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What to Look For in a Baby Swim Program

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

In this Article

• Is Swimming Safe for Babies?
• What to Look For In a Swim Program
• Practice Proper Safety in Different Water Sources

Many parents like to have their children learn to swim at a young age. Teaching your children to swim allows them to be safe in the water. It doesn’t take long for a child to accidentally drown in the water. Drowning is the second-leading cause of death among children and teenagers.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently updated their recommendations on the appropriate ages for children to learn to swim. Previously, they discouraged teaching children younger than four years old how to swim. They now encourage children one year and older to take swimming lessons. It is still not recommended to try and teach babies and children younger than one how to swim.

The reason why they recommended children be four years old before starting swimming lessons was that they were concerned if children younger than four could properly learn from the lessons. They were also worried that parents who taught their children to swim might watch them less than they should because their children knew how to swim. 

Is Swimming Safe for Babies?

A baby can drown in only one to two inches of water. This is because they don't have full control over their muscles and can choke. Getting even a small amount of water into their mouth and nose can prevent them from breathing. 

If your child is older than one and you believe they can learn from swim lessons, then teaching them how to swim can reduce their risk of drowning. A good way to teach your child to swim is to enroll both of you in a parent-child swim class.

Enrolling your child in a swim class is one of many ways to protect your child in the water. Just learning how to swim isn’t enough to keep your child safe. You should watch your child constantly while they are in the water. Many times, young children end up in danger because their parents did not realize they had made their way into a swimming pool or other water source.

What to Look For In a Swim Program

If you are going to enroll your baby in a swim program, make sure you pick one that has qualified swim instructors. They should be certified through a nationally recognized learn-to-swim program. There should be lifeguards on duty prepared to perform first aid and CPR. 

A swim program for babies and children younger than four should be in a space that is good for their age. You and your baby should feel safe and comfortable during each lesson. The instructor should make sure to teach all participants basic water safety skills and take your child through activities that encourage physical, emotional, and social development.

You should also make sure that your baby’s swim program provides:  

• Clean water: The facility that provides your baby’s swimming lessons should disinfect the water and maintain proper chlorine levels. Children often swallow or breathe in water during their lessons, so it’s important for the water to have a certain level of purity. 
• Touch supervision: Babies should always be within arms reach of an adult so they can reach out and touch them. It helps for parents to be in the water at this time so they can practice how they should behave with babies and small children when they are not in swim class.  
• Warmer water: Babies are more susceptible to hypothermia, so the facility providing swim lessons should make sure the water stays heated from around 87 to 94 degrees Fahrenheit.  

Practice Proper Safety in Different Water Sources

Splashing and playing at the beach or another water spot is a fun way for families to spend time together. Even after you know that your baby can swim, you still need to be careful depending on the body of water.  

• Swimming pools: Look for markers that let you know the depth of different sections of the pool. You want to keep your baby in the shallowest part of the water. 
• Lakes and ponds: Sometimes it can be hard to see the bottom of a lake or pond, so be careful about taking your baby into the water. You don’t want to accidentally lose your footing and your hold on your baby. 
• Beaches: Many beaches have currents even in the water close to the shore. Always check with the lifeguard about the current conditions. It is best to stay right along the edge of the shoreline with your baby. 
• Water Parks: Many water parks have sections designed for babies and toddlers. It’s a good idea to stick to the attractions there to provide the most protection for your child.   

Swimming safely: 15 important tips

The best and warmest season of the year is ahead. Surely you have already planned a great vacation with the whole family. Be sure to check out our tips before traveling to the sea.

Alya Badanina

Children

Take extra care when swimming with very young children. According to medical organizations in the United States, the risk of drowning among children from one to four is especially high, be careful! nine0003

What can be done:

1. Of course, do not let such a small child go swimming alone. Rescuers do not recommend solo swimming for children up to at least 14 years old, if the child does not swim well - longer.

2. Closely monitor the behavior of children and adults: "glassy" eyes, incorrect head position, floundering in the water are bad signs.

3. After swimming in the pool, fish out all the toys and other items that attract the baby. Ideally, the children's pool should be fenced with special retaining sides. When choosing a hotel by the sea, pay attention to this. nine0003

4. Start swimming with your child as early as possible and enroll in first aid courses yourself. The benefits are enormous!

Adolescents and adults

Almost 90% of accidents in water with adolescents over 15 years of age occur in water bodies unsuitable for swimming - in forest rivers, mountain lakes, etc. And more than half of the cases with adults are due to alcohol.

What can be done:

1. No to alcohol - not only when swimming, but also when engaging in active games on the shore and in the water.

2. Always consider local weather conditions, pay attention to flags and other symbols on lifeguard houses, do not break the rules.

3. Try to be in front of the lifeguards, close to other people or with a friend.

Beaches

Even open public beaches or beaches near large hotels are not always safe. Always check the documentation of the water sample, etc. nine0003

What can be done:

1. Do not swim for at least 24 hours after a heavy downpour. All the most harmful from the earth ends up in the water.

2. Find out in advance which marine animals are found in the places where you spend your holidays. Keep protective measures with you.

3. Do not swim near obvious sources of pollution: near drain pipes, near ports.

4. And of course, do not leave non-decomposable rubbish on the sand yourself, teach your children to keep order. nine0003

Swimming pools

Chemicals in swimming pools can affect a child's general condition, causing rashes, asthmatic coughs and other allergic reactions.

What can be done:

1. If you are staying at a hotel, you have the right to request information about how pools are cleaned, what is the composition of the products and how often they are used.

2. Never swim in the pool after the designated time (usually between 22.00 and 08.00) - during this period the concentration of chemicals is especially high. nine0003

Always wear life jackets for yourself and the children when going for a boat trip. According to statistics, 95% of the boats that drowned after the crash did not wear vests. Inflatable or foam mattresses and toys will not work.

What can be done:

1. Find out the capacity of the boat and calculate how many people can go for a ride. Do not load the ship with things.

2. Choose good weather for a water trip, even with a slight beginning of rain or wind, it is reasonable to postpone the event. nine0003

Rules of conduct for children during swimming lessons

Any parent, sending their child to swimming lessons, immediately thinks about how to behave in the pool, and how to teach this to their child. In the first classes, of course, children will be taught safety precautions, but you should prepare in advance at home.

Basic Rules

Swimming is not only a good and rewarding pastime, but also a dangerous activity in which failure to follow standard instructions can lead to tragedy. But if you follow all the rules, the pool will become a place that you want to visit all the time. nine0003

Be sure to teach your child the following rules:

These safety rules must be taught to the child in the first place.

Water behavior

After listening to the safety instructions from the coach and the guard of the sports section of the guard of the sports section and fulfilling the conditions for being in the pool, the children go into the water. But what behavior should be directly in the water? For this, there are also some rules that need to be explained to the child: nine0003

• diving from special springboards is allowed under supervision;

• while in the water, in no case do not indulge - pushing, loud and inappropriate behavior, jumping, and other actions are prohibited;

• you can not dive under water without permission and without the supervision of a coach;

• in no case do not hold on to people who are engaged nearby, and do not touch their limbs; nine0003

• use special equipment only with the permission of the coach. It is necessary to use additional means for swimming only for their intended purpose;

• in the pool it is forbidden to take off the cap;

• it is necessary to observe the distance indicated in advance and not interfere with the swimming of others;

9009nine

if your health suddenly deteriorated, you got sick somewhere, chills or redness appeared on different parts of the body, you should inform the teacher about this and get out of the water;

• if any emergency is detected, you must immediately contact the teacher or the duty officer for help.

Standard safety precautions must be explained to your child so that classes bring only positive emotions. nine0003

Behavior at the end of class

After training, it is also necessary to follow the rules of conduct when leaving the pool:

• you should get out of the water, holding on to special handrails;

• in the locker room you need to put yourself in order - take a shower and be sure to dry well so as not to freeze;

• put on warm clothes, be sure to return all used equipment to its place.

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