I was going to write something similar Helen, but didn't have the actual
articles. As a past life guard and a water safety instructor (swim
teacher), we learned about not doing babies in the 80's. We too thought for
a while that early was great until there were some complications written
about in medical journals and we stopped the program. We started up a
program of babies 1 year and older and they seemed to take to the water just
fine.

Shirley

"H Schinske" wrote in message
...
Marie ) wrote:

I want to enroll as soon as possible, but I want to know the boys will be
ready and safe. What things do you think, developmentally, would be
necessary prerequisites for the boys to be introduced to the water?

Here is a sample protocol for a course like this, which states, among much
else,

"The risk of taking very young children into water is a matter of concern
to
the American Academy of Paediatricians (AAP). The AAP warns against
infants
under six months of age being taken to public pools because of their
immature
immune system. Though older infants may be better equipped to cope with
normal
waterborne germs, they are never the less at risk to the spread of
communicable
diseases. This is especially of concern in countries where standards of
hygiene
and water purity are generally non existent or poorly enforced." [though
since
the AAP is a US outfit, they are obviously concerned about pools in the
US,
too]

http://www.aquatots-swimprogram.com/...squestions.htm

I also found an abstract for a study that shows bradycardic responses
(heart
slowing way down) occur when young infants are submerged, and that while
this
response has been said to go away by six months, they found it persisting
past
six months in some cases. I don't know whether the course you were
considering
involves taking the babies underwater anyway.

Since the state of things like their immune systems and their heart
development
is not something you can readily test, I'd be inclined to take the later
date.
If you take the earlier date, I would be really extra extra vigilant about
all
the safety precautions such as making sure they do not swallow too much
water,
and making sure they do not get hypothermic (both of which can happen more
easily in smaller babies).

--Helen