Should My Child Use Goggles While Swimming?

Anyone who has spent much time around pools has seen plenty of children wearing goggles as they swim. If you’re just getting your children involved in swimming, you may be wondering how important it is for your child to use goggles when they swim. As it turns out, there are arguments both for and against using goggles while swimming.

The biggest argument in favor of using goggles is that they protect the eyes from any contaminants and chemicals that may be present in the water. That can go a long way toward cutting down on eye irritation. With goggles, your child won’t experience the same level of redness, itchiness, or tearing from chlorine exposure. It can also help prevent eye infections including pink eye.

In addition to protecting the eyes from infection and irritation, wearing goggles can make learning easier during swim lessons. Wearing goggles makes it so much easier to see clearly underwater, which can make submerging less intimidating. The discomfort that comes from opening your eyes underwater can be incredibly distracting as well. When fitted and worn properly, goggles keep water away from the eyes, creating a much more comfortable swimming experience.

Goggles offer multiple benefits, but there are still some good reasons to swim without goggles, at least every now and then. Despite the discomfort that comes with opening the eyes underwater, it’s important to experience that and overcome it. That’s only possible when swimming without goggles. 

Additionally, while underwater vision without goggles isn’t nearly as clear as it is with goggles, it is still possible to see well enough underwater without them. Keeping the eyes closed when underwater can be something of a reflex because of the discomfort that comes with opening them. However, that’s not a safe way to swim. Learning to swim underwater without goggles and with the eyes open helps children swim more safely.

If you intend to take your child swimming a lot, having a set of goggles for them to use if they want to is a good idea. Just make sure to remind your child to swim without them on occasion. That will give them the experience they need to avoid becoming overly reliant on them when they swim.

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