Prevent a child from drowning

[baitedstorm]

Infant Swimming Resource

PLEASE pass this along to everyone you know. It doesn't matter if you have children or not, I bet you know someone who does.

It was one year ago today that a close friend of mine had his life changed forever. His 15 month old daughter drowned. As I keep him and his family close to my heart and in my prayers, I ask our large community here to please do the same. I have promised to keep her memory alive in hopes that even one child is saved and a family spared such agony and pain. If you'd like to read the story about Katy-Bug, please visit her web site at Katyfund . org » Home

Again, please pass this along to everyone you know. There are instructors all over the country teaching this life saving method to children like mine and yours...

 

[Cacia]

Great video and post

Impressive with the pajamas

Condolences to your friend

I taught mine in a similiar way. My daughter just did it. My son would have tantrums and so we just let him sit there and scream in a life jacket and the amazing thing is at this young age they stop about five minutes later....and realize they are fine. I then advanced him to a little neoprene wetsuit for some bouancy and of course, watched him like a hawk. They learn very fast if you set your mind to it. I would not have kids over that could not swim, I was very worried about them giving me the slip. I worked some toddler drownings in OC and they are heartbreaking.

probably five minutes (that can be a long time) of him screaming his head off, of course some people don't feel comfortable doing it that way, I guess you have to know your child's temperment.

The hardest part for me was letting him cry...but he doesn't seem to remember it. My daughter was easy.

Another point about kids in the pools is that I don't let my son swim while I am not home because they jump off chairs and do flips off the side and I think one of the very common way boys die is from breaking their necks in the water, diving shallow. You have to tell them that, over and over, it just does not occur to them. I'd see him dive in water that was not clear and have to say "don't dive if you cannot see the bottom",-- obvious stuff like that

 

[baitedstorm]

Awesome photos Catherine... Thank you for sharing them!

 

[do it easy]

Infant Swimming Resource

PLEASE pass this along to everyone you know. It doesn't matter if you have children or not, I bet you know someone who does.

It was one year ago today that a close friend of mine had his life changed forever. His 15 month old daughter drowned. As I keep him and his family close to my heart and in my prayers, I ask our large community here to please do the same. I have promised to keep her memory alive in hopes that even one child is saved and a family spared such agony and pain. If you'd like to read the story about Katy-Bug, please visit her web site at Katyfund . org » Home

Again, please pass this along to everyone you know. There are instructors all over the country teaching this life saving method to children like mine and yours...

That's a great resource. I don't have kids, but even I can see the benefit, even if you don't own a pool.

 

[SparticleBrane]

Hmmm....my mom tossed me in the pool when I was about 18 months old at the local YMCA for a toddler swimming course. I don't ever remember not being able to swim since she started me so early. I am quite grateful for it.

 

[ba_hiker]

When I was about 4 a kid, that lived down the street, drown in the slough that ran behind our house. The parents in the neighborhood decide that that would not happen again. All of the childeren in the area took swimming lessons. Including me and my two sisters, ages 2 1/2 and 9 months. We have all been water people since then.

The younger one was swimming in two lessons. Not with really good style, but well enough to get accross the pool without trouble. No water wings or other flotation aids were ever used. I was suprised at how easily she learned. She is now a diver with about 900 dives.

My other sister and I took a bit longer (4 lessons), but with a more standard stroke. Later we all went on to take all of the levels of the local red cross swimming classes.

Swimming lessons aside, a series of other things were done too, from life rings on some of the docks, rowboats at the ready, and much better fenceing. There werer no water related problems after that.

 

[unlikelyfish]

Thanks for link, I don't have kids but I do have a little god-daughter.

There were times when I hated my mother for all the swimming lessons she dragged me too. I had my first taste of it at probably about 3 months and was in Red Cross lessons started around pre-school. I don't remember learning to swim but I remember I hated the lessons. My mother wasn't about to have kids who couldn't swim. I see her point too, there's a lot of water around here. And I have to admit, the lessons came in handy when I had to do the PADI swim test.

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks Vicki, I know adults who can't swim. I'll forward this to all my friends, and my daughter. My granddaughter already swims, but my daughter can help network it still.

Wouldn't be awful if a toddler with scuba student parents fell in and no one noticed.

Here's a longer version and others from youtube: here

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[MeiLing]

Living on an island, I am constantly amazed by the number of adults I know that can't swim (and have no desire to learn)! I grew up around many lakes and cannot really remember how old I was when I learned. I don't have any kids of my own, but it seems like everyone I know with kids has had them in formal classes long before they were ever out of diapers! While they have had lots of classes, they are still not allowed to go unsupervised.

 

[baitedstorm]

I'm embarrassed to say this, but the truth is, until this horrible accident happened to my friend, I never thought something like that would or even could happen to me and my family. It takes just a moment for a child to slip outside completely undetected. I urge everyone again to please cut and paste the link and pass it on to everyone you know, you might bring awareness to another parent just like me.