The AAP doesn’t recommend swim lessons for babies under a year—there’s no evidence that infant swim programs lower the risk of drowning. Sure, infants may be able to make “swimming” movements, but it’s just a reflex, and they aren’t able to raise their heads out of the water well enough to breathe. Go ahead, sign up for a parent-infant water play class—but skip those formal classes until around age 1, when your water baby will be developmentally ready for swim lessons. Research shows that swim lessons, beginning around age 1, may lower drowning rates.
