Infant swimming: a first look

Through the years, I have noticed an increased interest in infant swimming/survival lessons.  Maybe it's because I've only recently become a parent it's been brought more to my attention.


Every summer there are a few news stories about infant swimming.  Fair warning, many of these stories are very biased.  Some make infant swimming seem like a hazardous fad and others make it seem like you HAVE to do it to be a good parent.  I'm still just beginning my journey into understanding how it works, and I'd like to share my thoughts. 

The largest and most reputable organization is Infant Swimming Resource (ISR) which was founded almost 40 years ago!  They are highly trained to teach children as young as six months how to survive in the water after falling in the pool.  They teach the children to get to a safe position on their back so that they can breathe and call for help.  This buys them some time to be found by an adult and rescued.

Miss Elaine's Opinion:
I used to be pretty skeptical about this technique which requires many short sessions with an instructor.  I used to think it wasn't "worth it" to go through the whole process which seemed scary and new to me.  We're all a little scared of the unknown.  After doing some research and seeing examples of what these children can do, I think it can be a worthwhile investment for the safety of your family.

If this is something that interests you, I would go to the Infant Swimming Resource website and search for a qualified instructor in your area.  In the Triangle, I notice that there are only two certified instructors.  I would strongly recommend using ISR versus another organization/individual that claims to use this technique unless you have multiple positive references. 

Some friends have asked if I would enroll my own child in infant swim classes.  If I had my own backyard pool or lived by the water, I would very strongly consider it.  Otherwise, I prefer the slower pace that I am more comfortable teaching. I reserve the right to change my mind, though.  

I am NOT qualified to teach this way, but I may be interested in going through training in the next few years.  I'm in favor of anything that increases the safety of children around the water.  Currently I only teach parent-child lessons to children under 2.5.