Following Pandemic Shutdowns, AAP Recommends Swim Lessons for Children to Prevent Drowning

As many families plan summer vacations and activities, the American Academy of Pediatrics urges families and caregivers to provide multiple layers of protection to keep children and teens safe around water this summer, including swim lessons.

“Drowning is the single leading cause of injury death for children ages 1 to 4, and it’s one of the top causes of death for teens. In the summer, children often have more access to pools, lakes and other sources of water – all of which pose a drowning risk,” said pediatrician Sarah Denny, MD, FAAP, the lead author of AAP guidance on “Prevention of Drowning.”

During the COVID pandemic shutdowns, many local pools and park districts canceled summer swim classes, and many parents opted to keep children closer to home to protect against infection. As water safety programs are again available, it’s an opportunity to enroll children in classes that teach lifesaving swimming and water safety skills.

“Swim lessons teach children a life skill that could help save their lives,” said Dr. Denny, also lead author of a 2021 Prevention of Drowning technical report. “Research shows that formal swim lessons for children age 1 and older reduce the risk of drowning. Swim lessons are an important layer of protection to prevent drowning, in addition to pool fencing, close supervision and lifeguards while swimming, life jackets on boats and lakes, and CPR training.”

AAP also offers social media graphics, videos, articles and more content on water safety that is available for sharing. See the AAP Drowning Prevention Campaign Toolkit for more.

According to the AAP, the layers of protection to prevent drowning should include:

• All children and adults should learn to swim. Children can benefit from swimming lessons as young as age 1, but parents should gage their child’s maturity, health concerns, water exposure and readiness to determine at what age to start swimming lessons.
• Close, constant, attentive supervision around water is important. Assign an adult
  “water watcher,” who should not be distracted by work or socializing who can pay constant attention to swimming children.
• Around the house, empty all buckets, bathtubs and wading pools immediately after use. If you have young children, keep the bathroom door closed, and use toilet locks to prevent access by young children. For toddlers, some of the biggest drowning risks are in the home, including tubs and toilets.
• Pools should be surrounded by a four-sided fence, with a self-closing and self-latching gate. Research shows pool fencing can reduce drowning risk by 50%. Additional barriers can include door locks, window locks, pool covers and pool alarms.
• Adults and older children should learn CPR. 
• Everyone, children and adults, should wear US Coast Guard-approved life jackets whenever they are in open water, or on watercraft.
• Parents and teens should understand how using alcohol and drugs increases the risk of drowning while swimming or boating.  

“We can’t drown-proof kids, so it’s important to make sure that there is fencing and other barriers around water to make sure children can’t get into water when unsupervised,” Dr. Denny said. “When a young or unskilled swimmer is in the water, a water watcher or parent should be within arm’s length. Even when a child has learned to swim, water watchers should keep them in view constantly while swimming.”

For more AAP resources on drowning prevention, visit aap.org/drowning, or contact AAP Public Affairs to request an interview.