--- title: This 9-Week-Old Water Baby Was the 'World's Youngest Swimmer' description: In January 1954, LIFE magazine introduced its readers to a nine-week-old baby girl who was "the world's youngest swimmer." canonical: https://time.com/3690587/this-9-week-old-water-baby-was-the-worlds-youngest-swimmer/ author: Ben Cosgrove article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-08-01T20:00:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:05:56.139Z og:title: This 9-Week-Old Water Baby Was the 'World's Youngest Swimmer' og:description: In January 1954, LIFE magazine introduced its readers to a nine-week-old baby girl who was "the world's youngest swimmer." og:url: https://time.com/3690587/this-9-week-old-water-baby-was-the-worlds-youngest-swimmer/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb8862dd40e7697f3/69877cfb2dce010a189dd4b7/150131-swimming-baby.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: World's Youngest Swimmer, Julie Sheldon og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This 9-Week-Old Water Baby Was the 'World's Youngest Swimmer' twitter:description: In January 1954, LIFE magazine introduced its readers to a nine-week-old baby girl who was "the world's youngest swimmer." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb8862dd40e7697f3/69877cfb2dce010a189dd4b7/150131-swimming-baby.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This 9-Week-Old Water Baby Was the 'World's Youngest Swimmer' by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Aug 1, 2014 8:00 PM UTC  The "world's youngest swimmer," 9-week-old Julie Sheldon, cruises underwater next to her grandmother, Mrs. Jen Loven, a children's swimming instructor in 1954 Los Angeles. The "world's youngest swimmer," 9-week-old Julie Sheldon, cruises underwater next to her grandmother, Mrs. Jen Loven, a children's swimming instructor in 1954 Los Angeles.Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Aug 1, 2014 8:00 PM UTC In January 1954, LIFE magazine introduced its readers to a remarkable nine-week-old baby named Julie Sheldon, who lived in Los Angeles and was, according to LIFE, the “world’s youngest swimmer.” Coached by her grandmother, a children’s swimming instructor, “Julie practices once a day,” LIFE wrote, “faithfully following her morning nap with a 20-minute dip.” A year-and-a-half later, in June 1955, LIFE published a follow-up story on Julie, lettings its readers know that the then-19-month-old had moved on from mere swimming to intently playing with toys—from a tricycle to a teeter-totter—that her grandmother kept “on the bottom in the 4-foot depths” of the pool. Early reports of an active shooter at Fort Hood in Texas with several injured  The "world's youngest swimmer," 9-week-old Julie Sheldon, cruises underwater next to her grandmother, Mrs. Jen Loven, a children's swimming instructor in 1954 Los Angeles. 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