06/24/2022
With over 100 emails on my waitlist, and my session filling in minutes this morning, there are a lot of you that didn’t have the opportunity to enroll. I’ve received several emails saying, “I didn’t get in. How do I keep my child safe in the meantime?”. What you do between now and getting your child in ISR can hinder their ISR experience or help it. It can also hinder their safety or keep them as safe as possible while they are unskilled. Below, I’ve listed some things to do to keep them safe. I would also highly encourage you to visit www.infantswim.com to search for more instructors. I may be the closest instructor to you, but I can tell you that equipping your children with these life saving skills is worth the drive. The sooner they are skilled, the safer they are.
HOW TO KEEP YOUR CHILD SAFE:
• SUPERVISION - Children can drown in as little as 20 seconds and drowning is silent. Do not allow any room for distractions. Put your phone down. Verbally designate a water watcher. Remove floaties from the pool that they can get trapped under. DO NOT take your eyes off of your child.
• DO NOT ALLOW YOUR CHILDREN TO GET IN THE WATER WITHOUT YOU - I know, kids want to swim all of the time and many of us parents don’t. Allowing your child to swim without you though sets precedence that this is acceptable at all times. I also highly encourage you to make your child ask for your permission to enter the water regardless of how old they are and even if you are already in the water. This habit will also decrease the possibility of them entering the water without you.
• AVOID PUDDLE JUMPERS AND FLOATATION DEVICES UNLESS YOU ARE AROUND OPEN WATER - Many parents of drowning victims say that putting their child in a puddle jumper is that led to the child’s drowning. Floatation devices around pools gives children a false sense of security. Children can’t differentiate being able to “swim” with a puddle jumper, and not being able to swim without one. They believe that just like with a floatation device, when they jump in the water, they will bob back up to the surface. Floatation devices also put children in the vertical position, also known as the drowning position. Children create muscle memory in this position which is unsustainable without a floatation device. This is why ISR focuses on horizontal muscle memory through floating.
• INSTALL ALARMS ON DOORS AND WINDOWS AND A MESH POOL FENCE THAT LATCHES - Children are curious and unpredictable. Don’t for a second allow yourself to believe that they can’t sneak out of the house or climb the pool fence. In the event your child goes missing, always check the water first.
• ENROLL IN SURVIVAL SWIM LESSONS - All swim lessons are not created equal. If your swim instructor is teaching your child with floaties, putting them in the vertical position, teaching them that water is fun, and not teaching them to float & Self Rescue should they find themselves in water alone, these lessons are hindering your child more than they are helping them.
• LEARN CPR - God forbid something does happen, time is not on your side. Being able to jump into action prior to emergency response’s arriving is critical.
