BABY SWIMMING BOOM LOOKS SET TO CONTINUE INTO THE NEW SCHOOL TERM

16.08.2007

Baby swimming is booming here in the UK, and a recent web poll conducted by the Swimming Teachers’ Association (STA) showed that there has been a massive 84% increase in the number of babies (under the age of 2) taking part in swimming sessions in the last two years.  Now is the most popular time of the year when parents consider enrolling their babies and toddlers into swimming classes, as they have just returned from summer holidays, and seen how much fun their children have in the water.

STA currently teach over 380,000 babies and toddlers every week under its STARFISH baby swimming programme at swim schools located all over the UK, and here Roger Millward, STA Chief Executive discusses the 5 top reasons why baby swimming has become so popular.

  1. Swimming is fun
  2. It’s also one of a few activities that you can participate in as a family.  We especially see a lot of grandparents and dads taking their little ones to classes. One school in the West Midlands has told us that 95% of their Saturday morning sessions involve just dads. Play activities in water help with the human bonding process allowing important interaction with babies that enable them to feel secure and safe. With mothers generally accepting the lead role in parental bonding it is revealing that this experience may be dad’s time for relationship building.
  3. Boosts a child’s confidence. To get the best results, it is important that children are taught by trained instructors that use a recognised baby swimming programme like STARFISH. Programmes like STARFISH have been developed especially for babies, to ensure your child gains positive experiences from the water, because this will not only help them to develop physically, but emotionally, intellectually and socially too, whilst equipping them with key safety and safe holds skills in the water. 
  4. Keeps your baby active, fit and healthy.  Research as shown that swimming can have a positive impact on baby’s sleeping and eating patterns. 
  5. Safety - ensuring that your child can swim, and is water safety aware is essential.  According to RoSPA, 40 under-15s died from drowning in 2002 (the latest figures available) making it the third most common cause of accidental death in this age group.  This is certainly a compelling reason to make sure your child is taught to swim. 

Its important to note, that your child won’t be co-ordinated enough to learn how to swim properly until he/she is at least two or three, but you can get him/her to feel confident and relaxed in the water, and make swimming a fun way to exercise, so that he/she wants to continue to participate in water activities as he grows older.

So if you are considering enrolling your baby or toddler into swimming lessons this September when the new term starts, here are some tips from STA:

  • Always use an STA (or equivalent) qualified swimming teacher
  • Make sure the swim school uses an affiliated baby swimming teaching programme, like STARFISH.
  • Look to see if your swim school has a STAmark accreditation.  This way you’ll know that the teachers are qualified, and the swim school has passed rigorous quality standards.
  • Classes can cost anything from £3-£5 an hour at a local authority pool.  For private lessons, you are looking at an average of £100 per term.  These costs may vary from location to location.

For further information or advice, please contact STA on 01922 645097 or visit www.starfishswimming.org to find your nearest swim school.

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