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Why ISR?
If you have a baby
and a backyard pool or neighbors with a backyard pool or if
you live near any body of water, the problem of infant
drowning and the issue of infant swimming should be of vital
concern to you. |
In recent years, infant swimming lessons have been the subject
of a great deal of controversy. There are still a number of
very legitimate concerns about infant swimming programs. The
issues and concerns involve hyponatremia, retention of skills,
a false sense of security parents may gain when their child
has had swimming lessons and the need for lessons in the first
place.
Hyponatremia has been repeatedly reported in the press as a
major hazard of infant swimming lessons. Hyponatremia (or
water intoxication) occurs when an infant either drinks too
much water or is not excreting enough fluids properly or a
combination of the two. Only three cases of water intoxication
from other "infant swimming programs" have been reported in
the professional medical literature nationwide. ISR
instructors require that the parents monitor their baby's
urine and bowel output as well as record the sleep and diet of
their baby while he is enrolled in lessons.
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The ISR instructor
has been trained to analyze this data on a form called the
BUDS sheet that each parent is required to bring to the pool
daily. This is used to alert the instructor of the possibility
of land-based complications that could predispose the child to
hyponatremia during an otherwise normal lesson situation. |
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In addition,
factors such as injury, illness, teething and medications are
all critically related to the child's performance in the water
and must be considered if the child is to receive the safest possible lesson.
The retention of the skills taught to the baby will obviously
depend upon the quality and manner of the instruction.
Swimming must be taught to the baby as a sensory-motor skill.
The skills cannot be combined with games and songs; if
swimming is presented as an intellectual skill, then, yes, he
or she will probably forget the games, the songs and how to
swim. Our retention figures range between 94 and 100 percent
after one year of no lessons.
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It is valid and
sensible that many physicians and their organizations have
spoken out against infant swimming programs.
However, some
pediatricians are now calling infant drowning an epidemic.
Some have researched our program and recommend it to their
patients. |
In 1988, two pediatricians
became trained ISR instructors. Dr. Barnett and the two
pediatricians have spoken at several pediatric meetings in an
effort to shed some light on concerns that the media has
eagerly picked up on and presented as controversy. There is no
controversy that infants should be taught to swim because it
is a matter of survival. The controversy is how these survival
swimming experiences should be conducted and how the consumer
can be educated and protected.
Infant Swimming Resource has developed a complete program of
parent education concerning many facets of drowning
prevention. This is called the Parent Resource Book and is
required reading for all parents registering their child in
ISR lessons. The topics covered in this book are: attitude and
emo tions, physiology and safety before, during and after the
lesson, factors in learning, behaviorism, family aquatic
safety, CPR and first aid.
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Infant Swimming
Resource, LLC ("ISR") complies with all federal and state laws
and regulations and does not unlawfully discriminate on the
basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion
or disability. It is the policy of IS R to provide reasonable
accommodations to its disabled applicants and students, with
the provision of appropriate documentation of the need for the
accommodation.
The content of
this site is copyrighted property of Infant Swimming Resource
Any unauthorized use or reproduction of logos, photos, images,
Infant Swimming Resource name or other related materials is in
direct violation of copyright and trademark laws of the United
States and may not be used without the expressed written
consent of Infant Swimming Resource |
