Special Report: Future Swimmers of America

I remember learning how to swim as a child. It was terrifying. I'm pretty sure that I clawed holes in my mother's swimsuit when she tried to take me into the deep end. But I survived, and now can swim (or, not drown) with the best of them. My lessons were by no means professional, but they did the trick.

Actual swimming lessons can start as early as age three. But what about the years before that? The years where, tragically, so many children wander into bodies of water and become a statistic? Enter, Infant Swimming Resource.

ISR was started in 1996 by then-eighteen-year-old lifeguard Harvey Barnett. After witnessing a tragic drowning in his neighborhood, he began to develop a method for teaching infants how to roll to their backs and float when in water. While no replacement for adult supervision, the method gives parents the crucial time needed to save their child in the event of an accident.

Folks - this shit is nuts. I didn't know how instinctual it is for babies to do this with such simple training, and it is a little crazy to watch. Take a look at this video:



Babies six to twelve months can learn to hold their breath underwater, roll onto their backs, and float unassisted - all while in a soggy diaper and clothing (the lessons are taught with the babies in full clothing since they will likely be wearing that in an accident).

There are classes taught in Birmingham at the Jewish Levite Community Center and St. Vincent's 119 Health and Wellness. Why not start them early? It could save their life, and maybe even begin the process of molding them into the next Michael Phelps.