Infants, toddlers learn water survival skills

In the online video, a fully clothed infant floated unassisted in water for several minutes before an instructor picked him up.

As a nurse, Cristy Welker couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"I had never seen anything like it before," Welker said. "But at the same time, my son was 3 and seeing the video really struck a chord with me."

She checked out the website the video was posted on -- www.infantsswim.com -- and learned more about Infant Swimming Resource, a Florida-based program founded in 1966 that now has instructors across the country.

"I watched videos, saw pictures and read testimonials. But I still didn't believe it," Welker said. "After a month or two of thinking about the program, I contacted a master instructor who had just moved to St. Louis."

The St. Louis instructor invited Welker to attend his classes in Creve Coeur, Mo. Still skeptical, Welker went but said she had basically concluded it would be a waste of time.

"His first student was a 14-month-old girl. He sat her on the side of the pool, with her legs dangling in the water. He stood back four feet and said, 'Go.' She dove face first in the water and swam under the water and grabbed his hand," Welker said. "She then came up for air. I was amazed."

As a mom and a nurse, Welker initially felt compelled to dive in after the infant. But as she watched student after student, she became awed by their skills.

"After that, I was hooked," she said. "I felt like I had to learn to teach these skills to other children. I guess you would say it's a calling."

The Perryville, Mo., mom of two spent months in training and eventually went through the certification process, becoming a certified Infant Swimming Resource instructor in October 2008.

She teaches classes in Cape Girardeau and Perryville, but stresses that ISR is not a swimming class.

"It is a drowning prevention class. I teach infants and children aquatic self-rescue skills," Welker said. "As a byproduct of this, they do learn to swim."

The course objectives vary by age. Welker said infants from 6 to 12 months of age will learn to hold their breath underwater, roll onto their back and float unassisted until someone rescues them. Children from 1 to 4 years will learn to hold their breath underwater, swim head down, roll onto their back to float, rest and breathe, then roll back over to resume swimming until they reach the side of the pool and crawl out.

The lessons are individualized, with one-on-one time with Welker. The students attend short, 10-minute private sessions five days a week. Parents watch the lessons poolside. Once children learn the techniques in swim wear, they practice in summer clothing and winter clothing as well.

"The additional work is critical to survival swimming because most children who find themselves in the water alone are fully clothed," Welker said.

Welker cites statistics like this one from the National Safety Council as evidence of why a drowning prevention class is important for young children: An estimated 5,000 children ages 14 and younger are hospitalized because of unintentional drowning-related incidents each year; 15 percent of them die in the hospital.

"Most children have no innate fear of water, which is why it can be so hazardous," Welker said. "Watching your children is not enough, nor are pool safety gates able to protect them from every hazardous water situation."

Nineteen-month-old Bryson Howard plays with a ball while being dried off and getting dressed following a swim class Tuesday, June 9, 2009, at the Fitness Plus pool in Cape Girardeau. (Kit Doyle)

Learn more about the local classes on Welker's website at www.babysurvive.com or on the Infant Swimming Resource site at www.infantswim.com.