According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drowning is the number one cause of accidental death for infants and young children between the ages of 1-4.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends swimming lessons for all children age 4 or older.
The American Association of Pediatrics says children can safely take swim lessons as early as age 1.
A 2009 U.S. study found an 88 percent reduction in drowning risk in kids ages 1 to 4 who had taken swimming lessons
From 1999 to 2010, nearly 14,000 Americans age 19 and younger drowned, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Forty percent of those cases were among children ages 1 to 4, and at least half of those deaths occurred in swimming pools.
At Submerge Yourself Aquatics we strongly believe infant survival classes are beneficial in decreasing the number of possible child drownings. We teach all our children as well as our adult swimmers and even our seniors that rolling on to our back and floating is the first line of defense when it comes to drowning. It is often one of our very first lessons in safety, no matter the age.
Because infants have less cognitive skills than older children we use habitual automatic rescue techniques, sometimes called self-rescue, or the roll and float method, which is designed to create an automatic response when a baby encounters the water. Through repeated exposure, we teach the infant to roll on its back, maintain the position and cry for help, when they come in contact with water. This is sometimes hard for the parent to watch but when done correctly, this method can most definitely save your baby’s life. We encourage parental participation so the parent can learn to reinforce these skills with their little one while at home. We spend the most time explaining what is going to happen and why we feel it is necessary prior to exposure. Our goals are happy parents and safe children. Not the other way around. So we also let parents know if we feel their participation is hindering the progress of the child. More times than not the parent has more fear to overcome than the child. We feel it’s necessary to work with both parent and child for the best results.
Early water exposure is beneficial no matter the age so we recommend you start pouring water on your baby’s head from birth. One of the most time-consuming activities for many of our young students is becoming familiar with the feeling of water on ones face and becoming comfortable in and around the water. If you as a parent can master that skill with your little one, you can certainly save yourself a lot of time and money. Sit your baby upright in the sink and slowly pour several cups of room temperature water on his or her face or better yet, take your little one into the shower with you during bathtime.
Submerge Yourself Aquatics 