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Activities with babies at the swimming pool are a great form of activity that supports the child's physical development and motor coordination. Exercising and playing in the pool builds contact with the parent. If the toddler is he althy, there are practically no contraindications for swimming in the pool.
Swimming poolSGGW in Warsaw. It is as hot here as on a hot summer day. 32oC is the temperature that protects the several-month-oldbabiesfrom catching a cold. Małgorzata Witmanowicz, the instructor conducting the classes, runs along the shore in shorts and a T-shirt.
- We go into the water and start walking - he says to twelve mums with babies in their arms. The 33-year-old Karolina is already taking the second course. Her 11-month-old son, Michał, simply loves water. He is already lying on his back and happily waving his hands.
- Bravo, Michał! - Małgorzata praises him loudly and sets an example to other mothers.
All the little ones are very interested in colored balls floating on the surface of the water. - Slowly we catch the balls, segregate them and put them into appropriate cups - Małgorzata invites. At the edge of the pool, he sets up various colored vessels: yellow, red, and blue. Moms are walking on the bottom of the pool. They keep their children under their armpits, but the little ones have plastic sleeves or buoyancy belts on for protection anyway; protection depends on the age ofchild .
One year old Kasia wants to catch up with the red ball. He moves briskly towards her, but the ball floats to the far end of the pool. The baby bursts into loud crying. But the mother immediately helps her daughter, grabs the ball and hands it to Kasia. The girl is already swimming to the shore to throw her into the bowl, and after a while the jumping game begins. Moms raise their babies up and playfully splash with their babies.
- And now I invite everyone to me - exclaims Małgorzata. The amused company approaches the instructor. - You stay in the water. You seat your children on the edge of the pool, facing me and back to you. Oh yes - he shows. Now put them slowly on your back. And … the children, one by one, land in the water.
Infant swimming reflex
Classes at the pool last 30 minutes. It is a real effort for a toddler. But the time to play passes very quickly. The mothers are also satisfied.
- My daughter is definitely more physically agile than her peers. This makes me very happy
- admits 29-year-old Ola,mother of 10-month-old Weronika. - But it is not everything. There are so many touching and joyful moments that we get very close. Veronica's dad comes to go swimming with her whenever he is off work. It's also a lot of fun for an adult.
A baby is born with the reflex to swim and walk. The sooner we take a toddler to the pool and start getting him used to the water, the greater the chances that he will keep this reflex. And it's worth it, because swimming supports the child's physical development and motor coordination. If it is he althy, there are practically no side effects of this form of exercise. What are the other advantages of swimming with a toddler in the pool?
From the first dive
Classes usually last 30 minutes. A 3-month course (12 lessons) costs an average of PLN 250. All information on the websites: www.aquamaster.met.pl or www.sportiwakacje.pl. Children exercise under the supervision of one of their parents and under the guidance of a trainer. The forms and methods of conducting classes are adapted to the individual abilities of children. During the lessons, accessories and colorful toys are used to make swimming lessons easier and more attractive for children.
I STAGE- infants from 2-3 months of age
Adaptation to aquatic environment, and learning to stay afloat on your back, chest, or upright.
II STAGE- children up to 2 years of age
Learning to move in the water on their chests or backs, to enter the pool on their own and to jump into the water on their feet from the shore
3rd STAGE- children up to 4 years of age
Independent swimming on the chest or back for a distance of about 12-25 meters and retrieving an object from a depth of about half a meter.
Activities at the pool support the mental development of the child
- First of all, such activity supports the mental development of the child and builds contact with the parent - explains the trainer. For a toddler, the swimming pool is a new environment: the sound of water, other children, that is, many emotions at once. The toddler initially feels insecure. However, the fact that his mother, father or grandmother is with him gives him a sense of security. The child fully trusts its guardian.
During the classes, no more than twelve parents with children swim in the pool. Some parents come together and swap frequently in the classroom. Besides, not only they want to swim with their babies. Also grandparents, older sisters or adult brothers. It is great relaxation and fun for everyone. Some people attend the courses several times.
Children learn to swim very quickly. Babies first float on the surface of the water in safety sleeves. They are upright, they only move their feet, aparents hold their heads above the water. Kids learn to hold their breath, to close their faces so as not to choke on water. Then they start to swim on their backs on their own. And finally they dive and try their hand at tummy swimming. The right style is not developed until a child turns four. Older, bolder children can jump into the water by themselves.
Babies are swimming
- In each group, in the fourth or fifth lesson, there is one funny moment - laughs Małgorzata Witmanowicz. - There comes a time when moms have to let go of the baby and leave it in the water for a while. What happens then? All the moms are wide-eyed and screaming, “No! You have to persuade them for a long time. Finally they accept this sacrifice, they let go of the children, and then great confusion arises. On each side I hear: O Jesus! It swims! It lies and does not sink! They are delighted. It is a wonderful feeling to see the happy faces of my mothers and the happy kids - admits the instructor.
Her daughter Natalia is two years and nine months old. Although Małgorzata has been running a swimming school for babies for two and a half years, her child started swimming with her mother "only" from the age of six months.
- Natalka had an orthopedic defect. I couldn't take her to classes earlier - says the trainer. "But when they took off her casts, I immediately started to accustom her to the water. She was under the water during the first class, because there was a diving lesson. Today, she remains on the surface for a moment, swims three or four meters, dives. She jumps into the pool without any resistance." - the mother is delighted.
- My son is simply addicted to water - says 36-year-old Wojciech from Piaseczno. He dives for the cork and sometimes I can't get him out of the bathroom. He stopped getting sick. Swimming from an early age made him very hardened. I'm sure that these are the most pleasant moments spent with my firstborn son, so he slows down to come to swimming classes. I'm at work.
Children cannot swim if they have:
- acute diseases of the upper respiratory and urinary tract
- defects of the cardiovascular system - half an hour of swimming is a huge effort for a child
- acute allergies (also allergic to chlorine in the water that fills the pool).
Do you want to swim with your baby?
- Consult your pediatrician. The doctor will tell you if your child is he althy and there are no contraindications for this. The pediatrician must consent to this type of activity. However, it does not have to issue any certificate. It is the parents who sign the relevant declarationbefore the course starts.
- Make a decision which pool your child will swim in. Find out if the appropriate temperature is provided (32-34oC) and if the water is ozonated (better than chlorinated, because it does not irritate the baby's delicate skin). There must be changing tables, tables and chairs in the pool so that moms with even the smallest toddlers can cope with leaving the water.
- Check who is conducting the classes and if they are a swimming instructor or a lifeguard (there is no specialization of trainer for babies). Find out how long the company offering these types of courses has been in operation.
- Once you sign up for the course, take your baby diaper pants, bathing suit and a swimming cap for you, cosmetics and towels for both of you to the swimming pool. Important: the child must be fed 1.5 hours before class. Otherwise their tummy may hurt.