Despite our hot environment in Singapore, many swimming pools here are oddly chilly.
This is a problem, especially for young children. If they can’t handle the cold, swimming lessons tend to be difficult. The child can’t move comfortably or is constantly shaking. Younger children are especially vulnerable, because they can’t hold their body heat. They can even fall sick due to the cold.
Cold children is something a coach needs to watch out for and address immediately. Parents and coaches should look out for signs such as blue lips, shaking, and a reluctance to move.
What can we do to help out the child?
First, many children do get better as soon as they start moving in the water and get used to the temperature. We can start by doing warm-ups, such as by doing laps in the pool or doing the paddle kick. Most times, that is enough for a child to get over the initial chills.
Secondly, we have noticed that best time to swim is in the afternoon, when the sun has had time to warm up the water. The water is often colder in the morning as heat is lost through the night, and then regained while the sun is up. So, it may help if swim lessons are in the late afternoons rather than the early mornings.
Thirdly, wearing an insulated suit made out of neoprene is an immense help. You can easily find these on Amazon or Decathlon.
A neoprene suit will greatly help with keeping the heat in. It even helps with buoyance and aids in swimming. Make sure that the suit fits well. If its too tight, its difficult to move. But if its too loose, heat will escape. Wearing a swimming cap is another great help. Much of our heat is lost through the head, and covering it up will do wonders towards staying warm.
Finally, its perfectly fine to stop swimming lessons and wait until the child is older and has put on more weight. This will let him or her handle the cold better. Parents don’t have to waste money to push their child for swimming lessons where they are shivering throughout. Cold children will learn much slower, and can even come to dislike swimming lessons.
Good swim coaches will recognise when the best thing to do is stop and wait, and will never force a child to suffer through lessons for the sake of collecting fees.
We hope this article helps you and your child! Stay Otter-ly Fantastic.
