As families head to the pool or beach, swim lessons urged for childen to prevent drowning
MIAMI - As many families enjoy their summer, the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending swimming and water safety classes for children to prevent drowning.
The group says that many children did not learn this life skill during the pandemic.
According to the AAP, drowning is the single leading cause of injury death for children ages one to four.
"There's really strong evidence that swimming lessons in kids over the age of one is one layer of protection against drowning prevention," said AAP spokeswoman Dr. Sarah Denny
Six-year-old Xander Rogoff is learning to swim. His mother Dana Rogoff says the pandemic kept him from learning earlier.
"He missed out on those two years of really getting into the pool and getting those socialized lessons at camp that he would have had," she said.
Scuba-Steve Kamlet is Xander's instructor. He recommends parents look for an American Red Cross water safety instructor.
"First skill they should learn is the proper way to enter the water to make sure it's safe. After that, proper floating so that if something were to happen, they can stay on top of the water. We're going to work on some mechanics with a stroke called the front crawl," Kamlet said.
The AAP says other layers of protection are also necessary to prevent drowning, including pool fencing, close supervision, life jackets on boats and lakes, and CPR training.
"Anything can happen and that's a parent's biggest nightmare. So, having him know how to swim properly is extremely important for us," Rogoff said.
Children aren't the only ones who need to know how to swim. The AAP says it's never too late for parents to learn.