In the past year, 12 Aussie children aged up to four years old drowned, 50 per cent in swimming pools.
It’s this kind of tragic statistic that drives home the message to parents: get your littlies into swimming lessons.
At Paul Sadler Swimland – “the survival specialists” – babies as young as four months old can be part of the Wonderbabies, leading to Wondertots swimming programs.
Shona Pallas, parent/child program leader at Paul Sadler, says the programs are a great, fun way to introduce your baby to all the exciting experiences they can have in the water.
“We’re so passionate about young babies beginning water survival skills, while having maximum fun with parent and instructor, that four and five-month-old bubs receive free training!” she says.
“At four months old, babies are able to regulate their body temperature for the duration of a 30-minute class. It’s a perfect age to start water familiarisation and a great opportunity for parents and carers to connect with their babies.”
Shona says that the long-term benefits to children who start swimming lessons young are huge.
“Research suggests that early swimming lessons can lead to better physical, cognitive and linguistic development in children,” she explains.
“A study conducted in 2013 by Griffith University, which ran for three years and surveyed almost 7000 parents with children under five, examined whether participation in early swimming lessons impacted subsequent milestones in child development.
“The results showed a clear connection between children who participated in early swimming lessons developing a range of physical skills and meeting a number of developmental milestones earlier than their peers.”
WHEN TO STOP LESSONS
“This can be an equally confusing question for many parents and we often hear them say, ‘I’ll stop lessons when my child can swim’. This, however, is quite an ambiguous statement, which means different things for different people.
“Studies show that many parents overestimate their children’s abilities in regards to swimming and therefore exit swimming lessons too soon, only to find that by the time their children finish primary school, their skills have declined.
“The Covid lockdowns emphasised this because we saw the regression in children’s skills during enforced time away from the pool.”
SWORDY ONE-KILOMETRE SWIMS
“Our Swordy one-kilometre swims are not only a significant achievement, but also a great indicator that your children are proficient swimmers – and a goal to aim for before exiting lessons.
“That’s why we’ve made Swordy 1km an achievable goal for all our swimmers and we’ll help your children reach this.”
FREE SWIMMING LESSONS
Not only do the aforementioned tiny bubs get free lessons, but if readers subscribe to Paul Sadler Swimland’s weekly email (sign up on the website) they’ll go into the draw for a free term of swimming for adult or child.
Paul Sadler Swimland operates in Melbourne’s west in Hoppers Crossing, Laverton, Braybrook, Melton, Bacchus Marsh, Parkwood Green and Essendon. Enquiries: www.paulsadlerswimland.com
