Are infant swim classes a good thing?
As a parent, a huge part of your job is to make sure your kids don't die. Given the startling prevalence of dihydrogen monoxide in the world, it would seem prudent to teach children to deal with it from a very early age. The American Academy of Pediatrics, however, would disagree. Their official recommendation is that parents delay swimming lessons until at least a child's fourth birthday.The big problem with early lessons, it seems, is that parents may get a false sense of security when it comes to their kids and the water. "Teaching swimming that early gives parents the potential to assume their children have become drown-proof," said Dr. Marilyn Bull, a neurodevelopmental pediatrician who helped draft the academy's recommendation. "Do they really want to reduce their child's fear of water at that age? If there's one thing we've learned over time, parents tend to overestimate their own child's cognitive skills and underestimate their physical abilities."
There are, however, an awful lot of parents who have disregarded the academy's opinion. La Petite Baleen, the swim school where Jared and Sara take lessons is so busy that they are opening a third location; there are a thousand kids on their waiting list, including some of our neighbors. While I agree with the AAP that swim lessons do not make anyone -- kids, especially -- drown-proof, I do think that the lessons are important.
Jared and Sara have gone from having to have Rachel or I right with them in the pool to being able to swim around on their own and have much more of a good time. They are not at the point were they can be in the pool on their own, but I feel comfortable sitting on the side of the pool watching them rather than having to get in with them. That makes the lessons worthwhile for me; their greater enjoyment of the water makes it worthwhile for them.
Recent Posts
- Image of the Day: Best friends (5/09/2008)
- Leeches and drop-boxes (5/09/2008)
- Choosing a name (5/09/2008)
- Mother's Day gifts by zodiac sign (5/09/2008)
- Book pick of the week: The Salamander Room (5/09/2008)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Eva 3-28-2008 @ 1:19PM
I also read something about the air in indoor pools is somehow bad for children. That said, we did swim lessons for fun for a few weeks when my child was six months old.
Reply
eugene 3-28-2008 @ 1:26PM
Any tips on acclimating babies to water? My son used to LOVE baths and showers but now he's terrified of getting his head wet so pools are out of the question and even shampooing his hair is a herculean challenge what with the screaming and the flailing and tears of saddness and betrayal.
Reply
ivory 3-28-2008 @ 1:30PM
My inlaws have a lake house that we spend a bit of time at during the summer, and we've taken our daughter to swim classes at the Y since she was tiny to teach her as much about water safety as actually swimming. The instructor peppers the lesson with quick reminders ("Do we ever swim alone?""No!", "What do we wear to keep us safe around water?" "Lifejackets!", etc) so that when we get out to the lake, our daughter is not running off the end of the dock, unaware of the danger.
It seems to be the AAP's policy to appeal to the lowest common denominator, hoping to appeal to the few parents who _would_ think their child is drown-proof. I think the vast majority of us will roll our eyes at that, and continue to have fun with our children in the water.
Reply
Val 3-28-2008 @ 1:39PM
I tend to agree with the AAP. Early swim lessons does give parents a false security around swimming pools.
As a parent with an in-ground pool, I have seen this with friends and family often during the summer months. We have a strict rule that when the kids are in the pool, the parent is either in with them or sitting on the edge.
But we have been met with many excuses, like: Oh, Johnny has taken swim lessons and can swim quite well....even though Johnny is only 3. I have then seen Johnny fall off a tube in the middle of the pool and after exerting all his energy to get to the side, almost drown before making it there....often times causing myself or my husband to jump in after him.
Although toddlers have the capability to swim on their own, their muscles get tired and what seems like a short distance to adults can be very daunting for a child in water.
Please understand that swim lessons are a great tool for parent/child involvement, but these lessons along does not mean your child so be left unattended in a pool.
Reply
isisaquaria 3-28-2008 @ 2:26PM
We taught our girls to swim at home--w/o pro lessons because we had and indoor pool which I spend time in daily for my health. (low impact) both knew how to swim by the time they were 2.
That being said, they are not allowed to swim w/o an adult present. When we host parties where the pool is used--we request 12 adults around the pool and all have CPR training. I think the statement is true regarding the false sense for some but not all.
Reply
Kristi 3-28-2008 @ 2:56PM
Our neighborhood has a pool, so from day 1, I planned to get my kids in the water, so that they'll be able to enjoy the facilities (we pay enough in homeowners dues every year, after all...). My oldest is now 3.5 and has taken half a dozen swim classes at the Y--several parent/child classes, and is now in their preschool series. The parent-child classes were wonderful for teaching me and my husband how to handle her in the pool--how to get in and out safely with the baby, use of life jackets, fun songs and games to play with noodles, rubber duckies, etc. My daughter is actually getting quite good at paddling around with minimal flotation, though I would never leave her alone in a pool without an adult.
Now that she has a baby brother, we're taking him to the pool also. He'll be in the next session of the parent-child class at the Y, though he's spent several hours splashing around in the pool there already. He loves every minute of it, laughing at his sister, splashing in the water, and giggling everytime I tell him not to eat the noodles (apparently styrofoam looks like a good teething toy to him...)
Swimming is a fun family activity for us, and great exercise for all involved, and I know we'll be making great use of our neighborhood pool once again this summer.
Reply
Sarah 3-28-2008 @ 3:03PM
Just b/c the parents get a false sense of security, it doesn't mean that babies should not take swim lessons. It means that the parents need to be more aware of their children. The problem is not in the lessons, the problem is in the parenting.
I grew up in a house with a swimming pool and I started swim lessons at 6 months old just in case I fell in the pool. But my parents didn't think I was drown-proof, and they always watched me while I swam!
Reply
isisaquaria 3-28-2008 @ 4:04PM
I totally agree...parents want to blame everything that happens on something else.
Michmstr@aol.com 3-28-2008 @ 5:01PM
While I don't think infant swimming lessons are necessary, the AAP does really think that parents are a bunch of idiots. I have lots of friends whose kids took baby/toddler swimming classes (at La Petite Baleen that Roger linked to). It was amazing seeing 1 and 2 year olds jump off the side and swim a few feet to their parents! None of these parents thought these kids were "water safe" or would leave them alone. I still won't leave my daughter alone in the pool and she is 7 and an excellent swimmer. Show me a study that shows that kids who take early swimming lessons are more likely to drown, then maybe this recommendation would make sense.
I didn't start my daughter on swimming lessons until age 3 (mainly because I was too lazy to get in the pool with her and at 3 she could go without a parent.) It did take a whole summer of crying before she would put her face in. Meanwhile, her friends who had the early lessons had no fear because they had been doing it for so long, swimming was normal to them. The kids I have seen who wait even longer for lessons - 4,5,6 - have an even worse time getting over the fear.
Reply
Jenn 3-28-2008 @ 9:05PM
I will be starting my daughter in swim lessons this spring (the Rec Center nearest us has an indoor pool) -- she's 2.
My sister, who has an inground pool, started her oldest at about a year. I liked the way she described it: The benefit of early swim lessons is not that it prevents them from drowning, it's that it gives you more time to get to them and helps them not panic should they fall in.
Even her oldest (who will turn 6 this year and swims like a fish) is never allowed even inside the area with the pool by herself.
Reply
ELC 3-28-2008 @ 11:23PM
I don't know ANY parents that have "the potential to assume their children have become drown-proof". I have an inground pool and find that my pool guests tend toward the other end of the spectrum from Val's. Children arrive at my house wearing anywhere from 2 to 5 floatation devices and little wrist alarms that go off when they get wet. All parents either join their children in the pool or watch them closely from the side. I feel like some of the kids are actually overly fearful and are frankly TOO OLD to be wearing water wings! In the winter, I swim laps at a local hotel where I have a pool membership. I go 4 mornings a week and have seen hundreds of families with their kids there, and it's pretty much seems to taper off as the kids approach their teens.
I cannot believe that teaching children how to swim, especially when you include water respect and safety, is a bad thing. Seriously, why wouldn't the AAP recommend more education for parents, rather than less education for children? Assuming parents will need to attend these classes with children under 4, it could be doubly informative. It should be pretty obvious that you always watch your children while swimming. True water safety should go much farther - so many drowning accidents happen in inches of water - filled buckets, sinks, wading pools, toilets - or at gatherings with plenty of adults present, but where everyone thought someone else was watching. Basic CPR could be demonstrated and parents & kids could "enact" what to do if your child is drowning. I am sure that would "encourage" parents into watching their kids closely by water in the future!
All that aside - I cannot wait to open the pool this summer and teach the baby to swim :)
Reply