I was watching the Today Show this morning (maybe getting my daily Royal Wedding update, maybe not - don't tell the Englishman - he's getting fed up with it - doesn't know why it's such a big deal) and they aired a segment about a child drowning. Luckily, this child survived. Not everyone is as lucky. They gave some pretty good advice about preventing such a tragedy but they missed out on the key ingredient. I'm a little (i.e. A LOT) upset they didn't 1. give this segment the time it deserved and 2. include any information on Infant Swimming Resource.
So a little background - my very good friends lost their son in a drowning accident in August 2008. Evan was a bright, beautiful, not quite 2 year old boy.
Because it was all good information I will repeat what they did say:
Lock – make sure pool has four sided-fencing, a self closing self-latching gate and install a door alarm
Look – supervise your children around water at all times
Learn – enroll child in swimming lessons, learn cpr and know how to respond in water emergencies
Although they did say enroll child in swimming lessons, they skipped over it because they were running short on time. Enrolling your baby in swim lessons is paramount to saving their lives. But not just any lesson. Your baby (up to age 6) needs Infant Swimming Resource (ISR) lessons. These lessons will teach your little one to swim, float on their back, get to the edge of the pool, lake, whatever, and to make a lot of noise so someone can come get them. These are not so much swim lessons as much as survival lessons.
I watched, helpless, as my friends suffered this great loss. I am still witnessing the grief process. Please, don't allow yourself to go through this same loss. Seek out your local ISR instructor and speak to them about lessons and getting your baby protected.
