My Little Fish

"What would you say if you were told that there was a disease that took the lives of 11 children every day in this country? And, that this same disease causes 39 children to suffer serious brain damage? Certainly you would hope there would be resources dedicated to addressing the problem.... Regardless of where you live, there is water nearby, and there exists significant drowning risks even in homes without pools. Drowning is a nationwide problem, and is not localized to any one area. What is so tragic about a drowning death is that it is preventable. It can be prevented if the proper safeguards are in place and if these safeguards fail, it can be prevented if a child knows what to do in an aquatic accident." Infant Swim Resources LLC Parent Resource Book by Harvey Barnett, Ph.D. and Jo Ann Barnett, SMI

Yesterday Josiah completed his refresher classes of infant survival swimming through Infant Swim Resources. During his lessons Josiah has learned that if he ever falls into a body of water that he cannot save himself by just swimming to the nearest object. He has learned that he can both swim and float and that both are needed to survive. The technique taught is the swim-float-swim technique. Josiah has learned that he can swim for a short distance and then turn on his back and float. The floating allows him time to breath and to rest. After floating long enough to catch his breath he can again swim. He was taught that he needs to swim to the edge of the body of water, steps or a person. He did so well this week and I am so proud of him. Josiah's instructor Jim Josberger is an excellent coach and does everything gently and in a way that made Josiah comfortable with survival swimming. Lessons were not fun and games and he was stressed each day to achieve the best possible outcome. He didn't always like to go to lessons, but he knows he can swim and we feel better knowing that we have taken one more step to ensuring his safety around water.

Some Facts

• 4000 children die as a result of accidental drowning every year
  
• more than 1700 children who have learned aquatic survival skills from ISR have saved themselves from a probable drowning situation
  
• There are 784 documented cases of children who saved themselves from a certain drowning scenario because of the skills they learned in ISR.
  
• ISR trained children learn to respect the water and to enjoy swimming, and have confidence in their abilities in the water.
  

Taken from: Infant Swim Resources LLC Parent Resource Book by Harvey Barnett, Ph.D. and Jo Ann Barnett, SMI