NJ-Based Custom Pool Builder, Chris Cipriano Offers Guidance To New Parents Wondering When A Safe Time Would Be To Start Teaching Their Child To Swim
One of the most memorable moments in a parents’ life is seeing their child take their first solo swim. It marks a milestone in the development of your child and gifts the child survival skills, a great form of exercise and fantastic source of fun! Reaching the first swim safely, however, take a careful planning and lots of caution. A question a lot of new parents ask us is “when is the best time to start teaching my child to swim?”
This is an important question and should be well thought out and planned. Here we provide some resources, statistics and food for thought when discussing when to start your child’s swimming education.
From 1999 to 2010 about 14,000 children 19 years and younger died of drowning. This makes all the more reason to make sure your child knows how to swim at the right age. Terri Lees of the Red Cross believes that children won’t become confident swimmers until about the age of 6 or 7. Terri recommends starting them off at 4 or 5. With this stated the obvious takeaway is that even with even a few years experience, young swimmers should be watched closely.
There are some parents who start their children off very young and although there are swimming programs for kids as early as 6 months old, these may create a false sense of security for children around water. For those that want to start early, The American Association of Pediatrics says children can start taking swim lessons at age 1 but sooner may create risk.
The Infant Swimming Resource, on the other hand, promises to teach children as young as 6 months how to swim properly on their back to avoid drowning which goes to show you that there are many differing views on the subject and that the decision ultimately comes down to personal preference.
Teaching your child how to swim at the right time truly depends on your child and your family. Taking into account your home’s proximity to water is a beneficial piece of information when deciding. A parent with a pool in their backyard might be more motivated to start water education and swimming classes sooner than a family that swims once a year at the beach while on vacation.
Swimming is a very beneficial activity and a lot of fun but it also requires a certain level of respect and caution to ensure safety at all times.