1. Baby's body temperature tends to be unstable. So don't let your baby swim when the water in the pool is too hot or too cold as this can be dangerous for your baby.
2. You should feed your baby 30 minutes before swimming, even if they eat liquid food because they need to digest all the food before swimming.
3. If the food is solid, feed it at least 1 hour before swimming.
4. After swimming, the baby will feel hungry. Therefore, you should prepare a few snacks in your backpack so that after swimming, your baby can eat. However, you should not bring food into the pool as it can harm your baby.
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