Doctors prescribe swim lessons for kids this summer

Doctors prescribe swim lessons for kids this summer

In an attempt to decrease the number of "drownings":http://www.thegrio.com/local/baltimore/swim-or-die-the-battle-to-save-black-kids-from-drowning.php, the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that children learn to swim at a young age. Some pediatricians are reinforcing this recommendation by prescribing swimming lessons for children as young as one year old. One such pediatrician, Dr. Nicole Aristy of Florida's Children's Medical Center, now talks to parents of young children about water safety during regular check-ups, giving them a 'Water Smart Babies' booklet and, when necessary, writing them a prescription for swimming lessons. "It's like you have an ear infection; here you need Amoxicillin and they do it. So handing them a prescription even though they know they won't take it to a pharmacy it's (like), 'I'm being told I have to do it. They're giving me a prescription. This must be important,'" she explains. Although it is merely a recommendation from this doctor, experts say teaching young children to swim is a must. Of course, having a child take swim lessons does not mean they're drown proof, and there's no substitute for adult supervision.