Do early swim lessons lessen drowning risk?

Genevieve Milkie started swimming lessons when she was 7 months old. Now, the 3-year-old from Riverside, Calif., can hold her breath under water and swim freestyle and backstroke.

While Genevieve's mother, Zoe, feels more secure when her daughter is near water, she is not following the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The academy says children are not developmentally ready for swimming lessons until after their fourth birthday.

"I think it's all a personal preference," Milkie said, sitting poolside recently at Aquatic Zone in Corona, Calif., during her daughter's swimming lesson. "A parent knows a child. My daughter loves the water. When she's near the water, she falls into the water. I think it's important to teach her."

Other parents, swimming school owners and some drowning-prevention groups agree. They say that the academy's recommendation is conservative and that children are less apt to fear water when they start lessons younger. Parents also say lessons provide time for children to exercise and socialize.

Drowning was the leading cause of accidental death among children 1 to 4 years old in 2005, the latest statistics available, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drowning accounted for nearly 30 percent of 1,664 accidental deaths.

Children younger than 4 represent up to 45 percent of business at the private swimming schools. They offer classes for children as young as 3 months, with a parent and instructor in the water with the child. Children as young as 2 years start lessons with just an instructor.

"We have kids who learn to swim before they learn to walk," said Christi Caldin, owner of Aquatic Zone. "It's a natural environment. It's where we come from. We're made of water."

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation, written in 2000 and reaffirmed in 2004, advises that aquatic programs for infants and toddlers have not been shown to decrease the risk of drowning. Parents should not believe their child is safe from drowning after participating in such programs.

Dr. Marilyn J. Bull, who led the committee that wrote the recommendation, said research shows children are not capable of understanding the dangers of swimming.

A neurodevelopmental pediatrician and professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine, Bull said parents often overestimate their child's ability for judgment, reasoning and processing and underestimate their physical abilities. She stressed that swimming lessons are not a substitute for supervising a child in water.

It's possible that swimming lessons at a young age reduce fear of water, Bull said, but no research shows that a child taught to swim at 2 or 3 years old is less likely to drown than a child who learned at an older age.

YMCA of the USA disagrees with the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation. It starts lessons with children as young as 3.

"We have 100 years of teaching kids in groups lessons," said Kay Smiley, an aquatic and scuba specialist for the Chicago-based organization.

Kim Patrick, coordinator for Safe Kids Inland Empire, based at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, also disagreed with the academy's recommendation. She said because children develop at different speeds, they could start swimming lessons at different times.

Patrick is also a National Drowning Prevention Alliance board member. In 1999, her 2 1/2-year-old son, Brandon, drowned in a backyard pool. Brandon had not had swimming lessons. Patrick is not sure if he would have reached the side of the pool if he had taken lessons.

She said anecdotal evidence suggests children are less likely to drown when they learn to swim at a younger age but there needs to be evidenced-based research.

Patrick said an alliance research committee hopes to work with the American Academy of Pediatrics and other drowning experts to do that research.

Safety tips

Follow these tips to help keep your family safe around water:

Learn to swim and swim well. No one should swim alone. Adults should practice "reach supervision," which means to be within arm's length of a child in case an emergency occurs.

Outfit everyone with proper gear. Children and adults who are not strong swimmers should use U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal floatation devices when they are in or around water.

Keep basic lifesaving equipment by the pool and know how to use it. This includes a first-aid kit, a cordless phone, a phone list with emergency contact information, a reaching pole and a ring buoy with a nylon line.

Pack a "safety" bag for a day at the beach or lake. It should include waterproof sunscreen, water shoes to keep feet safe from heat and sharp objects, water, a hat and sunglasses.

Learn first aid and CPR. All caregivers, including grandparents, older siblings and babysitters, should have these lifesaving skills.

Source: American Red Cross