Should Babies Take Swimming Lessons?
Categories: Babies, Toddlers, Fun & Activities, Safety
Swimming lessons alone won't keep your child safe around water. Image: sxc.hu
"My DD is 9 months old and we started swim classes 2 weeks ago and absolutely love it...something that WE can do together. They do fun songs, put their faces under water and she does just great! I'm so glad we are doing them."
There are water programs available for babies as young as several months and many parents are signing their kids up. But despite the growing popularity of infant swim lessons, there is a persistent belief that children who take swimming lessons at a young age are actually more likely to drown than those who don't.
While that theory may sound counter intuitive, the reasoning behind it kind of makes sense: Parents and caregivers of children who have been taught to swim might be less vigilant about keeping an eye on their children because they feel they are safer around the water.
But according to a new study by the National Institutes of Health, statistics prove that theory wrong. Researchers found that children ages 1 to 4 who have had swimming lessons are at no greater risk of drowning than those who haven't. "From our calculations, we are confident that swimming lessons do not increase drowning risk in this age group and likely have a protective effect," says the study's first author, Dr. Ruth A. Brenner.
But regardless of age, knowing how to swim is not enough to ensure your child's safety around water. In addition to swimming lessons, a comprehensive drowning-prevention strategy should include pool fencing, adult supervision, and training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mary Sullivan 5-29-2009 @ 10:17AM
I come from a big swimming family, so swimming has been a part of my life forever. I'm not sure why an infant would need actual "lessons," though. If you have a YMCA, JCC, health club, etc., membership, there are usually family swim hours when you can take your baby into the pool, hold him or her and play around. I guess the lessons just put some structure to this and a time frame, so that families are more likely to get in the habit. It's a great thing to do but doesn't need to be anything fancy.
Why not hold off until 2 or 3, when they can start understanding instructions, etc.? Younger than that, I think of it more as a parent-tot exercise class or playtime. Which is fine.
Of course lessons don't make it more likely for babies to drown. But it is much easier to drown than most people realize, so you have to be watching little kids at all times when they're in the water. It scares me the way the indoor waterparks, at least the ones we've been to, serve beer and mixed drinks. Somehow I don't think parents watch as well when they're half-sloshed :(
regards,
Mary
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ame s 5-29-2009 @ 5:07PM
I can't swim worth a hoot, not sure if I could save myself or not.
My girls (9 & 11),like their dad,are great swimmers,but we don't let them swim without an adult present.
Kids can be over-confident sometimes and get themselves into dangerous situations.
I do think it is a good idea to expose children to water as young as a parent feels comfortable with but also believe in close supervision.
A 4 year old who has been told he/she is a great swimmer may jump into a pool or lake without an adult present. Great swimmer or not, kids should be taught to never swim without an adult with them.
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Jamie 5-29-2009 @ 3:38PM
When my son was a little less than 6 months I enrolled him in a Mommy and Me type swim class. We took two years of these type of lessons. He was taught things that would get him ready for full fledged swimming. Most importantly was how to get out of the pool if they fall in. Mostly you are just getting the baby used to the water. If they are not afraid of the water then they will likely be easier to teach to swim later on in life. My son is now 5 and he does not like his swimming lessons anymore. He can swim with a back belt. I hope we can get rid of it this summer. I don't think you can teach a kid to swim to early in their lives. I never underestimate their abilities at any age. If they are determined enough, they will make it happen.
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Melissa 5-29-2009 @ 5:38PM
Perfect example that children get over-confident: One of the men I work with has a 4 year old, and they taught him how to swim, and how to swim OVER the pool sweeper....he was telling us that his son was being silly and decided to swim UNDER the sweeper....Mom ended up jumping in fully clothed to get him, because it started pulling him under....but the point was she WAS watching, very diligently, I'm sure (which I am, I know her to be a great mom), and he just got a little silly and a little too confident, and that happened so quickly....Thank God she is a wonderful, watchful, CAREFUL mom! Too many parents are not.
P.S. I don't have to deal with this because my daughter, even though she has been in pools, does not like to swim!
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rachelzahn 5-30-2009 @ 9:59AM
The important point of the story is that fun swim lessons do not equal drown-proofing. When my daughter was 18 months old we started her in swim lessons that were billed as just that -- 'Drown-proof Your Baby'. The instructor had a very strict protocol that he swore would make them safe in the water. It had nothing to do with fun, and needless to say she did not have a good time. Fortunately, she got over the trauma and enjoys the water as much as anyone now (she's 15). As a family, we joke that she might be a competitive swimmer today if only we hadn't forced her into those lessons.
P.S.: There's no such thing as 'drown-proofing' a child under 4.
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Crystal 5-30-2009 @ 2:58PM
There are programs to teach babies to save themselves if they fall into a pool....Not saying the skill should replace an adults supervision, but in the event of an accident, it could be a lifesaver.
This video makes me cringe....But, its amazing the child knew what to do when they fell into a pool.
http://www.infantswim.com/isr-experience/Miles.html
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damoki 5-31-2009 @ 3:24AM
Crystal,
I agree with your comment; very good points. Parents must be diligent supervisors with young children. I could teach a 4 year old how to load and unload a gun, but the lesson of when to shoot it or when not to? I'm not so sure that can be learned when so young. Judgment follows experience which often follows mistakes, all of which take time. A parents job is to ensure the mistakes are learning events, not fatal events.
DaMoKi
Jennie 6-07-2009 @ 8:43AM
My son has been in swimming lessons since he was 8mo old. We were in parent child classes at the Y and now he is solo in the Almost 3 class. It was the best thing. He is cautious, he knows simple rules like always hold the side of the pool, and he is learning the fundamentals while having fun. If a kid is going to jump in the pool, they are going to do it with swim lessons or without. When my son does this, my hopes are that the lessons come back full circle. Without them, he would struggle, be scared that his face is wet, and could drown. The lessons will give him a fighting chance.
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