If you have a child, swimming training may be part of your future. Swim training varies from the teaching a simple response that a child has to falling into water to a full-fledged dive, and strict technical-stroke guidelines. If you live near water, have a swimming pool or plan to have your kids swim in a recreational swim league, find training programs that focus first on swim safety and then on technique.
Time Frame
A May 2010 update from the American Academy of Pediatrics--or AAP--supports teaching children to swim at an early age. While previously, pediatricians had supported teaching children once they were 3 and older, the 2010 guidelines for the AAP significantly lower the teaching age for swim training. The new guidelines suggest that children from 1 year and older may be good candidates for basic drowning prevention.
Types
Swimming training starts with training a child to avoid panic if she falls in water and to swim to the edge of the pool. While many programs move well beyond this--to basic strokes, swimming underwater and learning how to hold your breath--the basic program is the one that is most likely to help prevent drowning.
Considerations
Drowning is a constant worry if your child hasn't had any swim training. Kids Health notes that drowning is the second most common cause of death for children younger than 14. You don't have to plan for your child to become the next great Olympian, but it is well worth finding a program that will help your child be water safe.
Features
Look for a swim-training program that doesn't force kids. You don't want your child to fear the water. Instead, find a program that starts with swim safety and progresses beyond that to basic strokes to give your child confidence as well as basic ability in the water. The American Red Cross and YMCA both offer free or low-cost swim programs at centers across the United States.
Warning
While swimming training for kids can help keep them safe, nothing replaces adequate adult supervision. Keep within arm's reach of children who are not yet water safe and don't turn your back, even for a moment. Infantswim.org notes that children under age 4 are more likely to be harmed in a pool than in a car. The AAP states that adult supervision is not the key issue; however, adult lapses in supervision--due to talking, texting or chatting on the phone--are real safety issues if your child is not yet water safe.
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