Safe Start: Week One
Since we moved to Florida, I have wanted Bean (and then Gracie) to take Safe Start swimming lessons. Well, they aren’t actually swimming lessons, per se. They are called infant survival research (ISR). In these classes, infants all the way up to four year olds are taught how to survive if they accidentally fall in the water. These classes are somewhat controversial because the method of teaching them is really tough on parents and babies alike. It’s not for all families, but I was adamant about it. Having a pool in our own backyard poses a huge risk for my kids. I didn’t even want a pool, to be honest, but let’s not talk about that because it will cause MASSIVE arguments between me and Chris and we’ve already fought that battle, so let’s just move on.
…not that I’m holding a grudge or anything.
I will admit, I do love having a pool. We are in it just about every day during the summer, and the kids love it. Bean uses swimmies (though we’ve stopped using them since beginning this class, as our instructor recommended) and Gracie uses an infant float. This summer, Bean has become quite the fish. He jumps in, goes underwater, slides down our “slide,” and swims from one end of the pool to the other. This is one of the reasons that I really wanted to get lessons going ASAP because the more Bean comfortable Bean becomes in the pool, the more brave he gets. And that bravery can lead to unthinkable results if he’s not prepared.
Not only is our pool a risk, but living in Florida we are around water all the time. Beaches, public pools, friends’ pools, lakes, canals, etc. It’s just part of living in the Sunshine State, which is fine. But the responsibility of living here is making sure my kids have everything they need to stay safe. And sometimes that will mean having to help themselves, in the horrific event of an accident. So, even though these lessons are hard on them (well, Gracie, anyway), I smile and cheer and pump my fists through both lessons because I know that this is such a wonderful thing for them.
The Safe Start program is six weeks with lessons every weekday for ten minutes. They keep them short and sweet. We’re doing both kids’ lessons back to back, so we are there for 20 minutes. It is definitely a commitment, but one that, as I said, I am happy to make. For Gracie, the objective of the lessons are to teach her how to flip herself onto her back and float if she were to unexpectedly fall into water. We’ve had three lessons so far, and Gracie has cried through all of them. Because she’s so upset, they are working with her right now strictly on floating so that they don’t scare her more by putting her face in the water (which, as her mom, I appreciate). I actually sort of like that they make her float, even while she’s crying, because if she were to fall into a pool, she would be unhappy, scared, and caught off guard, but she would still have to be able to flip herself over and float. So, if they can teach her to do that while she’s crying, then maybe she’d be able to do that in the worst case scenario, too.
Hopefully, she’ll calm down over the next few weeks and they can begin working with her on going underwater and learning to turn herself over when she is face down. If she masters that, they can even begin to teach her how to swim underwater over to the side of the pool and hold on to the side until someone comes to get her. At this point, I would be surprised if she got to that step, but you never know. I’d just be happy with her being able to turn herself over and float until someone was able to get her. In order to graduate from the program, babies have to be able to be thrown into the pool fully clothed, flip themselves over and float and/or swim. WOWZA!
Bean Man is a little different than Gracie because of his age, his ability, and his enthusiasm. He LOVES the classes. The first day, the instructor held onto him and explained that she was going to let him go and that he needed to try to swim over to the wall of the pool. Bean had never swam without swimmies before, so, naturally, when she let him go, he sank. And I gasped because you could see his little face below the water, eyes wide open, sort of panicked looking. BUT! Instantly, he started kicking and moving and within seconds he had gotten himself to the wall. When he pulled himself up on the side of the pool, he gave me this enormous smile and yelled, “I DID IT!” And he was instantly hooked. Gradually over the past three days, the instructor has been doing the same thing with him every lesson, but she’s moving further and further away from the wall. Right now they are up to about three feet away and he can swim underwater that entire way and then pull himself up on the side of the pool.
Given his age and eagerness, the instructor said she will work with him first on actually swimming (much like they are already doing). Once he’s able to swim a bit, she’ll start teaching him how to flip over in the water and float. So, Bean will be able to float, should be fall in, but he’ll also be able to swim, too. Chris and I have already decided that we’re going to continue with actual swimming lessons for Bean after this program because he likes it so much. When we get to the YMCA before lessons, he always stops to watch the big kids on the swim teams swimming. I think he’s part fish.
I’ll continue to update about how their lessons are going. I’m excited to see them progress because of their safety first, but also because this program is so unique and involved and I’m anxious to see just how it works. I’ll be sure to share the details!
18 Comments
Lindsay (Young Married Mom)
Please do keep sharing! This is so interesting; I didn’t know these classes existed. I’m from New Jersey and live in Brooklyn, so not as much water around here (save the Hudson), but this sounds like a fantastic idea!
Lindsay (Young Married Mom)
Also, Gracie’s swimsuit is super cute.
laurenbtrain
I have a 22 month old today she swam fully clothed and did great! Our instructor even dunked her a few times and flipped her in the water to make her find her float again. Anne Margaret cried through the first two weeks of lessons but by week three, she was fine and crying when we made her get out!! It was hard on me watching her go under and struggle, but she has learned super quick! I blogged a few times about our lessons too (they were ISR) and the same – put kid in water, teach them how to float, roll, float, etc. Glad they are going well for you as I do feel like they are well worth it!
Shannon
I am so interested in how this goes for Gracie. I’ve been looking into doing the classes in MN but so far have not found someone who is ISR certified. I know it’ controversial, but my ten month old makes a mad dash for the pool every time she sees one and it scares me!
Amy
Get gracie a puddle jumper! They are amazing! My son swam around the pool unassisted in it last summer when he was only 18 months! 🙂
The Life and Times of Me
While my son didn’t do safety lessons we started with Mommy and Me lessons at 18 mos. his instructor uses a lot of these same techniques. She does the lessons for two weeks and shows the parents the techniques. Since my in-laws have a pool and my parents live on the river I think the lessons have been invaluable. The first year he screamed through the lessons. It sort of freaked me out the way his instructor would basically throw him in the water. The next year and the two that followed were regular lessons. He’s really gotten to be a good swimmer. And for the record, there was a young child in our hometown who fell in the family pool. He was around two but because he had lessons he was able to flip over and float. So they may be controversial but they work.
Jillian
I’m curious to see how this goes for Gracie, too. I have to admit, the first time I read about this, I was shocked. I could never image my son (he is 1 month younger than Gracie) doing this – or rather, me making him to do it. I give you a lot of credit for doing this for your children – I do. I don’t know enough about it, and haven’t heard enough testimonials, to really understand it. But, I’ll be looking forward to your updates!
Joanne
These ISR lessons as so so great. I did them for all 4 of my kids and they are little fish now. Here a link to one of my girls at the end of the program testing (with her clothes on). Hopefully Bean will be doing this in a few week too! The kids’ progression is really amazing to watch.
http://youtu.be/gUbI87oxKAo
Dawn
Katie – I am so glad that you are doing this!!! I love that Bean was so excited from the first splash in the pool! That has not been our experience with C – we are in the middle of C’s 3rd year with Safe Start – repeated because of her growth each year since her first time she was only 7 months old. Iz is also taking them, at 7 months old herself, and is doing really well with her float. The classes are held by ISR instructors, and I passionately recommend Safe Start or ISR instructors to anyone and everyone who has young children – especially if they live in areas with lots of water!
HeatherM
This sounds like SUCH a great program. As a Pediatric ICU nurse I’ve cared for several children that have drowned (fortunately each was revived and was okay after a few days in the ICU, but still quite scary). Do you also have an alarm on your pool, a gate around it, and/or safety locks on the doors to your home?
We also keep a bell on our sliding glass door handle- we actually have it there because the dog is trained to ring the bell when he needs to go out, but it is also nice when my niece and nephew are here, because they can’t sneak out as easily.
Also, do you AND Chris know infant and child CPR? I think EVERY parent should know CPR- especially parents who have a pool on their property, and especially parents whose children have lung diseases like asthma. I’ve seen it save countless lives.
Good job making sure you are keeping your kids safe! And as a bonus, swimming activities are the absolute BEST activity you can do to strengthen Bean’s lungs.
Susan S
This sounds like an awesome program. Hopefully Gracie will adjust soon. Please keep us posted on the progress of this for both of your adorable kiddos. My son, 5, is also part fish.
Mary-My Life in Scotland
I totally got teary eyed at this post. Don’t know why I’m so emotional but I bet it was hard to see Bean’s face go under water and start to panic. I bet it was hard to see Gracie cry because she was so scared. But, this is part of being a Mom. There are some things we can’t teach them. God forbid they’d fall into the pool, but they need to know how to do save themselves. It’s so worth it. Good luck to them!
I remember being deathly afraid of bridges when I was little. I would actually take my seatbelt off and huddle onto the floor until we were over the bridge. Then one day I asked my Mom if I could take swimming lessons. I think I was 6 yrs old. She asked why and I told her that if we ever fell off the bridge I wanted to know how to save myself. The next week all 5 of us girls were enrolled in swimming lessons. So worth it! I wasn’t ever afraid of bridges after that.
Christine
I can only imagine how hard it is to watch your babies being thrown in the water, but if it teaches them the skills necessary to survive, it’s a no-brainer! This program sounds like a must-do for all parents.
Julie
First of all, kuddos to starting this program! To be IRS certified these teachers go through a lot of training to make sure the children are safe. And it really works. Like you stated, it is not really swim lessons per se, but how to be safe near the water and what to do if you fall in. I have seen babies at 7 months old be able to roll over and float on their backs. Gracie might hate it right now but in the next few weeks it will just click. Safety is the number one goal. 🙂
For anyone that is interested this program but doesn’t have a IRS school anywhere near them, check out a swim-float-swim program. It is a very loving approach to private swim lessons and teaches some of the same skills as the IRS program without the intensity. I have worked at a swim school like this for 6 years and it is amazing what kids of all ages and abilities can do! My 20 month old floats on her back and can fall in and circle swim to the wall. It can be a little pricy, but honestly I believe swimming is a life skill and it is well worth it if you live near water or are constantly at the pool!
Katie, the YMCA does a great job at lessons and it is affordable. However, in my opinion if you had the means to give Bean a swim-float-swim lessons, he will be able to transition a lot of the skills learn in IRS to it. The group lessons may be a little overwhelming for him. Granted it depends on his teacher too. They are typically WSI certified.
Anna in Ohio
I’m so glad you posted about this! A friend of mine (also in Florida) posted video of her 1 year old daughter doing a “winter clothes” swim test, and I was horrified! But they threw her in (with an instructor by her side) and she flipped over onto her back. He flipped her back underwater several times and she flipped right back each time. I totally understand the importance and the point of the classes, but I just don’t think my heart could take it! Good for you!
Emily
I love that you posted about these lessons…I am a HUGE advocate for ISR! I also live in FL, we have a pool in our backyard, and are surrounded by other water sources: river, lakes, retention ponds, etc. We did ISR lessons with my daughter last summer (when she was 15 months old) and we are doing a refresher course this summer (in fact we had our winter clothes swim test today). They really work! I think these lessons are SO important and highly, highly recommend them to everyone I know.
Chloe
I love this, these classes sound so great! My mum did the mother and baby classes with me when I was a few months and after that we got a swimming pool when I was three and had children lessons but they didn’t involve survivial techniques (yet I could swim the length of the swimming pool underwater by 4). I think kids like bean who are comfortable and able to swim would be fine if something were to happen!
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