Infant Swimming Resource

We are in the midst of Water Safety Month and the official 2010 swimming season is right around the corner, so I feel that this is a very important topic to cover.

I just found out about Infant Swimming Resource.  I watched this video and my chest tightened as my eyes welled up with tears.  The 11 month old baby in the video is an ISR student, so he has the skills to survive if he ever finds himself in an unfortunate situation, like the one in the video.  While I watched, I thought about my own 10 month old.  I pictured her falling into a pool or lake.  She wouldn’t have the skills to be able to survive.  That thought is extremely hard for me to handle.  I’m planning to enroll her in Infant Swimming Resource lessons at a local facility.

I recently had an eye-opening conversation with Dr. Harvey Barnett, founder of Infant Swimming Resource.  He founded the program in 1966 when he was 18 years old and ever since, along with his team of professional ISR swim instructors, has been teaching infants from 6 months to children up to 6 years old, the skill of surviving in the water.

Have a listen to our conversation.  You will learn some excellent tips to help you while you’re at the beach, lake or pool.

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These 7 Water Safety Tips have been provided by Infant Swimming Resource:

7 Water Safety Tips:

CEO (Constant Eyes-On) Supervision – Never turn your back on your child around water. It takes just seconds for him/her to be in serious trouble. Assign supervision responsibilities so there are never questions about which adult is responsible for watching the child.

Safeguard Your Pool – Build layers of defense around the pool. Permanent four-sided fencing that encloses the entire pool area should be four to six feet high and equipped with self-closing, self-latching gates.

Put Toys Away – Remove all toys from the pool when they are not in use. These colorful objects can be very attractive to little eyes. This also includes furniture and other objects in the pool area that children might use to climb over the fence.

Eliminate Distractions – The leading cause of distractions around the pool is an adult leaving to answer the phone, attend to something inside the home or helping someone else in or around the water. If you must leave, take the child/children with you.

Teach Water Safety – Learn and enforce all the water rules and, above all, teach by your example — never swim alone, obey lifeguard warnings, refrain from running around pool decks, follow ‘no diving’ signs, and always wear a life jacket when boating, fishing or playing in or near deep or fast-moving water.

Flotation Device Dangers – Flotation devices such as armbands, floatation rings and inflatable toys give parents and children a false sense of security. These devices can shift suddenly, deflate or slip from underneath, leaving a child in a very dangerous situation.

Self-Rescue Swimming Lessons – Do your research in selecting an effective swimming program. Choose a program that will teach your child the skills to survive in the water. Self-Rescue skills are vital for infants and young children if they were to end up in the water alone. Instructors should have current CPR and first aid certification. Confirm that the instructor is certified to teach survival swimming skills.

Find a certified ISR Instructor in your area (the Instructor Locator is located on the left-hand side of the site).