Water Babies shares benefits of baby swimming classes

A Kent swimming teacher is urging families to be aware of a whole host of health benefits connected to baby swimming as part of National Baby Swimming Week.

Simon Dallender from Water Babies Kent said teaching babies and toddlers a potentially life saving skill can help with bonding, build physical strength, as well as supporting mental and social development.

He and his team of swimming instructors have teamed up with the organisers of National Baby Swimming week (running from Monday, October 31) to urge parents to consider taking little ones to a swimming class.

One Kent mum has also taken the plunge and joined their campaign. Melene Locke stars in a special You Tube video explaining her experiences of baby swimming with son Barney.

A survey, conducted for National Baby Swimming Week by Water Babies, suggests that those who start learning to swim from an early age get into good habits when it comes to being on the move.

It was found that 93% of children under the age of five who attend swimming lessons are physically active for at least three hours per day; 91% of their slightly older counterparts, (aged between seven and eight) easily meet the Chief Medical Officer guidelines of sixty minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity per day - which is way above the UK average, where only around a half of seven to eight year olds achieve this recommendation.

In addition, 92% of seven to eleven year olds surveyed could easily swim twenty-five metres unaided. However, the national picture is bleaker - only 45% of this age group are able to swim the same distance on their own.

Simon explained: "Over the years we have seen countless babies and parents reap huge benefits from taking swimming classes with our highly qualified teachers. Sadly, far too many young children are missing out on all the positive benefits that come with swimming simply because they never learned this potentially life-saving skill.

“Please ensure your child gets signed up for swimming lessons - the earlier the better."