Whether you have a pool at your house or neighborhood, or you just want to add a layer of safety to your children’s environment, swimming lessons for toddlers can give children valuable tools to help keep them safe. Swimming lessons can educate children about the dangers of water without scaring them, show them how to be safe around water, and teach them how to get out of the water if they accidentally fall in or find themselves in over their head.
Here are 6 reasons why your toddler needs swimming lessons, starting as young as age 1.
#1 – Water, Water Everywhere
Here in Southwest Florida, water is a part of our daily lives. From backyard swimming pools and intercoastal waterways, to the sandy Gulf beaches, children are naturally exposed to water at a young age. Toddler swimming lessons can help children become more aware of their surroundings and educate them about water safety.
#2 – Lower The Risk Of Drowning
Drowning is the number one cause of injury related death in children ages 1-4. In more than half of all drowning cases, the children were not expected to be in the water. They were simply being curious toddlers around a pool, hot tub, bath tub, or natural body of water. While this can be alarming for parents to think about, teaching children basic water survival skills, like floating, treading water, and immediately swimming to the side after falling in, can help prevent many of these drownings.
#3 – Floaties Are Dangerous
Floaties, water wings, tubes, and other floatation devices can give children – and parents – a false sense of confidence. If children can’t swim without floaties, then they can’t swim at all. When children are wearing floaties, parents may be less observant, assuming they are safe. But children are known for wiggling out of floaties, and it only takes a second to slip under the water.
#4 – Increase Confidence Around Water
There’s a fine line between teaching children how to be safe around water, and scaring them about the dangers of water. By the time children are physically ready to swim independently, many are scared to try. Early swimming lessons expose toddlers and young children to water in a positive way, while experienced instructors provide encouragement and give children the confidence they need to learn something new that may feel scary.
#5 – AAP Recommendations Have Changed
Previous recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatricians were that parents should start swimming lessons for children at age 4. Now, the AAP is encouraging parents to start teaching water survival skills as early as 1 to help reduce the risk of drowning between the ages of 1-4.
#6 – Other Safety Features May Fail
Safety gates, door locks, pool fences, alarms, motion detectors, and other safety features are all recommended for homeowners with backyard pools and small children. However, determined toddlers with distracted parents have still been known to bypass these barriers and drown in the family pool. Combining these pool safety features with teaching children how to exit the pool if they accidentally fall in can help prevent drowning.
Jackson Pools Takes Pool Safety Seriously
Jackson Pools is a family owned and operated business, and we believe in building backyard pools that are both safe and enjoyable for the whole family. We can design a backyard pool from the ground up with safety features built in, or renovate your existing pool so that it’s safe for your newest addition. Contact us to learn more about our process.
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