Pediatricians group: It's okay to teach tots to swim For so many
years, the American Academy of Pediatrics was opposed to
teaching toddlers under the age of 4 how to swim. This largest
group of pediatric doctors felt that teaching a toddler to swim
would give the tot and his or her parents a false sense of
security. Now, the AAP has relaxed its stance, saying that some
studies suggest that teaching very young children to swim may
actually prevent drowning. In this Associated Press story,
Connie Harvey, who heads aquatics development for the American
Red Cross, said that parents should choose swim programs that
emphasize water safety and require that a parent or adult be in
the water with the child. It's about time the AAP came to this
conclusion. Both my sons took swim lessons before they were 1
with their dad in the pool with the wonderful Miss Edie at the
YMCA. The program always emphasized safety -- one of the first
things the kids learned was to go back to the wall if they felt
in distress -- and they alw