Getting in the Swim
When Is the Right Time to Start Swimming Lessons? Now!
We’re really creating a safe place for the baby to grow up in, so as they get older and start really learning to swim, they’ll have a good feeling and a level of comfort.
— Karen "Goldie" Goldberg, aquatics director, Hollywood-Wilshire YMCA in California
Ninety-four percent of children in households responding to a 2009 American Red Cross survey will be swimming during the summer, making swimming the most popular summertime activity among those questioned.
As parents prepare for water fun, it’s a great time to evaluate your family’s level of comfort and confidence in and around the water and to take advantage of opportunities for you and your children to learn water safety and swimming skills.
Not only can swimming lessons teach lifesaving skills -- drowning is the No. 2 cause of accidental death for children ages 1 to 19 in the United States, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics -- but they also can provide opportunities for infant/parent bonding, an enjoyable physical activity and socialization with peers.
While water safety and aquatics education professionals say children can start lessons as early as 6 months old, they also say it’s never too late to learn.
Starting Early
Many institutions with long histories in aquatics education and water safety training recommend getting infants into the water.
“Every child is different, but we recommend getting a child in the water as soon as possible to help create comfort with being in the water,” said Monica Diaz of the American Red Cross, Los Angeles Region. “Infants can get in as early as 6 months.
“These types of classes can teach parents and children water safety skills and (teach parents) how to protect their child in and out of the water,” Diaz said. “Infants can learn how to turn over and lift their faces out of the water.”
Karen "Goldie" Goldberg, youth fitness and family sports director/aquatics director at the Hollywood-Wilshire YMCA, learned to swim at a Y. She is a passionate advocate for getting children into the pool early and letting them progress at their own pace.
“Six months is a great time to start, because a baby’s body temperature doesn’t begin to regulate itself until then. We make sure our training pools are 92 degrees in winter and 90 in the summer. That keeps them warm and comfortable."
The YMCA’s parent/infant classes are for children ages 6 months to 36 months.
“Our philosophy is really very child-based, taking into account the temperament and comfort level of the child. Our classes for that age are very repetitive, very motor-skills based,” Goldberg said. “We’re really creating a safe place for the baby to grow up in, so as they get older and start really learning to swim, they’ll have a good feeling and a level of comfort.”
Managing Expectations
Parents shouldn’t expect their children to become world-class swimmers after a few lessons, Diaz said. “It all depends on their comfort level and their motor skill level. When their motor skills become more developed, that’s when you really see changes in how they are swimming and their overall skill level.”
That change often happens around ages 4 and 5. “By then they are learning the floating skills, going under water, learning advanced water skills, kicking and may even start using strokes,” Diaz said.
“They may start with blowing bubbles in the water, then putting their face in, then their whole head. Some people still subscribe to the idea of ‘just throw them in,’ but we don’t want to encourage that. We don’t want to throw them in and scare them even more.”
Goldberg echoed Diaz’s sentiments. “We purposefully create a program that once the child turns 3, we can continue to move along with their increasing motor skills capacity and emotional maturity, and then they can handle more challenges in the water.”
In 2010, the American Academy of Pediatrics reversed its earlier position against swimming lessons for children younger than 4. While the AAP didn’t find evidence that earlier training lowered drowning rates in children under age 4, other research did. Since there was no evidence that training toddlers did any harm, the AAP revised its position.
The organization’s earlier view held that children between 1 and 3 years of age were not developmentally ready and that swimming lessons could give parents and children a false sense of security. The organization still does not recommend classes for infants 12 months old or younger.
The YMCA’s instructional philosophy also works against this false sense of confidence, Goldberg said.
“In addition to teaching them about swimming and pool safety, we also don’t use floaties, as they give a false sense of security.” Parents might think that if a child is in a flotation device, it’s safe for them to turn their backs, but it’s not, even for a second, Goldberg said. “That’s all it takes for a child to fall off or slip through a floatie, so we don’t allow that. We also don’t teach with life vests or life jackets.”
Getting Over Fear
The Y’s philosophy is to build up children’s confidence, Goldberg said. “We always tell our kids, as well as the parents, the child never has to do anything they’re not ready to do. It can take weeks and weeks to build a sense of safety for them, not only in the pool environment but with the instructors as well.
“Just because one child is blowing bubbles with their face in the water, not every child will. Every child has their own pace.”
- Photo Credit iStock Photo
