Water babies

During summer, children make a beeline to the swimming pool. They splash and play around, and do several lengths under the stern gaze of their moms. Swimming is one of the best exercises for children.

During summer, children make a beeline to the swimming pool. They splash and play around, and do several lengths under the stern gaze of their moms. Swimming is one of the best exercises for children, which is why, many parents wait impatiently for their children to turn old enough to enroll them in swimming classes.

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Turns out, they shouldn’t. Wait that long, that is. A recent study has shown that teaching babies how to swim helps improve their balance and their ability to hold and grip objects, as they grow older. It also helps reduce their fear of water.

Researchers from Norway and the UK have found that children who had taken baby swimming classes did better on tests involving gripping and reaching. The study participants included 19 four-year-olds from Iceland who had taken part in baby swimming lessons for two hours a week for at least four months when the children were infants.

They were matched with 19 other four-year-olds who had not done any baby swimming. The four-year-olds were tested for manual dexterity, ball skills and balance. Researchers found that the swimming group did better on prehension (seizing or grasping objects) and static balance.

Paediatrician Dr P Vaidyanathan says, “With young children, a drowning is the only thing you should worry about. Once you make sure your child is safe in the pool, there is little to fear. Other issues such as water borne infections, aren’t a big deal. But children who have conditions like asthma or epilepsy, need to be closely monitored.”

With inputs from MCT