By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Spring and Summer months bring with them better weather and more swimmers. It is a great time for parents to think about water safety and about providing their children with qualified swimming lessons. Many YMCAs and other community centers through the nation offer baby water safety classes. It is a great gift for a parent to provide a child with the skills necessary to swim. Children are curious and have poor safety awareness. Some children unexpectedly fall into water including pools, lakes, and other areas. As such, a child, who has been provided swim lessons, may very well have a less likelihood of drowning and suffering drowning related injuries than a child with no training or experience with the water. Parents should check out local YMCAs and other groups and consider enrolling a small child in a swimming class. There are many qualified swimming instructors and programs out there. It is important for a parent to ask a lot of questions including the following:
What is the recommended age for a child to have initial swimming lessons?
What is the training of the instructor?
How long has the program been in effect?
What are the short term and long term goals of the swimming program?
What kind of instruction or techniques are involved with the swimming program?
How does the swimming instruction program differ from others in the area?
You can read more about infant / toddler / child swimming instruction programs at YMCAs Offer Baby Water Safety Classes.