When your child burps during lessons, they are expelling air taken in just before submersions, after completing the rollback to float or air in between presentations. When the student inhales, s/he is taking in carbon dioxide. The air taken in must be properly managed and burped out.

If your instructor isn’t able to get your child to expel the air through burping, the lesson is ended for the day. Burping is NOT a result of water intake. The water taken in during lessons is swallowed and later urinated out.

Burping while your child swims for the first couple of years is a must! If your child does not burp, you will typically see a distended tummy, which doesn’t allow for proper air exchange into the lungs so your child is not breathing appropriately and should no longer swim. If your child has the ability to cry (exhale) for an extended period of time on land before inhaling for a breath, more than likely you will see them have the ability to swim for longer than the recommended 3 to 5 second rule. This means they have built up a threshold to hold their breath for extended periods of time. We do NOT recommend a toddler swim for longer than 5 seconds. What happens is a build-up of carbon dioxide and too much carbon dioxide in the body can cause a child to pass out.

If you have a child who attempts to hold their breath longer than 5 seconds, more than likely you will never see them perform their rollback and the float. If you have concerns with this, please ask your instructor for assistance and how to guide you through how to practice these skills at home.