Whether you are a swimming instructor or parent, when it comes to teaching infants and toddlers to swim–PLEASE choose your approach carefully.   It is absolutely imperative that you really research the pros and cons of the teaching method before enrolling in an infant swimming program, especially one that may promise drown-proofing or mastering survival skills.  These approaches can be extremely dangerous and even life-threatening.  Simply put, your baby’s (or student’s) life and emotional well-being is in YOUR hands.

Teaching an infant or toddler to swim can be done successfully in a naturally progressive, child-centered learning environment.   One that is gentle and kind.  It is my professional opinion that this is the ONLY method any responsible person should consider for a baby.   We certainly want children to learn to swim for safety, but there is no iron-clad, guaranteed defense against drowning.  There is no such thing as drown-proofing.

In fact, the Broward County Drowning Prevention Task Force in Florida published a program called Water Smart Babies.  They created the program to help educate parents on how to best protect their children and keep them safer around the water.  Water Smart Babies stresses that the parent is the most important factor  and encourages parents to Follow the Safer 3, a layered approach to drowning prevention.

To keep infants and toddlers safer, parents should be taught to take every precaution when the child is in or around the water.  Never let your guard down no matter how many lessons a toddler has taken or how many times they have shown the ability to swim.  To keep children safer, we must combine learn-to-swim with as many layers of protection as possible, from touch supervision, to lifejackets, to fences, to self-closing gates, and pool alarms.

But you ask:  What about those infant-survival skills that  I’ve seen on YouTube?  I believe former NDPA Executive Director Kim Burgess hit the nail on the head in the position statement for the Broward County Drowning Prevention Task Force, “The water-survival skills program make compelling videos for the internet, but no scientific study has yet demonstrated these classes are effective.”

The report also concludes that these types of programs place inexperienced swimmers in what he perceives as life or death situations.”  If practiced repeatedly this places a child in a chronic stressful situation of “saving his life” every time he swims, which could detrimental to the child’s emotional and cognitive development.

Karen King, also referenced in the report, states:  “Putting babies in life or death scenarios is not an acceptable teaching practice in swimming or any learning situation. It’s like showing a child a busy street, putting him IN the road, and watching to see if he makes it to the curb.”  Do you see the cruelty and absurdity in this?

The bottom line is that the ultimate goal of teaching infant, toddlers and young children to swim is so that they love their swimming experience and learn to be safer in the water in the process.   Like any other worthwhile skills, skill mastery is a process–not an event.  Don’t be fooled!

Here is a short video example of what the Swim Lessons University “Parent & Tot” learn to swim program looks like.

Give a child a lifetime gift–teach a child to swim using a gentle, loving approach.   An approach that has proven effective for not only my own three boys, but for the thousands and thousands of students who have safely learned to swim with a Swim Lessons University certified instructor.

The International Swimming Hall of Fame has named Jim Reiser the recipient of the 2015 Virginia Hunt Newman Award for his curriculum and approach in teaching infants, toddlers, and children to swim.  Jim is the first American to win the award in 10 years.

If you would like to learn more about the Swim Lessons University certification program and curriculum, make sure to visit us at www.SwimLessonsUniversity.com  We have training and certification programs designed for both private instructors as well as organizations like YMCAs, Recreation Departments, Athletic Clubs, and more.

Swim Lessons University is currently being utilized by recreation departments, YMCAs, America Camp Association swim lessons programs, as well as by private swimming instructors in 45 states and over 30 countries!

You can also call us toll free at 1-866-498-SWIM (7946).

I am going to combine this blog with some helpful video clips from our YouTube Channel.

In the first video clip on teaching babies to swim on their back, I want the viewer to notice how I use the “cheek to cheek” hold and put my student Rex in a nice horizontal body position relative to my other student Kamryn.  Now it is MY RESPONSIBILITY as the instructor to correct it, but notice how Kamryn’s body position is almost diagnal, and she is not feeling the water floating her. On the other hand, Rex is horizontal and he can feel the buoyancy of the water. In addition, he is also secure. I always stress that the best hold is the one that gives the student just enough support to be successful. I need to help Kamryn’s father do that for her as well.

First off, we never float babies against their will. It’s simply not worth turning them off to the water, which is most often the result when you take the enjoyment out of the learn-to-swim experience. If you do stay child-focused, most infant and toddlers will take to it, and you can do what I am doing here.

The second clip illustrates how the baby back kicking progression is working as you get to see Baby Rex’s four lessons later.  You get to see Baby Rex float for the first time without my support. I think it is critical for the safety of the child that you don’t allow water to continue to get on the face, in the mouth, etc.   If that is occurring frequently, not only do you starting taking the fun out of it, but you are also putting the child at risk.  Notice how closely I watch Rex’s face and the water, and as soon as it appears he is going to try and sit up or that his body position is going to cause water to get on the face, I resume my support, sit him up, and praise him.

I hope these two clips and descriptions help you.   For more on Infant Toddler Swimming, check out the Swim Lessons University  “Parent & Tot” Video Course, available on DVD as well as an Online Streaming option.

The International Swimming Hall of Fame has named Jim Reiser the recipient of the 2015 Virginia Hunt Newman Award for his curriculum and approach in teaching infants, toddlers, and children to swim.  Jim was the first American to win the award in 10 years.

If you would like to learn more about the Swim Lessons University certification program and curriculum, make sure to visit us at www.SwimLessonsUniversity.com 

We have training and certification programs designed for both private instructors as well as organizations like YMCAs, Recreation Departments, Athletic Clubs, and more.

Swim Lessons University is currently being utilized by recreation departments, YMCAs, America Camp Association swim lessons programs, as well as by private swimming instructors in 45 states and over 30 countries!

You can also call us toll free at 1-866-498-SWIM (7946).

Dear Swim Professor,

I am teaching a class in my hometown with kids 15 months to 2 years.  I am having some difficulty with the back float.  Lots of squirming and crying.  I did the resting head on shoulder and singing songs.  Do you have any other suggestions, if you do please let me know.  Thanks.

Maddie M.

Dear Maddie,

The most important advice I can offer you to share with your parents is, “Don’t force it.”   It is very common for children at this age not to like being on their backs, and while they are capable and skill ready, the children may not be “mentally ready.”    It is my opinion that learning to swim should be a loving, enjoyable experience, and infants and toddlers should not be forced to do skills against their will.

When I am teaching an infant-toddler swimming class I stress to the parents, if your child is communicating to you that he/she is not happy, respect that.  In this case, sit the child up.   By keeping a child focused approach, your young students will learn to love swimming lessons and develop a life long love of the water.  By forcing back floating or any skill on a happy child, you will only prolong the process of learning the skill, and in many cases, set yourself up for failure.  Why?  Because by forcing a skill on a child, the child will only learn to DISLIKE the process of learning to swim instead of loving it, which is what we should ALL WANT:)

In our Parent & Tot 101 DVD, I tell a true story about my son Jeb.   When he was two, he seemed to hate being on his back.    However, my approach in the Swim Lessons University Parent & Me course is to spend a designated amount of time on back floating/kicking every lesson and the back kicking activity is in every lesson plan.   So like it or not, I come back to each skill every lesson BUT I never “make” the child do it against his/her will.  So every time Jeb would fuss, I would simply sit him back up and continue singing and loving and teaching.   So one lesson, still age two, we were on the front kicking exercise with the noodle.  Jeb was now kicking around the pool independently (of course I would follow him around and keep my eyes on his face to make sure he wasn’t taking in water at any time).  At any rate, he is kicking around the pool on his front and then suddenly, out of the blue, without any direction or instruction from me, he flips himself over on his back and starts kicking everywhere on this back!  He’s been kicking happily on his back ever since.  In fact, just last night, he won an 8 & under backstroke race, LOL!

So essentially, he had been “skill-ready” even when he didn’t want to do it, he just wasn’t mentally ready to try the skill until that day.  Parents and teachers should not get caught up in their own goals or be overly task oriented, but rather keep learning fun, and the skills will fall into place with the right environment.  Don’t think you are doing them a favor because back floating is some magical lifesaving skill.   Children should love the water first, and drowning prevention is a layered approach.  In my opinion, no child should ever be in a situation where they have to save themselves.   There should be multiple layers of protection that prevent a child from ever getting into a life threatening situation.

I hope this helps, and keep up your enthusiastic work!  You are a special teacher and your students are lucky to have you!

The International Swimming Hall of Fame has named Jim Reiser the recipient of the 2015 Virginia Hunt Newman Award for his curriculum and approach in teaching infants, toddlers, and children to swim.  Jim was the first American to win the award in 10 years.

If you would like to learn more about the Swim Lessons University certification program and curriculum, make sure to visit us at www.SwimLessonsUniversity.com 

We have training and certification programs designed for both private instructors as well as organizations like YMCAs, Recreation Departments, Athletic Clubs, and more.

Swim Lessons University is currently being utilized by recreation departments, YMCAs, America Camp Association swim lessons programs, as well as by private swimming instructors in 45 states and over 30 countries!

You can also call us toll free at 1-866-498-SWIM (7946).