👶 Why do we teach babies to swim underwater? 💦 Teaching your little one how to swim from birth is one of the best things you can do. Getting them started early means that they’ll become confident around water, so if they ever do fall in, they’ll be able to keep themselves safe and not panic, reducing the risk of drowning. Under expert guidance, newborns can safely swim underwater due to the ‘laryngeal reflex’. This natural reflex automatically closes the airway when water touches a baby’s face