Start your baby swimming early for lifelong benefits! Deciding when to take your baby swimming for the first time can be a daunting decision for parents but the benefits of starting swimming early are amazing. Here, we run through our top 10 benefits of starting your baby swimming as soon as possible.

1. Babies are born with a kicking reflex. They lose this reflex around 6 months of age so be sure to take bub swimming before then to see this incredible reflex in action
2. Swimming is a gentle exercise that works the whole body, encouraging your baby’s muscle, lung and heart development
3. Babies that begin swimming early show long-term health benefits in the form of better balance, catching and grasping skills
4. Swimming encourages mental development. Babies that start swimming early are up to 15 months ahead of their peers in math, counting and language by the time they start school
5. The whole family can enjoy swimming together as part of an active lifestyle. With obesity levels rising it is important to establish healthy habits early in life
6. Exercise can benefit the mental wellbeing of exhausted parents. Increase your workout by walking in the pool or place baby in a SWIMTRAINER “classic” flotation aid and swim along beside her
7. The pool is a place free of distractions where you can focus exclusively on your baby. Enjoy those precious bonding moments with lots of skin-on-skin contacts, cuddling and splashing
8. Gentle exercise will help your baby to eat better and sleep longer. Need we say more?
9. Lavishing praise on your child as they begin to master their swimming strokes is great for baby’s self-esteem
10. Sadly, drowning deaths are common in Australia. Taking your child swimming from a young age will teach them to become more aware of water safety

There are many ways of teaching your baby to swim. Formal swimming lessons are great for meeting other parents. Online videos can instruct you how you can teach your baby to swim. The SWIMTRAINER “Classic” flotation aid places babies from 3 months in the correct swimming position and is a great tool for practising kicking. Whatever method you choose to enjoy the wonderful moments as you watch your baby splash and giggle and enjoy the water. Learning to swim is a wonderful journey!

Extracted from http://www.pbcexpo.com.au/