Swimming Instructions for Infants

Abstract

Children less than 3 years old are most vulnerable to drowning, and organized efforts to reduce the toll are indicated. Heretofore, swimming instruction has concentration on school-aged children, but in recent years some emphasis has been placed on teaching younger children to swim, even during the first year of life. Although it may be possible to teach young infants to propel themselves and keep their heads above water, infants cannot be expected to learn the elements of water safety or to react appropriately in emergencies. No young child, particularly those who are preschool aged, can ever be considered "water safe." Parents may develop a false sense of security if they feel their young child can "swim" a few strokes. Additional problems may be associated with admission of infants to public swimming pools. Incontinent infants pose an aesthetic problem and make it difficult to maintain the effectiveness of chlorination. The Committee recognizes the increasing populaity of swimming programs for infants and the enjoyment of the parent and child in this shared activity, and makes the following recommendations: 1. If a parent wishes to enroll his/her infant in a water adjustment and swimming program, it should be on a one-to-one basis with the parent or a responsible adult. Organized group swimming instruction should be reserved for children more than 3 years old. 2. Instruction should be carried out by trained instructors in properly maintained pools. 3. Infants with known medical problems should receive clearance from their physician. 4. Controlled studies clarifying the possible risks to infants from swimming programs should be carried out as soon as possible.

Effect of baby swimming lessons on infants’ avoidance of bodies of water

“…As initially proposed by the AAP (Flynn et al, 1980), the current findings suggest that baby swimming programs may increase the risk of drowning among young children, but not in our opinion because they offer caregivers a false sense of security and overconfidence of their babies' swimming skills, an argument later dismissed by Morrongiello and colleagues (2013). Instead, we suggest that experience in baby swimming programs may offer infants a false sense of confidence and security to explore the aquatic environment that leads them to risk going deeper and deeper into the water only when the access is smooth, gradual, and playful.…”

“…The AAP initially advised that children should only start swimming programs after the age of 3 years; first because no evidence existed to determine if swimming programs for very young children would increase or decrease the likelihood of drowning and, second, because enrolling babies in swimming programs could develop a false sense of security in caregivers and a consequent reduction of proper supervision (Committee on Sports Medicine & Fitness, 2000; Flynn et al., 1980). They also expressed concern that baby swimming programs could “reduce a child's fear of water and unwittingly encourage the child to enter the water without supervision” (Committee on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention, 2010, p. 179).…”

“…A lingering concern is that parents might overestimate their babies’ swimming skills and neglect responsibility for close supervision because their children are enrolled in swimming programs (Committee on Sports Medicine & Fitness, 2000; Flynn et al., 1980). Indeed, Morrongiello and colleagues (2013) reported that parents’ judgment of their young children's swimming skills tends to be poor, even when they are enrolled in swimming programs, and they underestimate their need for supervision.…”

Baby Swimming Programs: The Impact on Infants’ Avoidance of Bodies of Water

“…The AAP initially advised that children should only start swimming programs after the age of 3 years; first because no evidence existed to determine if swimming programs for very young children would impact the likelihood of drowning and, second, because enrolling babies in swimming programs could develop a false sense of security in caregivers and a consequent reduction of proper supervision [8,9]. They also expressed concern that baby swimming programs could "reduce a child's fear of water and unwittingly encourage the child to enter the water without supervision" [10] (p179).…”

“…A lingering concern is that parents might overestimate their babies' swimming skills and neglect responsibility for close supervision because their children are enrolled in swimming programs [8,9]. Indeed, Morrongiello and colleagues [13] reported that parents' judgment of their young children's swimming skills tends to be poor, even when they are enrolled in swimming programs, and they underestimate their need for supervision.…”