When a child is young, many of their milestones are related to fine and gross motor skills. Swimming lessons help to advance gross motor skills and strengthen muscles. The work we do with babies in swim class will also help them to eventually master breath control and achieve physical stamina.

While babies are still developing, these classes will help them to master milestones that may seem small but are really the building blocks for all other motor skills to follow in their normal development.
Baby swimming lessons help to develop a baby’s sensory system, core strength, social skills, language development and cognitive development.

Before the age of 2,  lessons are centered on making the water a happy place, and  building trust relationships between babies and their caregivers, parents and / or teachers.
Babies swimming classes uses a baby’s natural reflexes to develop muscle strength, breath control and forward movement . Most of these reflexes are outgrown by the age of 2.

During this time children learn to recover to standing position in shallow water, actual independent kicking (this mainly happens from about 12  to 20 month, before that is a reflex) holding their breath on queue, recovery into a back float, holding onto a wall, safe entries and swimming with swimming aids.  They also develop their language through instruction given and songs sung. Parents and care givers will notice sleeping patterns improve as well as appetite.

In short, swimming milestones are inline with normal developmental milestones for instance independent floating will only start to occur from 1 year when the Landau Reflex is integrated. The landau reflex assists with posture development . It is when a baby lifts his head up causing the entire trunk to flex and typically emerges at around 3 months of age. It is fully integrated by one year. It is the same for independent kicking; when a child starts to walk bilateral integration starts.

Book a baby swimming class today, contact info@merschool.co.za