Babies can't swim. Neither can they plug in a hair drier, put their formula in a microwave or drive themselves to their checkup, yet they routinely benifet from an adult that knows how to mitigate the risks for the benifet derived.
Many thousands of East Asians are born on small craft that we would think of a days outing capabilities, grow up, marry and die on nothing much bigger. Their parrents accept the responsibility of the circumstances and rise to the occassion.
I have had real "sea dogs", young children and worse yet, adults with no waterborn experience aboard my vessels. With all of the exposed rotating machinery involved with steam; the temperatures, the "pinch points", the chance of falling overboard and drowning, there has been not one close incounter with the stupid zone.
Young children can and will grow up safe aboard. Others will die needlessly as their parents will or can not protect them from landborn car accidents, preditory actions of what will graciously called human beings, or other forseeable, yet ignored actions.
Do not be dismayed by the weak willed. If you are willing to exert authority over you crumb cruncher, then the child will be more than safe.
I live in a land that has scorpions, pit vipers and large feline menaces. Our children are taught from the time that they understand the spoken word to protect themselves from the aformentiond risks. Water is no diffrent.
