Parents may be tempted to get their babies and toddlers used to the water, but experts warn not to try swimming lessons until at least 3 years of age, when their motor skills are a little more advanced.    

YMCA instructors believe just because they've taken a lesson doesn't mean kids know everything about swimming.    

"We go over how to call 911 with the kids, how not to swim alone, always swim where there's a lifeguard, make sure you have an adult with you, being able to tell the difference between where the deep end is and the shallow end," said Jennifer Beckham from the YMCA.

The goal is to lower the percentage of drowning deaths. The CDC reports among children ages 1 to 14, drowning remains the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death in the US. Lack of supervision is one of the biggest factors.    
"A lot of parents have a lot of false sense of security, especially if there is a lifeguard," said Beckham. "They don't think they have to watch their child."

She says all it takes is a minute and a couple of inches of water for a child to get into trouble.