Swim lessons for toddlers get doctors' approval
After years of claiming otherwise, “the nation's largest pediatricians group is relaxing its stance against swimming lessons for children younger than 4.” (C. Johnson, AP Medical, Chicao 5/24). In the past, the American Academy of Pediatrics took issue with the fact that swimming lessons could give both parents and toddlers a false sense of security, but now the group says lessons are fine for children as young as 1.
However, the academy also emphasizes that parents who feel their children are not ready for swimming lessons should not enroll them. Moreover, parents should choose classes that “emphasize water safety and require a parent or other adult to be in the water with the child.”
The updated policy recommends additional safety precautions including “fences around all pools, even popular inflatable ones. Kids can drown by leaning over the soft sides and falling in. And the group warns that children can drown when their hair or hands get sucked into the drains of pools or spas without drain covers or proper filter-pump equipment.”
As a personal injury lawyer in Chicago, I join the academy in cautioning parents to vigilantly supervise young children swimming and encourage parents to take the necessary precautions to ensure their children are swimmingly in safe environments.
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