Swimming: Part 2

Do you have a pool? How many bodies of water are 200 yards from your house? Is there a canal or neighbors that have pools or fish ponds? Do they all have fences? Drownings can happen in just a few seconds because children don't always know to hold their breath when they hit the water. Drownings can happen anytime of the year, anywhere. This is my daughter Lucy and no, she is not drowning. She is showing me that if she falls into the water, she has learned how to breath properly and turn to a back float, even while fully clothed.

We have a pool, my neighbors have pools, and my in-laws have a pool. I figured that if we could afford to have a pool, we could afford to spend the time and money to keep our kids safe by enrolling them in swimming lessons. The program that I will be talking about today is Infant Swim Resource or ISR. I know there are other good programs, but this is the program my husband and I chose for our family. After 4 weeks our girls were able to safely turn themselves to a back float and after 6 weeks they had finished mastering the skill of float/swim/float. If our girls were to fall into a pool they had learned to breathe properly, float until they got enough air, swim towards the steps, and continue the process of float/swim until they were safely out of the pool. We still watch our children like hawks around water, but I know that if the unexpected came up, my children will have the extra safeguard of being able to swim.

The ISR program takes dedication. We had 10 minute individual lessons everyday Monday through Friday. I also had to track when and what foods my girls ate, when they slept, their bathroom activity, and any injuries. The charting was so that the instructor could monitor any changes in behavior, etc. to further insure the safety of my children throughout the course of the the lessons. Lessons are not cheap either. But like I said, I was willing to devote the time and money.

ISR may not be for everyone. Most children cry as they get used to learning the new skills. Lessons are not water playtime, they are learning time and to some children this will be scary. However, instructors are kind and must undergo extensive training before they can teach. Although my children cried, I knew they were in safe, loving hands and I knew they were learning a life saving skill. (And as you can see in the video, they now love swimming time.) Also, this program will not insure your child will be an Olympic swimmer, it is to merely teach swimming survival.

This video was taken shortly after my girls finished lessons last summer. They had just turned 2. Children as young as 6 months can be taught the floating skill which teaches them to float on their backs until an adult can save them. Children who have learned to walk can be taught the float/swim/float skill. I think the proof of the program is in the video and the fact that there have been 788 reported cases in which a child used their ISR skills to prevent their own drowning. If you would like to know more, please go to the ISR website here.

Cost: (UPDATE)

Heidi had asked about cost. I thought that it was on the website, but I could not find it. ISR is more pricey. There is a one time registration fee which I thought to be $150. It has been awhile, so I could be off on that fee (please, correct me if I am wrong). Also, each week I paid $135 for both of my girls. Last year I remember figuring the overall cost, and I thought it came out to be about $500 for each girl. It was more expensive than other swim lessons, but I knew it worked and it worked in a timely manner. I wouldn't have to do a year of swim lessons before my girls learned valuable skills (some lessons are cheaper, but if you have to go for a year, in the end you pay just as much). Also, I didn't want my girls to just learn to have fun in the water, I wanted them to learn the skills to save themselves.