Have your toddler trained for pool survival when he or she is able to walk. This is introductory training to the water which is not intended to actually teach him or her how to swim, but more to provide the toddler with the necessary skills to help survive an accidental fall into the pool. They should be taught to negotiate to a wall or steps and know how to get out. This type of survival training can usually be very effective after just a week of daily sessions and your active participation in practice beyond the lessons. From our own experience and other parents we have spoken with, this method is considerably less traumatic than other methods. Another method of water survival training is to teach the child to roll over and float on his or her back. It is also very effective and has been taught successfully for many years. Be certain that he or she is also taught how to get to the side of the pool and hang on or get out in addition to learning to roll over and float. You can determine which method will best suit your needs and the situation. All types of swimming survival instruction must be reintroduced to the toddler after a period of not being in the pool; as in over winter months. Whichever way you go, do not be lulled into thinking that your child can have open access to the pool area. Remember this is just one layer of protection. Every layer of protection must be in force at all times or the system is compromised. If you have read or been told that your child cannot be taught water survival until the age of three because he is incapable of learning at an earlier age, might get ear infections, that it "leads to a false sense of security for the parent", or that such training is ineffective "because 55 percent of toddlers who drown had received survival swim training "; please think for yourself! Your child can be taught survival swimming and will retain it during water active months with practice. If you don't have your child in the water over the winter months, particularly a child under 3 years of age, he or she will require a refresher to "remember" what was learned the summer before. This will usually only take a few days to accomplish and then you can proceed on to have him or her learn additional techniques or start actual swimming lessons. Statistics show that 55 percent of children who have drown did have swimming survival training, what the statistics can't show you is how many survived a fall into the pool because of this training; many adults who drown could also swim. As to the "false sense of security" we hear being used as a reason for not giving a child swimming lessons, most parents won't even leave a toddler alone in a bathtub much less knowingly let their child near the pool unsupervised. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's study revealed that 75 percent of the victims of drowning were between 12 and 35 months of age! For these children, 3 years old will never come.
Life Saver of South Texas LLC Owners Dana and Collier Bashara www.lifesaverofsouthtexas.com Fax: 830-228-5144 e-mail: info@lifesaverofsouthtexas.com Copyright 2008