My youngest has been taking lessons for a year now, crazy right? She loves it so much, that tonight when I asked her if she wanted to go swimming, she went to get her suit and cried because we didn’t get in the car right away.
And check this out…
3 Key Ways Swimming Benefits Total Baby Health and Wellness
1. Sleep
You know those nights where your baby doesn’t want you to leave the room – or your toddler comes out of bed eleventy-billion times for a hug, a glass of water, to throw out some garbage, and to just talk about life? Been there. But here’s the thing: They need to exercise during the day to use up all their physical energy so they can sleep well at night.
It may seem like kids have endless amounts of energy, and you’d think they’d run through it during their day. But, they need to exercise ALL of their muscles in a productive way – which swimming is perfect for!
Think of it like a video game: Once their energy level gets pretty empty, they need to rest to recharge it. But if it never gets used up, their body isn’t quite ready to go fill it up just yet.
A GOLDEN experience during the day leads to a GOLDEN night of sleep.
2. Energy
Speaking of energy, swimming also gives kids energy! It may sound like an oxymoron that it can both invite better sleep AND increase energy, but it’s true.
The more kids exercise, the more their body works to pump oxygen and blood throughout their body – and the more they use their muscles, the more their muscles want to be used.
It’s like what we learned in school science class: An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion.
When your child is sitting around playing video games or on their electronics all day, it seems like that’s all they want to do. But, head out to swim for a bit and watch how the ball starts rolling and they’ll want to continue doing something active.
3. Digestion
Not to get all specific, but our digestive system needs for us to move for it to work optimally. Swimming provides the movement to open things up and aid digestion in kids.
Imagine food like a marble, and your child’s intestinal system as the tight, winding hallway the marble needs to roll down. Sometimes, the marble gets stuck or the hallway needs to straighten out – so what to do then? Shake things up a bit to make it easier to roll through!
Especially for babies who aren’t as active solo, physical movements are often needed to push things along. You may have used “bicycle legs” to help your little one with tummy troubles – because the act of moving their legs pushes around the food or air in their digestive system. Swimming allows for that without needing to wait until distress is evident.
📌This post is sponsored by Goldfish Swim School
