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.

Gift Certificates Available!

Gift Certificates are now available for ISR lessons! Contact your local instructor to find out details. To find your local instructor, go to http://www.infantswim.com/

Holiday and Winter Water Safety Tips

Holiday and Winter Water Safety Tips

1. CEO Supervision (Constant Eyes On) - Never turn your back on your child around water. It takes just seconds for him/her to be in serious trouble. Segment the supervision responsibilities so there are never questions about which adult is responsible for watching the child and be aware of the distractions unique to the winter months: holiday parties, house guests, etc.

2. Educate Others - When traveling to relatives’ and friends’ homes they may not understand the importance of keeping gates closed, doors locked, closing toilet seats, emptying buckets, etc. Visiting family, holiday parties and celebrations can lead to breakdowns in routine supervision and effective barriers to the water.

3. Decoration Hazards - Decorations and lights can pose problems with young children around the house and water. Watch for lights and electrical cords around water, make sure no outside decorations provide a means for a child to climb over a fence or open a locked gate.

4. Maintain Pools in the Winter - Keep pools well-maintained with clear water even if it is too cold to swim. If someone falls in, they can be seen and be helped faster. Pool covers need to be drained of accumulated rain water and free of debris.

5. Hot Tubs - Supervision must be one adult per child due to the high temperatures and turbulence of the water in a hot tub. When young children are in the hot tub, keep the temperature below 90 degrees Fahrenheit and limit exposure to less than ten minutes.

6. Bath Tubs - Do not allow anyone who is uneducated about bath tub safety to bathe your child. Consider bathing an infant or young child in a tub with a handheld shower attachment, eliminating the risk of drowning in accumulating bath tub water.

7. Self-rescue Skills – Teach young children self-rescue skills. In addition to pool fences, alarms and gates, it can be another layer of defense. Survival swimming and a demonstration of the roll-back-to-float skills prior to all water recreation is vital year round.

For a full Family Aquatic Safety Checklist from Infant Swimming Resource visit:
http://www.infantswim.com/safety/index.html

For last minute ISR Gift Ideas for your little swimmers, visit the ISR Seal Store. A portion of all purchases go toward ISR's Community of Caring Scholarship Fund - www.isrsealstore.com

ISR on Hobnonbwilson.com!

Check out this great ISR video by www.hobnobwilson.com! To get the latest news and happenings in Wilson County, visit www.hobnobwilson.com.

The Sooner the Safer

Remember this baby?? My son was 8 months old when he was skilled to rollback and float unassisted.

Yates Swimming at 8 months from Kelly Swindell on Vimeo.

Here he is at 20 months old learning the swim-float-swim sequence.

Yates at 20 months learning the swim-float-swim sequence. from Kelly Swindell on Vimeo.

I believe the earlier you start your baby learing ISR Self-Rescue swimming skills the better. It gives them confidence and the respect for the water. I would compare it to "programming" them to respond appropriatley to the stimulus of the water. This response becomes second nature. Vital tools they need to survive an aquatic accident.

Because accidents happen in an instant....

ISR believes in constant supervision. Nothing can compare to your eyes constantly being on your child at all times. Here is my 18-month-old son playing in the pool on vacation. Though, we were watching him, you can see how easy it is for an accident to occur. Fortunately, he has been taught self-rescue swimming skills through the ISR program. Notice he is calm and does not panic when he slips on the steps. I am so happy my baby loves the water but happier that he has skills to survive!

Yates 18 mos old playing in the pool. from Kelly Swindell on Vimeo.

Beautiful Slideshow about ISR

This presentation was put together by some ISR Instructors for the Annual Trevor “Birdie” Davis Water Safety Foundation Golf Tournament 2009. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Brad and Amy Davis decided to found the non-profit 501(c)(3) Trevor "Birdie" Davis Water Safety Foundation. For them, it seemed to be the only way to bring some-thing positive out of the worst day of their lives. The mission of the Foundation is to save children from accidental drowning by educating both children and adults about potential water hazards. The Foundation has raised over $60k, and has donated funds to help train ISR instructors in the Washington D.C. area.

Trevor “Birdie” Davis Water Safety Foundation Slide Show from Infant Swimming Resource on Vimeo.

CPSC Warns of In-Home Drowning Dangers With Bathtubs, Bath Seats, Buckets

Check out this story on household drowning dangers:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cpsc-warns-of-in-home-drowning-dangers-with-bathtubs-bath-seats-buckets-63680342.html

ISR Featured in "The Tennessean."

We are very excited that ISR was featured in Nashville's newspaper, The Tennessean today. Check out the story here:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090707/FEATURES01/907070312/1004/FEATURES/Toddler+swim+classes+help+prevent+tragedy

ISR featured on Good Morning America

ISR was featured today on Good Morning America, as well as tips to keep your child safe around water. Check it out!!!

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7975858

"Luck is not a Strategy."

Watch Harvey Barnett, PhD, (founder of the ISR program) discuss the best ways to prevent childhood drowning. He explains the science behind survival swimming and provides valuable statistics. Can you believe 88% of childhood drownings are supervised?!? Find out more in this short and informational segment.

Wonderful News

Today, I received an email from the mother of a former ISR student. His name is Evan and is 26 months old. Hearing things like this is what ISR is all about. Nothing can take the place of adult supervision, but accidents can happen in an instant. As a mother and an ISR instructor, I believe in the effectiveness of this program. Here is some of the email written by the little boy's mother:

"...was a success! Just wanted to let you know...this evening my mother-in-law and I were playing ball with Evan around the pool. He was fully clothed. The ball went into the pool on the other side of where the two of us were standing....... He was bending over and couldn't get the ball. He wanted my help and I was just about to go to him when he fell head first into the pool (deep end).

.....HE DID IT...turned over and floated right to the top on his back. He whined some and I held my hand out and said, Evan get mommy's hand (I wanted him to flip over), he wouldn't, so I went ahead and pulled him out. No trauma what so ever...his next words were..."play basket ball, mommie"?

I could care less if he doesn't swim the rest of the summer...what just happened is why I invested the time and money into ISR....well worth it!"

ISR featured on Foxnews.com/health:

Check it out!!

http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html?playerId=011008&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=5676530&referralPlaylistId=playlist