Not everyone is happy about this video of baby being dropped into a pool
A video showing a baby being dropped into a pool has sparked debate on social media.
A mum, who goes by the user name mom.of.2.boyss on Tik Tok, shared footage of her baby Oliver being dropped into a pool while he was at swimming lessons.
“Oliver amazes me every week!” she wrote. “I can’t believe he is barely 2 months in and is catching on so fast. He is a little fish. #baby #swim.”
@mom.of.2.boyss Oliver amazes me every week! I can’t believe he is barely 2 months in and is catching on so fast. He is a little fish. ##baby ##swim
♬ original sound – mom.of.2.boyss
“This makes me so concerned”
The video shows a swimming instructor dropping Oliver into the pool. She then calmly joins him, waits for him to roll and float to the surface before cuddling him.
While little Oliver’s swimming skills are incredible and his mum can have peace of mind knowing her bub can make his way to the surface in a pool, not everyone thinks it’s a good idea.
“Who else thinks this wrong?” one person commented.
Another added: “This makes me so concerned and like sad … Like they’re learning how to swim but…”
“They are teaching the baby how to swim”
But for every negative comment, there was a positive one from viewers who believe kids should learn to swim as soon as possible.
“They are teaching the baby how to swim to prevent [drowning] … this is how they learn … I know, I used to be a swim coach,” one user said.
Another added: “The fact none of you understand the concept of teaching a baby to swim.”
Scary truth
The sad truth is that drowning is one of the leading causes of unintentional death for Australian children.
According to KidSafe: “Statistics from Australia’s National Drowning Report by the Royal Life Saving Society of Australia shows that in 2017/2018 there were 18 children aged 0-4 years old who drowned.
“Drownings in swimming pools accounted for 67% of these deaths.”
So when should babies start swimming lessons?
The Australian Swim Schools Association says there are mixed views around this. However, their website says the recommended guidelines are that babies can start at four months old.
At the end of the day, when your baby starts swimming lessons is up to you. But of course, learning to swim is a lifesaving skill, so the sooner you get started the better.
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