St. Louis, MO
This week the American Academy of Pediatrics announced a revision of their policy statement on drowning prevention. The revisions come as a response to research and, sadly, also in response to two tragedies last summer when families lost toddlers to drowning.
“Can your child swim? Can you?” they ask.
“All parents and children over 1 year old should learn to swim, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). “
“Swim lessons do not ‘drown-proof’ any child or adult,” they go on to say but “swim skills do add a layer of protection.”
(AAP News, March 15, 2019)
Anyone can drown, and it only takes seconds. Infants are most likely to drown in bathtubs or buckets, and preschoolers are most likely to drown in swimming pools. Many of these deaths occur when the child gets unanticipated access to water.
As the blogger at “mom.me” writes: “One of the primary takeaways from the AAP’s recommendation is that children should start swimming lessons at one year of age. Basically, it’s never too young to learn water safety.”
Dr. Linda Quan, FAAP, and co-author of the statement, reiterates, “Water is everywhere, and we need multiple layers to protect children from the deadly risks it poses.”
“There is tremendous variability among swim lessons”, the report continues, “and not every program will be right for each child. Parents and caregivers should investigate options for swim lessons in their community prior to enrollment to make sure that the program meets their needs and the needs of the child. High-quality swim lessons provide more experiential training, including swimming in clothes, in life jackets, falling in, and practicing self-rescue. Achieving the basic water competency swim skills requires multiple lessons, and acquisition of water competency is a protracted process that involves learning in conjunction with developmental maturation.
The Academy reaffirms the additional – and very important – layers of protection: most importantly, supervision but also proper fencing, life vests and knowledge of CPR
“Many of these deaths occur when children are not expected to be swimming or when they have unanticipated access to water,” author Sarah Denny, MD, FAAP, said in a news release. “Toddlers are naturally curious; that’s why we must implement other strategies, such as pool fencing and door locks.”
The Academy also encourages pediatricians to speak with patients about water safety and provide the meaningful support for drowning prevention that they are uniquely equipped to do.
We at British Swim School applaud the new position.
British Swim School St. Louis offers premium water survival and swimming lessons for infants, toddlers, children and adults, starting at just 3 months old. We proudly serve the St. Louis communities of Afton, Ballwin, Brentwood, Chesterfield, Clayton, Concord, Crestwood, Creve Coeur, Dardenne Prairie, Eureka, Fenton, High Ridge, Howell Island, Kirkwood, Ladue, Lake St. Louis, Manchester, Maplewood, Maryland Heights, New Town, Olivette, Overland, Richmond Heights, St. Charles, Orchard Farm, St. Paul, St. Peters, Sunset Hills, Town and Country, Valley Park, Webster Groves, Weldon Springs, and Wildwood. Call 314-312-1878 to enroll or find a class online.
