Babies save themselves from drowning

Babies save themselves from drowning

[nickie]

Every single one of my siblings (myself included) were taught as infants to float and swim under water. Our cousin drowned in a lake as a young child because he couldn't swim, and his mother couldn't save him because she didn't either. So my mother made sure that would never happen. Your job as a parent isn't only to keep them safe, it's to teach them to save themselves. You won't be there forever.

[marylawson]

Babies younger than this automatically start swimming. Hard to watch but it works. They're too young to have the fear unlike older kids and adults.

[Osephinejay]

I once saw a documentary where people did smimilar things to the children, saying it was to teach them to conquer fear, not just swim.
One of the mothers said something that struck me. "People say this is wrong because the children cry. But if your child touches a cat and you tell them to wash their hands before eating, it's for their own health and safety. Even if they cry, the still must was their hands."
That's not an exact quote, but you get the idea. These parents aren't trying to be mean or traumatized their children. They're being responsible and teaching them to survive accidents if, god forbid they occur.

[yatox]

"All I remember when I was a baby is some evil bald man drowning me"

[KFrost-fxdt]

Now can we teach them not to pee in the pool?

[MsSBVideos]

I once saved a live ant from drowning in a swimming pool. It was a few years back. I saw it struggling in the water so I scooped him up. I placed him on a ledge outside the pool and saw him cleaning himself off with his antennae in a very humany manner. I love ants ;3

[brendamurphy]

That's how my parents taught me & my 4 siblings to swim, & how to save ourselves if we fell into our very large & deep pool. We were taught to never panic if we accidentally fell in. None of us ever came close to drowning, or getting hurt. It has saved my life many times, by they're teachings. I've even taught my own kids the same way, just as all my other siblings have done with they're kids. Which = 22 of my parents children & grandchildren that all have been given this wonderful lifesaving ability. My father was in the Navy & nobody has ever been close to drowning because of this. I truly wish everyone would learn this precaution. :-)

[itsabouttime]

This brought back memories from the time I used to teach infants how to survive back in 1978 when I was a lifeguard and swim instructor.

[Librocubicularist]

I took my baby to the pool for the first time when he was 2 months old. They reflexively know how to swim. I just made damned sure to keep my kids swimming straight out of the womb. They're 16 and 21 now.

[MaJeSTiCz]

Thank god my mom let me learn how to swim from three years old and now I'm lifeguard.

[colhero]

I have three children, we all love swimming and camping, so I taught all three of them how to swim and float, before they turned two years old...and they were also taught never ever swim alone.

[xxsmxx]

So a baby has better chances of surviving in a pool than me.... just let me drown..

[emrebakir]

I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for my mum :(, she saved me when I was just 1 and since that day I will always love my mum.

[TheXxbabeyxx]

To some this may seem 'harsh or extreme' but it works. Children learn fast and they learn best when they have to work it out themselves, without having someone help them. Learning how to float on your back is the first basic step when you learn how to swim anyway so why not teach them it now. I taught myself how to swim when i was 3 by myself on holiday, because i saw all the other kids having fun in the pool, so it motivated me to learn, and i learnt by just jumping into the pool without a float and then figuring out how to get back to the surface and stay afloat without aid. It worked, and it makes children less afraid of the water. 

[betsycollins]

I lost a child back in 1993 to drowning. If you have children, PLEASE make sure they get the opportunity to learn to swim! She was my only child at the time. You can bet your bottom dollar that my subsequent daughters were diving into inground pools with the big kids by the time they were four or five-swimming to the edge like olympic athletes after their plunges. My advice: get a backyard pop-up pool! They are cheap., easy to install, and provide you with a classroom for one of the most important lesson your child will ever learn-what to do if they fall into water over their heads. Use it to expose your children to opportunities to learn to swim in water that is above their heads! Also, once they learn to swim, you will get so much enjoyment from that pool for your family!

[better]

I started my son swimming at 6 months with close guidance with a coach and myself! He's 10 one and goes cliff diving with me and seems stronger than his father!

[DinoTheDinosaurROAR]

This is absolutely amazing! I think parents with pools or ponds near their home or backyard should teach their babies and kids this!

[EpoxyMuffin]

Training for survival means experiencing the uncomfortable and distressing. Avoiding the uncomfortable might just lead your child to avoiding survival as well.

[memerioys]

My aunt completely spoiled her son, he’s currently 11 years old and he’s overweight. The story is that we went to a newly built pool, there was an Olympic sized pool were most people swam including children his age, obviously with the watch of their parents and then there was a ‘pool’ where water doesn’t go below your knees. I told my cousin to join me and my brother. Before the kid even got the chance to answer she spoke for him and said ‘he can’t swim’ I immediately replied, well lets teach him, he does have the inflatable things preventing him from going under the water either way, she said no. Same goes for a bicycle, he doesn’t know how to ride one because she doesn’t want to spend money on one until he learns to ride it, yeah I realise the logic doesn’t make sense, he can’t learn if he doesn’t have one. The point of the story is that parents are often too scared to let their child ‘grow up’ and become independent. They should be the main guide for this to happen, but although they want what’s the best for their child, they are ruining them and making their future tougher. If the scenario ever comes into play, and my cousin doesn’t know how to swim, him drowning is what I fear. He doesn’t have a male figure in life to push these things onto him. Hes not being taught to overcome him fears. He’s surrounded by my aunt and my grandma, no males at all. I’m not saying women can’t raise normal children, because I myself was raised by my mother because my dad was always away.

[Yscarlett]

As a mother It can be really hard to watch 😟 but I think it’s so important for them to learn