“How long until they’re watersafe?” It’s the number one question I get asked. It’s a reasonable enough question, but I always cringe. Here’s what I say in the FAQ section of my website:
HOW LONG BEFORE MY CHILD IS WATERSAFE?
Please, please, please stop saying that. Watersafe isn’t a thing. Olympic swimmers aren’t watersafe because water is a hazardous environment. Even very strong swimmers under the age of 5 should always be within arm’s reach of a parent or caretaker. Even very strong swimmers age 6 and over should have eyes on them at all times. Even adults shouldn’t swim alone. I take safety very seriously and am always happy to discuss the timeline for swim goals.
If there is one thing you take away, I want it to be this: Swim lessons will make your child safer, but SAFER IS NOT THE SAME THING AS SAFE.
The Bad News
Here’s the thing: depending on your child's age and personality, the skills they show off during swim class are not likely to be second nature to them. Read that sentence again. And again if you need to. Learning how to hold breath or blow bubbles comfortably is a huge safety step. Most lessons will include self rescue techniques such as floating, diving to the bottom and kicking to the wall, and this is also hugely important. In an emergency, even good, experienced swimmers may panic and not be able to process what their next step should be. This can happen to a swimmer of any age and any skill level, who has had any number of previous classes or certifications.
We don't have gills so the water will always be a hazardous environment for us but that doesn’t mean we should avoid it. Water brings out our human playfulness. It is healing, it is sciencemagic, it is life. I love the water and my goal is for swimmers to understand how it works and have a good relationship with it. All good relationships have a foundation of respect; our relationship with the water is no exception. I tell my students. “don’t fight with the water, it will ALWAYS win. Work with the water, move like the water, and the water will help you.”
Swim lessons are important but they are no substitute for keeping your young children within arms reach while in the pool.
Remember that swimming is an entirely new way of moving our bodies, in a physical environment we're not used to.
In order to be comfortable in the water we have to move in ways that feel unfamiliar without normal breathing.
Please don't take your eyes off your child. Not for a moment (the average time an adult will struggle at the surface before drowning is less than 60 seconds, for children that number goes down to 20 seconds). Be especially cautious if your child is 2 or 3. These little swimmers are learning the new physical rules and even when they’re experienced, swimming is a little harder for their bodies. They are more likely to panic and forget what they know in an emergency. The impressive swimming you see at this age comes with much coaching and practice.
The Good News
Swim lessons will make your child SAFER. If you live in the United States, please do ask their teacher about experience and any credentials and observe them in action, in the USA there isn't one governing body that requires standardized training for swim teachers (I am a Water Safety Instructor certified through the American Red Cross and Autism Swim, but the only certification I’ve been required to have at private swim schools was CPR).
Keep in mind that even with an incredible teacher, learning to swim is a process. Most students will not be safe with just a few lessons or even a few dozen lessons. They will only be safer with regular practice and an understanding of how to work WITH the water to maximize their buoyancy. As they progress I ask you to be excited for them and encourage them to feel confident, but to also remember that they are young and human and to never drop your guard, even with their certificate of completion.
Being in the water takes practice above all. There is no one magical method or swimming silver bullet. I have taught with several different swim schools in Minnesota, Arizona and Los Angeles with very different approaches. I have implemented strict curricula and I have completely winged it. What I’ve found is that everyone is a little different and everyone has a “most comfortable way of being in the water” that is very personal. Swimming goes much deeper than organized patterns of movement. My job is to help each person understand the water in a way that makes sense to them. How it works and how they can work with it to have a healthy relationship, one that feels safe and comfortable.
Monica Engesser
Monica is the owner of Your Life Aquatic, a swim educator, actor and mom to a 5 year old. She lives in Atwater Village (LA if you're not a local) and is passionate about water, communication and creating community.