ISR ON THE TODAY SHOW
May 24, 2010
May 14, 2008
More information about the information you heard on the
Today Show:
As
stated on the TODAY Show this
morning, drowning is
the leading cause of death for infants and young children in at least 18 states and, nationally,
ranks 1st for children 4 years of age and
under. This preventable tragedy claims the
lives of approximately 4,000
children each year and leaves another
12,000 with some form of permanent brain damage.
Because turning your back – even for a second – can be enough time for a curious toddler to reach the water.
Selecting a Swim
Program
- A word of caution to
parents – not all infant swimming instruction programs are created
equal. There are thousands of competing swimming instructors nationwide,
and you can easily find someone willing to " teach swimming to your kids ". But what is VITAL for parents to understand is that only
Infant Swimming Resource's nation-wide network of Instructors provide safe infant swim lessons
that teach children as young as
6-months old self-rescue skills and do so in a manner that is completely safe
and PROVEN.
- Many parents don't
realize the dangers of introducing babies to water (6-months to 4 years old)
before they know how to save their lives in an unexpected water
encounter. "Mommy & Me" classes can prove to be ultimately dangerous for
your baby. Before your baby should
feel confident to safely enjoy the water, they must first learn the skills
needed for self-rescue.
Why Infant Swimming Resource?
The AAP has now changed its policy regarding the age at which children can begin swimming lessons. They further encourage that the parent's decision about starting swimming lessons or water-survival skills training must be individualized, based on the child's frequency of exposure to water, emotional maturity, physical limitations and health concerns related to swimming pools. The policy suggests that the earliest age to involve young children in aquatic self rescue lessons could be as young as 1 years of age. In support of the new Prevention of Drowning Policy Statement, ISR believes this is a vital step towards keeping children safe both in and around the water. For more than 40 years, ISR has been teaching children from six months to six years aquatic Self-Rescue skills in addition to educating parents and the medical community about family water safety. ISR's Self-Rescue techniques were developed by Harvey Barnett, Ph.D. -- focused on safety and parent education, ISR has safely and effectively taught more than 200,000 infants and young children. Today, ISR has more than 790 documented cases where former students have used their Self-Rescue to save their own life.
"There's a big problem in many parts of the country with infant and toddler drowning, a serious issue that has had me concerned for many years. I believe strongly that we as pediatricians need to do something about this epidemic, so I decided to take action and speak out on behalf of Dr. Barnett's proven method for helping young children save their own lives in a drowning scenario. Over the last 20 years, I've referred all of my patients to ISR and promoted family aquatic safety by educating my physician peers and the community. Through ISR's program, I have watched many children acquire life-saving skills and learn how to swim. The program helps babies learn self-rescue skills in the water, and ISR's swimming method helps prevent drowning. It's time that pediatricians do something about the drowning problem across the U.S. Observing children learn ISR's proven techniques more than twenty years - it's very obvious that young children can learn how to swim. ISR's swimming lesson method works, and it helps children to save their own lives."
- David Carr, M.D.
9 Tips for Protecting
Your Child in Water Environments
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information on Infant Swimming
Resource
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