When is it OK to take a newborn swimming?
We have a 6 week old baby and are thinking about when it would be OK to take them swimming. This is something I'm keen on doing as I think swimming is a great skill to learn however I'm unsure if there are any reasons not to take them so young. I appreciate at 6 weeks learning to swim isn't the priority, it's something I'm thinking long term and wanted to start as soon as really.
I've had a look around and I can see classes that offer this sort of thing however like anything I do I look to the Internet to find the pros and cons. Has anyone got any information or experience in this area?
(10)10 Comments
Sorted by latest first Latest Oldest Best
I think in a lot of countries it's pretty normal to do it very early, unlike in the US. A co-worker of mine from Europe said they swim early, even dunking their kids at just a couple of weeks. In Asia, it's apparently very early too. This Baby Spa in Singapore says 1 month old is when you should start: www.littlepods.com.sg/benefits/baby-swimming/
The Otteroo company (a US company) which make swimming aids for infants says 2 months: otteroo.com/faq/ . We tried the Otteroo in our bathtub with ours at a few months old and our baby loved it and continues to absolutely love being in the water.
I taught swimming lessons for 16 years. Babies can go swimming as soon as they have the head control to hold up their own heads. It can be great fun, for both babies and parents. Enjoy!!
We took our daughter from 3 months. I would say after your baby's 6 week check with the doctor. We went to special swimming lessons for young babies in a specially heated pool (private). The pool is normally used for hydrotherapy (physiotherapy under water) and is kept to 31-32 degrees.
To keep your baby from going cold you will need to get a baby wetsuit (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Konfidence-Babywarma-NeoNappy-Polka-Small/dp/B00KAXX9X2/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1484301841&sr=8-2&keywords=swim+neoprene+suit+6month+old) this also keeps them warm when you are walking from the pool to changing room. You will also need swim nappies.
I would strongly encourage you go to swimming lessons with any baby, as you'll learn how to handle them safely and learn what babies can and can't do in the pool.
Swimming with my daughter was really great. Hope you enjoy.
If you're talking about a public swimming pool, then there is a significant health threat from your baby to other people. Roughly a third of diaper-age children in the US have a protozoan called Giardia in their gut, as opposed to only about 3-7% of the adult population, and unlike adults, babies don't have control of their sphincters. People who have Giardia permanently living in their intestines are resistant to it and have no symptoms (which is why we don't see a third of toddlers being sick), but when a person who doesn't have tolerance is exposed to it, the result is sometimes a very unpleasant illness. Giardia is not easily killed by chlorine, because transmission of the disease is through the cyst life stage, which has a hard shell. Even in a properly maintained pool, they will live for roughly an hour after being released into the water. Infection can occur through extremely small, invisible quantities of cysts.
The question is:
When is it OK to take a newborn swimming?
So my answer is that it's not OK at all, in a public swimming pool. It will only be OK when the child is old enough to have sphincter control.
References:
www.cdc.gov/healthywater/pdf/swimming/resources/giardia-factsheet.pdf
Ish-Horowicz et al., "Asymptomatic giardiasis in children," Pediatr Infect Dis J. 1989 Nov;8(11):773-9.
Most sources will state no sooner than 6 months, but it kind of depends on the baby's size.
Infants are notoriously poor at regulating body temperature when it comes to environment. They can't dissipate heat as well as older babies, and worse yet, they can't generate heat when cold. Most public pools will be too cold for an infant; there is a very real risk of hypothermia.
Interestingly, your baby can already swim right now; it's a reflex (not unlike the Moro response) that will be lost as the baby ages.
If you can find a pool heated for your purpose, I can't think of a good reason to wait, with two caveats: you will find the water too warm to be comfortable, and the baby risks ear infections. Probably the best option right now is a clean bathtub.
Swimming Programs for Infants and Toddlers
Infant and Toddler Swimming Programs: Are They Safe and Effective?
How soon can I take my new baby swimming?
Here's some other tips not mentioned above.
Here in Denmark we also have baby-swimming from 2 months of age, in specially heated pools, both in separate facilities and in public pools. I have had both my kids both places and I can highly recommend it.
Just remember that very young babies use a lot of energy when in the water, so its recomended here to limit time in the water to 20-25 minutes. After that they will be both a little tired and very hungry!
Also you spend all of the time as a parent holding on to your baby and playing with them, so a very shallow pool can be straining to your back when bending down and holding your baby. It's actually better to be in a chest-deep pool where you can stand upright on your feet and play with your baby without bending down.
Most of the baby-swimming classes in the UK will take them from birth (or sometimes as soon as they've had their first round of vaccinations). We started at 8 weeks, a few babies in the class were a couple of week younger. At this stage, it's really important to do things that are suitable for their development, so going to an organised class is by far the best way (simple things like supporting their head and keeping them warm are just the start). The local authority classes often start older and/or are less ambitious (e.g. you don't let go of the baby until much later, they don't swim underwater until much later). All the baby classes I've heard of have the singing etc. that babies love.
Water safety starts very early in all programs I know of -- as soon as they're capable of holding on to the side -- so the benefits start early. A baby can also propel themself through the water at a surprisingly young age. But as you note in the question, it will be a little while before proper strokes start to be taught (at the toddler stage).
Starting as early as possible is often recommended as a newborn has no fear of water and can avoid developing such a fear (mine has perhaps gone the other way).
The classes have rules (swim nappy+neoprene cover, time off after illness) to minimise ther chances of pool contamination and have procedures in place if an accident does happen including the pool owners' involvment in cleaning the water. It happens. They usually are the only people in the pool even if they're only using the shallow end of a school pool.
The link is to the people we've just grown out of. While I would definitely recommend them that's not why I chose to link to them -- I just found the page with the age quickly.
If your child's doctor agrees, then whenever you are ready. I was an infant, 3 months, I think. My parents took me to the YMCA in Montreal in the 1950s. Supposedly, I learned to swim then and there. Not strokes, but dog paddle, kick and taking my face out of the water. My mum was with me the entire time, inches away. The one in my city suggests six months and the pool is 'therapeutic', warmer than a regular pool.
You need the proper diapers and diaper covers. You need to know the pool accepts infants and children in diapers. The pool and area needs to be clean. Personally, I would not allow anyone else to take my infant into a pool excepting the father and me. Doing under the direction of a swim instructor is a good answer.
If this is your own pool, then make sure it's clean and that the diapers are not soiled, are tight and covered. I would be careful if you have no experience, but simply holding a baby in clean water that is warm enough, should be fine.
Finnish Swimming Teaching and Lifesaving Federation writes that 3 months and at least 5kg of bodyweight is their requirement. The weight limit is said to be set so that baby can keep the body temperature warm enough in pool that is 32°C warm. In addition they mention that baby at that age (3-5months) starts to have longer periods of activity (they stay awake longer during the day and are stronger, thus can be mobile longer).
Finnish Swimming Teaching adn Lifesaving Federation, about baby and family swimming
Another point not addressed in existing answers:
There is some indication that exposure to chlorinated water may increase the risk of asthma. German authories recommend avoiding chlorinated water for children under two years of age as a precaution, if there is a history of allergies in the family.
If water is chlorinated, which is the case in virtually all public pools, some amount of nitrogen trichloride is present in the air. Nitrogen trichloride irritates mucous membranes, and is what causes the "chlorine smell" of swimming pools. It is usually harmless in the concentrations typical in swimming pools, but there is some concern that it may damage children's lungs and thereby promote asthma.
In this article, the German Umweltbundesamt (German Federal Office for the Environment) recommends:
Besorgten Eltern von Kindern unter zwei Jahren, in deren Familien
gehäuft Allergien auftreten, empfiehlt das Umweltbundesamt (UBA), aus
Vorsorgegründen vom Babyschwimmen abzusehen, bis geklärt ist, ob sich
der Verdacht bestätigt. Alle anderen Kinder und Erwachsene können
Schwimmbäder mit einer Wasseraufbereitung nach den allgemein
anerkannten Regeln der Technik weiter ohne Bedenken nutzen.
Translation (no guarantees):
Worried parents of children under two years of age, and where multiple
cases of allergies have occured in the family, are advised by the
Umweltbundesamt to not take their babies to a swimming pool as a
precaution, until it is clear whether the suspicions are confirmed.
All other children and adults can use swimming pools with a
state-of-the-art water treatment system without worries.
Note that the risk is much lower with open-air swimming pools, as nitrogen trichloride will dissipate more quickly there. Also, a lot depends on the water treatment and air purification system used. If air is filtered appropriately, the level of nitrogen trichloride can be lowered significantly.
Terms of Use Privacy policy Contact About Cancellation policy © freshhoot.com2025 All Rights reserved.