Swimming Lessons: When Should Your Children Start?
Starting EarlierThe AAP emphasizes the importance of teaching children how to swim. There has been controversy, though, as to what age lessons should start. Originally, the AAP held the position that children are not developmentally ready for formal swimming lessons before the age of four and that parents should not feel secure about their children's swimming ability if they enroll them in swim classes at an early age. But, new evidence has led the AAP to adopt the viewpoint that children aged 1-4 may be less likely to drown if they have taken swimming lessons. Ultimately, it is up to the parents to decide whether their young children are emotionally and physically ready to begin formal classes with a swim instructor. Touch SupervisionIn its policy statement, the AAP recommends "touch supervision." This means parents should always be within an arm's length when their children are in or around water. "One of the most important things parents need to know is that you always stay with your child in the water," says Jean Coile, aquatics director at the YWCA in Asheville, North Carolina, who teaches swimming lessons to children as young as six months old. Danger in the BackyardTragically, many children under the age of five drown in their own backyard pools. "The single most effective way to prevent your children from drowning in the pool is to fence the pool in so that it is separate from the yard, the house, and the play area," advises Patti Rhynders, director of injury prevention programs at Children's Medical Center of Dallas She goes on to explain that small children are often not able to transfer what they learn in swimming lessons to a situation in which they enter the pool unexpectedly. Rhynders warns that because toddlers are top heavy they are in danger of being pulled in by their own weight if they lean over the water. "It takes as little as three seconds for a child to fall in the water," says Rhynders. If you have a pool, Rhynder recommends establishing these barriers to prevent children from getting to the water:
The AAP offers these additional safety guidelines:
The bottom line is that there is no way to "drown proof" your child. But, there are "layers of protection," like swimming lessons and pool safety measures, that can lower your child's risk of drowning. American Academy of Pediatrics American Red Cross Canadian Red Cross Children’s Safety Association of Canada AAP gives updated advice on drowning prevention. American Academy of Pediatrics website. Available at: http://www.aap.org/pressroom/aappr-may2410mailing.htm. Published May 24, 2010. Accessed December 13, 2011. Brenner RA, Taneja GS, Haynie DL, et al. Association between swimming lessons and drowning in childhood: a case-control study. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009;163(3):203-210. DynaMed Editors. Near-drowning. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed/what.php. Updated August 27, 2010. Accessed December 13, 2011. American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention. Prevention of drowning. Pediatrics. 2010 Jul;126(1):178-85. Last reviewed December 2011 by Brian Randall, MD |
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