Infant Water Survival Lessons

By Alison Matthiessen

Published: May 15, 2008

Some parents are turning to a new method to prevent their children from drowning.  Infant Swimming Resource gives aquatic survival lessons to babies as young as six months.  The creator studied infant development and came up with a method that teaches babies to automatically roll over in the water and float face up.  He decided something needed to be done after hearing about a tragedy as a teenager.  “I was an 18-year-old lifeguarder, and I came home from work one day and I found that a neighbor’s infant had drowned in a drainage ditch.  It was absolutely devastating to me,” says creator Harvey Barnett.  Barnett says his method buys crucial time for a parent to realize what’s happened and jump into action to help their child.

Barnett says children are ready for self-survival lessons as soon as they can crawl.  The lessons replicate an accident, so children are still fully clothes, even wearing shoes and a waterlogged diaper.

We want you to know, the American Academy of Pediatrics says “Children are generally not developmentally ready for formal swimming lessons until after their fourth birthday.” The group does say some children may be ready earlier, but reminds parents that its their job to make sure their children are safe in and around the water.

If you’d like more information about Infant Swimming Resource, go to their website: http://www.infantswim.com/