I usually ignore the the type of response that I received from "concerned swimmer" but I should comment on their 'concern'. Over the past 35 years I have always accepted the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAC) as the major world body advising on the prevention of drowning. During these years I was Chairman of the Water Safety Committee of the National Safety Council, S A for 20 years and ran the Education Swimming program for 24 years, which included the Vacswim program. The AAC released a policy statement in their May 24th 2010 publication that moderates its previously held position that children under the age of 4 years would not benefit from formal swimming programs. Their evidence showed that children do not become better swimmers at an earlier age if they undertook these infant programs. There was also concern that swimming programs might reduce the child’s fear of water, resulting in the child entering the water unsupervised. New research from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and a Chinese study concluded that swimming lessons for 1–4 year olds did not increase the risk of drowning and may have provided a reduction in drowning risk. In light of the new research the AAP has relaxed its policy regarding the age that children should start learning water survival skills. Their new policy statement follows: “Children need to learn to swim. The AAP continues to support swimming lessons for most children 4 years old and older. Because children develop at different rates, not all children will be ready to learn to swim at exactly the same age. The evidence no longer supports an advisory against early aquatic experience and swimming lessons for children of any specific age. However, the current evidence is insufficient to support a recommendation that all 1-4 year old children receive swimming lessons. A parent’s decision about starting swimming lessons or water survival skills training at an early age must be individualised on the basis of the child’s frequency of exposure to water, emotional maturity, physical limitations and health concerns related to swimming pools (ie, hypothermia, hyponatremia -swallowing water, infectious illness and lung damage from pool chemicals). Parents should be reminded that swimming lessons will not provide “drownproofing” for children of any age.” The paper also discusses claims made that babies will cry out, float on their backs fully clothed and swim underwater in an emergency. Although there are anecdotal reports of infants who have “saved themselves”, no scientific study has clearly demonstrated the safety and efficacy of training programs for such young infants. This is the most recent and authoritative statement on when to start formal water safety/swimming classes. To summarise their position, around 4 years is still the optimum age to start; you can start earlier, 1 – 4 years won’t hurt them, it might help them, but the AAP still thinks it is better to wait.
Ken Richter
