One-Year-Old Swims In Pool By Herself

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Swimming is way more than just a fun way to relax and get some exercise. It is also a skill which could well save your life, or the life of a loved one.

Grace Fanelli from Florida, USA, wanted to get her kids in the pool from an early age indeed to ensure their confidence in the water.

Both Grace’s daughters learned to swim from the age of just nine months; an age when many infants are barely getting to grips with bottom shuffling.

Her eldest daughter is now three, and the youngest is just one. They are both like real life little mermaids when it comes to taking a dip.

The mermaid mama has since shared a video of the two adorable kids playing around in the pool; showing incredible competence as they splash around happily.

The tiny one year old demonstrates extraordinary skill as she strikes out with her little arms and legs; turning this way and that in the water without any fear. It’s particularly amazing when you consider the footage was captured mere weeks after her first birthday.

The proud mum – who made sure to supervise her girls as they swam – explained:

Drowning is the number one leading cause of injury-related deaths in infants and children under the age of five. They can start learning how to swim as young as six months of age.

Please teach your kids how to swim so they can save themselves until help arrives. For those of you who have asked, my youngest daughter was 12 months old at the time of this video and my oldest was only 3 years old.

They both learned to swim starting at nine months old from our swim instructor, Brigitte Strickland, who specializes in infant and child survival swim.

Grace also advised her impressed Facebook friends how Brigitte is ‘the best in the area for infant and child survival swim’.

According to Brigitte’s website:

Our infant swim lessons are based upon a gentle and caring approach that focuses on creating fun, positive experiences for babies which will not only help them to develop physically but also emotionally, intellectually and socially while equipping them with key safety skills in the water.

Those who have seen the video have been fascinated by the independence and strength of such a young child, and many expressed a desire to teach their own babies similar skills.

One person commented:

That is truly amazing!

Another said:

How awesome but I gotta tell you as I was watching it made me feel uneasy!

According to the website healthychildren.org – from the American Academy of Pediatrics – drowning is particularly prevalent among infants and toddlers:

Drowning is a leading cause of death among children, including infants and toddlers. Most infant drownings occur in bathtubs and buckets.

Toddlers between one and four years most commonly drown in swimming pools. However, many children in this age group drown in ponds, rivers, and lakes.

Children older than five years old are most likely to drown in rivers and lakes, but this varies from one area of the country to another. It is important to know that children can drown in even one inch of water.

It’s clear this little baby already has a passion for the water, and I for one wouldn’t be surprised at all if one day she and her big sister become the Williams sisters of competitive swimming. Keep it up water babies!

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Julia Banim

Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.