Witnessing something amazing!

I have been teaching ISR for a while now. I have seen my son save himself when he was two years old, after he had finished his ISR lessons. I have been at the pool when one of my former students slipped off the steps and saved herself. No one saw her fall in. Then her dad noticed her floating calmly in the water. I have had emails and phone calls of former students saving themselves in pools and one who had fallen into a swift moving creek while fishing with his dad. As amazing as these stories are, I have never experienced what I witnessed yesterday afternoon.

It all starts with a pair of brothers who are currently enrolled in ISR lessons with me. The oldest brother is three and the youngest is 17-months-old. The youngest brother, Elliott, took three weeks of swimming instruction. In his fourth week of lessons, he began to learn the floating. He fought me quite a bit as I tried to teach him the float. He kept tugging at his right ear. So, his mom took him to his pediatrician and was told that he had a double ear infection and that the tube in his right ear was about to fall out. The pediatrician expressed that Elliott's present issues were not due to swimming. He has been battling ear infections since he was a baby. The doctor advised the mother that Elliott was in need of having surgery to remove his adenoids and tonsils and replace the tube in his ear. So, until he was healed from this, he recommended no more swimming. Elliott's mother and I decided to wait until summer or spring to resume lessons.

Elliot's brother continued with his lessons. He is in his fifth week of lessons now. As he completed his lesson yesterday, I laid him on his towels to rest on the pool deck. He dad was beside him and little Elliott was running around the pool in his long sleeve shirt, jeans, diaper, socks and tennis shoes. His dad kept telling him to stop running, but being only 17-months-old, Elliot doesn't understand danger quite yet. Suddenly, as Elliott was on the other side of the pool, he tripped and tumbled off the pool deck and into the water. My heart sank and everything was in slow motion. Elliott's dad yelled his name and ran towards him. Before he or I could get to Elliott, he had rolled onto his back and was floating calmly in the water. Elliott's dad pulled him to safety and then Elliott began to cry. He was okay!! My adrenalin was pumping and my hands were shaking. It scared me to death. However, I was so amazed at what this child was able to do. I had only worked with him in the float for three days and he never did float unassisted before he had to stop his lessons. This is the first time I have witnessed a child save himself when he had not completed the program.

I have always believed in this program, which is why I teach it. But now I am even more convicted that this program saves lives! It is simply amazing!!!!

ISR Featured in The Tennessean

Copy and paste this link to see a great article on ISR Instructor Maury Howard of Brentwood, TN.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100914/WILLIAMSON01/9140309/-What-if-horror-prompts-mom-to-teach-infant-swimming

ISR On Channel 4!

Recently, Brentwood ISR Instructor Maury Howard was featured on Channel 4 News in Nashville. Check it out!


http://www.wsmv.com/video/24455173/index.html

Great job Maury!

Another Child Found ALIVE!!!

Check out this article from the Orlando Sentinel. Another child alive and well thanks to their ISR self-rescue swimming skills as well as the AAP's new stance on swimming. Copy and paste this link to read the article.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/os-swimming-lessons-toddlers-20100528,0,6707836.story

ISR on NBC's Today Show

ISR was featured on NBC's Today Show this morning. Incase you missed it, watch the segment here:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

New ISR Video

Give your child the gift of a lifetime. Equip them with ISR self-rescue skills!

One Small Skill Can Make the Difference of a Lifetime

ISR was all over the news in 2009. It was even featured on the Today Show. Unfortunately, children are still drowning daily. Drowning is a preventable tradegy. Please share this video with everyone you know who has a child. It is a montage of news clips about ISR from 2009. One small skill CAN make the difference of a lifetime.

Give your child the gift of a lifetime!

Did you know??

Did you know that when faced with an emergency situation, a person/baby will attempt the first action they learned when they were first in that enviornment? Ie: First learning to ride a bike with brakes on the pedals. Then, learning to ride a bike with brakes on the handlebars. When one goes to stop suddenly, he/she will first push the pedals back before attempting to grip the brakes on the handle bars. This is just one reason why you should introduce your baby to the water first with ISR. That way if he is ever faced with an emergency situation, he will attempt his lifesaving ISR skills before he tries any other actions. Just another reason why ISR says, "the sooner, the safer."

New Instructor Comes to Middle Tennessee!

We are very happy to announce and welcome a new instructor to the Middle Tennessee area. Maury Howard has been an instructor for Infant Swimming Resource for four years. She comes to us from Columbus, Mississippi and has recently moved to the Williamson County area. Maury is married to her husband, Richard, and is the mother of three wonderful little boys. She is teaching at the Maryland Farms YMCA. Here are a few of her students:


Go to the Maryland Farms Website for more information or you can contact Maury at: m.howard@infantswim.com. We are super excited about Maury and she is a great addition to our team!

ISR is Worldwide!

We are currently attending the national Infant Swimming Resource Recertification Conference in Orlando, Florida. It is truly wonderful to meet our fellow instructors who are so dedicated about the mission of ISR, preventing childhood drowning. We have met several instructors from other countries and would like to share these beautiful videos from the instructors in Puerto Rico and Argentina. We hope you enjoy them!

Can your baby really do this?

Swimming at 24 months old! from Kelly Swindell on Vimeo.

Amazing isn't it? The child in the video is only 24 months old. I often get questions from parents if there has ever been a child that could not perform these skills. In my experience, I have yet to have a child who could not perform the self-rescue skills upon completing the ISR program. If parents adhere to the protocols of the program and listen to the advice of the instructor the child will be successful. Every child is different and lessons are customized to the child as an individual. Some children learn quickly and some will require a slower pace, but they all learn the skills. Because this program is science based, it works. There is scientific theory behind every technique. We want your child to be successful and confident in the water. Nothing is more important than your child's safety thus the purpose for our medically sound program. It takes both the instructor and the parents to set a child up for success. Encouragement, patience, and following the guidelines set by ISR and your instructor will allow your child to have a strong foundation for a positive and successful ISR experience.

WALL TILES SOLD OUT!

Due to an overwhelming response, all of the wall tiles have sold out. If you are still interested in purchasing them, we are hoping to have more available by March. I will keep you updated and repost as they become available. Thanks :)

Getting Some Exercise

Got a local fitness center in your area? Check to see if they have a warm indoor pool. Swimming is wonderful exercise for these cold winter days when you can't get the kids outside. If you have a local facility and you are not a member, check to see if they have daily rates. Some places will charge only a small fee for daily facility use. Getting the kids to the pool is not only a great way to get exercise, but it also strengthens their current skills and it gets them out of the house. Don't forget, never leave your children unsupervised around the water no matter what their skill level. Happy swimming!

Wall Tiles Available For Pool Safety

SOLD OUT!!!!!! Due to an overwhelming response, we have sold out of these wall tiles and will possibly have them available in March.



CLOSEUP

ISR has a limited supply of the pool tiles pictured above. The tiles are 6"x6" porcelain. They are available in black and in white. They are being sold in pairs. A maximum of two pairs maybe purchased as we have a very limited supply. These tiles are a great tool for pool safety. If your child were to fall in the pool and could not reach the side, they could hold onto the tiles until help arrived. The tiles are available in contrasting colors so they can be spotted easily.

The price is $35 a pair, shipping is included.

We suggest purchasing two pairs, one pair in black and one pair in white to alternate between the black and white colors for best visibility as pictured above.

These tiles can be attached to an in-ground concrete pool using a product found at Home Depot called Aquamend. It's about $5 and it works great! It can be applied underwater.

If you would like these tiles for your pool, contact your local ISR instructor. You may find your local instructor at www.infantswim.com.