As a first time mom I spent so much time trying to prepare to bring my son into the world and doing as much research as possible on every subject relating to babies and their safety. While I didn’t want to become over paranoid with all of the “what ifs”, I wanted to focus on what I could do to prevent my child from any harm. This included water safety.
Water Safety Starts in Infancy
As many know, the leading cause of death in children ages 1-4 is drowning. My parents live on a lake and we frequent beaches and lakes for family vacations. The idea or possibility of my child falling into the water and drowning is beyond frightening. I believe a lot of parents share this fear and ultimately tell themselves that they’ll just make sure they watch their kids and never leave them unattended. While this is a great first step to preventing drowning, I don’t think it should be the one and only.
I started to do some research on baby swim classes and came across quite a few controversial videos regarding children (more specifically babies) just being thrown in the water and given an aggressive introduction to swimming and water safety. I found a video on Infant Swimming Resources that gave children a much gentler introduction to swimming and water safety.
ISR teaches young children and infants to roll onto their backs and maintain a calm floating position. I have stood by and watched our instructor Stephanie take a calm, controlled approach to my sons lessons. Although it can be frightening to see them learning this process, it was so worth it at the end to see that no matter how my child falls in the water, he has been equipped with the knowledge on how to calmly find the surface and float until he has been rescued.
Why is ISR so important to water safety?
In infants, drowning can be a preventable death if they are given the proper instruction on how to swim. My goal and hope is that other parents will understand the importance of water safety and will give their children a proper introduction to swimming basics. There is so much to learn and a plethora of instructors ready and able to help. Not only will they help you through the swimming basics, but they also give you tools to help your children in the future. This includes the best swimming gear and proper techniques.
During my sons first few weeks of lessons it was nerve wracking to see him go under the water and begin to panic. As the lessons continued, it was comforting to see that he was learning exactly what he needed to do. Slowly but surely he began to understand how to keep his head above the water and how to hold his breath when submerged. Now that we are in the final week, he has so much confidence in the water and has begun practicing floating fully clothed. It’s important to mimic all scenarios to ensure they are prepared.
I encourage all parents to review the benefits of ISR and understand the importance of teaching water safety. It’s never too late to introduce them to water and it’s comforting to know that I’ve done all that I can to protect my child.
About the Author
I’m a Southwest, Virginia native who is currently located in Northern California. I’m a first time mom and recently started content creating (@therealheatherdalia on TikTok) to share my experiences of motherhood and the struggles of being a first time mom. I enjoy sharing all sides of motherhood and one of my goals is to help others become more informed on the topic of ISR and the benefits it has to offer.
