In May of 2010, the AAP changed it’s policy regarding the age at which children may start swimming lessons, based on research stating that swim lessons may actually provide reduction in drowning risk of children ages 1- to 4-years-old. That study, “Association Between Swimming Lessons and Childhood Drowning” published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, March, 2009, by Brenner et. al. was the first study to probe the relationship between drowning reduction and swimming skills. That study concluded that, “Participation in formal swimming lessons was associated with an 88{c8ea3e6b99f4bd94807201960cf8f341fc19bd4751392fd5b1912cce57295ac1} reduction in the risk of drowning in the 1- to 4- year-old children…”
The AAP encourages parents to consider that starting water-survival skills training at an early age must be individualized, based on the child’s frequency of exposure to water, emotional maturity, physical limitations and health concerns related to swimming pools.
