Mum Shares Video of One-Year-Old Boy Swimming Unassisted

A mum has shared with the world the video of her one-year-old boy swimming unassisted.

Mum-of-two Kristy Ardo, 25, from Phoenix, Arizona in the US, believes the earlier children start to learn swimming, the better. She says that teaching kids to swim early on in life is important to a child’s safety around water.

Her first son, Tucker, started swimming when he was five months and by the time he was one-year-old, he was paddling through the water unaided.

“This was a huge milestone, if he ever fell in a pool he could get to the side by himself,” Kristy tells Kidspot.

Kristy, who was a competitive springboard diver, also plans to introduce her second son, Tate now three weeks old – to the pool in three months time.

Now two years old, Tucker can swim without floaties, jumps in the pool and swims to the side without any assistance. Kristy even posted on her Facebook page, Babyfitgym, a video of Tucker swimming on his own.

 

 

 

Kristy said she taught Tucker to hold his breath using the Bradycardic-Reflex — a process which involves blowing air in the face of a baby, which causes them to automatically hold their breath and close their eyes.

“It’s a great way to teach babies to hold their breath. After you blow in their face, you give them a quick dunk under the water,” she says.

True enough, when Tucker turned nine months old, he was begging his mum to let him go in the water. As Tucker turned one, he was able to safely swim to the side by himself, and when he was 18 months old, he was swimming completely unassisted and even jumping off the side by himself, as shown in this video on her Instagram acount, baby_fitgym.

 

 

 

Kristy encourages parents to get their children in the water as early as they feel comfortable.

“If your child senses that you are uncomfortable then they also will feel tense in the environment. How you respond as a parent plays a huge role in how your child reacts in the water.

“Always stay calm and make them feel comfortable. Your child trusts you,” she said.

She also advises mums to make swimming a fun, positive experience for kids. “Start off with toys, splashing, bouncing them up and down. Make it fun,” she says.

She also uses her blog and social media to inspire mothers, to stay active and healthy, including during pregnancy.

Source: Kidspot.com.au