ISR Self Rescue
- This Or That Mom
- Jul 6, 2019
- 13 min read
In the Spring this year, as summer was approaching, my sister brought to my attention ISR lessons designed for children ages 6 months to 5 years old. These lessons are rescue swimming lessons that provide children with the skills to float on their backs, and if they are old enough, swim to safety in sequence with floating in case they were to fall in a body of water.
Drowning takes seconds. It can happen so quickly to any child. Having a swimming pool at home, I found ISR really intriguing so I looked into signing my two children up (ages 13 months and 3 years old).
Unfortunately there are not many ISR instructors where I live (the closest is over an hour away), so when I called and spoke to the instructor about my hesitancy with the lessons due to the repetitive long drive (ISR requires daily 10 minute lessons 5x week for approximately 6 weeks), she provided so many facts about ISR philosophy, childhood drowning incidents and even gave recommendations on pool fences. I was so impressed with her passion for water safety and her confidence in teaching my kids these life saving skills I decided to sign them up. Their lessons are in a few weeks and I’m really excited!
I asked these parents below to share a little about their experience with ISR lessons. They shared why they chose ISR and what benefits they saw as well as their child/children’s age and accomplishments with ISR training.
Why did you make the decision to put your child in ISR swim?
After hearing and following the tragic story of Bode and Morgan Miller’s 1.5 year old daughter Emmy drowning, my husband and I felt compelled to get our son into swim lessons. My husband and I didn’t want to put him in traditional swim lessons. While we believe those are helpful, they don’t teach children survival skills in the water, should they ever get into a situation where they may drown. ISR is teaching children not only how to swim, but how to survive (float and get air) and safely get to a ledge. It was extremely beneficial. My husband and I plan to do it with each child we have.
How old is your child and what skills have they learned since beginning ISR?
He was 1.5 when he started ISR. He can float (in a swimsuit or regular clothing, diaper, and shoes) completely unassisted on his back for nearly 3 minutes before really struggling. He can swim to a ledge and pull himself up out of the water for air. He can also swim to you/a ledge and if he feels it too far, he can roll over into His float for air, then flip back and swim to safety. ISR is worth every penny knowing that over the course of 5 weeks, 5x a week, they learn these skills and can self rescue should they ever be in a situation where they fall into a body of water or pool.
Why did you make the decision to put your child in ISR swim?
I enrolled Roman in ISR for many reasons but safety being the first! My son is an adventurous boy and with me being due with #2 in September I knew I wouldn’t be moving as quickly as I would like through the summer months so I wanted him to learn these skills to have some peace of mind at the pool. Last year a high school acquaintance lost her 2 year old to drowning with 40 people around the pool. It can happen in the blink of an eye, silently. Educate yourself on child drowning. As a parent I will do anything to keep my kids safe and am so incredibly happy ISR is helping with this!
How old is your child and what skills have they learned since beginning ISR?
My son is 2 years, 10 months old. My favorite thing about ISR is that it teaches children confidence in the water as well as the tools they need to save themselves. My son knows how to swim with his eyes open, hold his breath, proper swim position (which many child swim floaties prevent), and float on his back to rest and catch his breath. It is incredible to watch. We all want to keep our children safe in the water and ISR is a great way to help parents and children have some peace of mind with this!
Why did you make the decision to put your child in ISR swim?
I wanted to start my little one in ISR Swim Training because we are building a new house and it will have a pool in the backyard. I wanted to know that if an accident were to happen she knew what to do if she fell in to any type of body of water. It is super beneficial, they teach children how to pretty much save their lives or how to float on their own until help arrives and she is able to float by herself. When she turns one or can walk by herself she will learn how to swim under water and turn to a float if she needs air and continue to do so tell she reaches an edge or can pull herself out. They ISR teachers will teach them everything they will need if something were to happen.
How old is your child and what skills have they learned since beginning ISR?
I started her when she was 6 months old, she is now 11 months old. She can fall into water roll herself over and float until help arrives. I believe this is something everyone parent should look into with their kids, it could save so many lives.
Why did you make the decision to put your child in ISR swim?
I made the decision to do ISR before I even had a baby. When I saw a couple friends post videos of their infants floating before they could even crawl or walk, I was in disbelief! They shared that it was all because of ISR and I immediately knew I would be enrolling my child in ISR classes if they were offered near us. We live on a lake so water safety is huge for us. Even if we didn’t live on a lake, I would still enroll in ISR classes because I understand how important water safety is for all babies and children.
We’re on week 4 of ISR and the classes have been absolutely incredible. Just yesterday, my 8 month old baby who can’t even crawl yet, floated unassisted for more than 15 seconds before the instructor picked him up. I’m sure he could’ve kept going too!
How old is your child and what skills have they learned since beginning ISR?
My son, Leo is 8 months old and he has learned to hold his breath under water and float onto his back to find air. He can even float unassisted!
Why did you make the decision to put your child in ISR swim?
I have 5 children who are 14 years old to 9 months old, and only the older two knew how to swim. I knew with summer coming I had to do something to make sure they were all safe since we are always around water. My oldest two were in regular swim lessons and they took months to even teach them the basics skills, I didn’t have that kind of time to wait. It was extremely beneficial because now I know they are prepared if ever they should fall in they can keep safe and swim now with everyone else.
Also, there is a foundation called “Live Like Jake” they offer nationwide scholarships for everyone
How old is your child and what skills have they learned since beginning ISR?
My children who took the lessons are 9mons, 3 & 4yrs old. We completed the program after five weeks and my children have no fear of falling in fully clothed and keeping themselves safe. Not only that they are now great swimmers on a daily basis! I’ve learned that ISR instructors teach kids the skills based on them as individuals instead of a blanket technique. So all though they can all swim their skills of rolling into a float, taking breaths, swim under water, etc. came at different times during the lessons.
Why did you make the decision to put your child in ISR swim?
We have a pool and my daughter loved water and she constantly books it towards any body of water! She’s been in lessons for 2 weeks and already she can float on her back by herself!
How old is your child and what skills have they learned since beginning ISR?
18 months old. She can swim on her belly, float on her back and she is working on flipping from front to back by herself!
Why did you make the decision to put your child in ISR swim?
I have a spitfire 2 year old that has absolutely no fear of water. We spend most of the summer at the pool and I knew I needed more than just lessons showing her how to blow bubbles or stick her head under. I wanted to make sure that water was a fun but also safe place for us. Drowning is a fast and often silent killer, and I didn't want to risk not teaching her these vital lifesaving skills. After completing a month of daily lessons she was able to jump into the pool, turn to a float, and kick her way to the edge. She can pull up on the edge and find her way to the steps. Its been a few weeks since the lessons, but everytime we enter the pool we practice those skills. She even loves practicing floating in the bathtub now.
How old is your child and what skills have they learned since beginning ISR?
My daughter turned 2 shortly after completing the lessons. ISR taught her the skills needed to prevent herself from drowning if she ever falls into water. Aside from the physical skills, I also saw so much personal growth for her. Her confidence increased tremendously. She learned patience, determination, and perseverance. It was the first thing she's ever really done without my husband or I, so it was really cool to see her personality blossom through these lessons.
Why did you make the decision to put your child in ISR swim?
I did ISR because we have a swimming pool in our backyard. With a 3 year old and a 9 month old, the only way I wouldn’t be holding my breath 24/7 was to teach them how to self-rescue. I cannot think of anything more beneficial than teaching your child a skill that will save their life if they were ever to fall in a body of water - and we have one so close by!
How old is your child and what skills have they learned since beginning ISR?
My son was 9 months when he completed ISR. He learned the self-rescue float in less than 4 weeks! It took awhile longer for my three year old because she was at an age where she was more aware and hesitant of going under the water. I recommend starting the program as early as you can- babies can start at 6 months as long as they can sit up (have the core strength to learn the skill). It is truly amazing how quickly they learn to float on their backs.
Why did you make the decision to put your child in ISR swim?
We live on Lake Erie and spend a lot of time on the water and at the beach/pool. As soon as our daughter was born it was important to me to get involved with ISR. I started my research, found an amazing instructor (Julia Buddie) and got on the waiting list for lessons. It took a lot of convincing at work to make it happen, but my boss understood how important it was to me and allowed the flexibility I needed.
How old is your child and what skills have they learned since beginning ISR?
Our little girl is 10 months old and she is 2 weeks into a 6 week schedule. She has already learned to float and roll onto her back to get into the rescue position. It’s amazing to watch her learn. Many friends and family were skeptical of teaching an infant to swim and if it was safe or necessary.. but when they watch her do it, they are blown away. It is worth everything to give her this invaluable lifesaving skill.
Why did you make the decision to put your child in ISR swim?
I chose ISR because I wanted my little one to learn to swim as quickly as possible. We live in TX and love swimming and water safety is something I’m really passionate about.
How old is your child and what skills have they learned since beginning ISR?
My daughter turned 2 in April, she started lessons just before her second birthday. She can do a swim-float-swim and jump off a step into the pool and swim to us, when she’s tired she rolls onto her back and floats.
Why did you make the decision to put your child in ISR swim?
We enrolled our daughter because drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in young children & we live in California with a pool, lake and ocean in our backyard. It has certainly been beneficial to know she has the skills she needs to survive although we have been lucky that she hasn’t needed to test those skills.
How old is your child and what skills have they learned since beginning ISR?
She is 2 1/2 and can float and swim for short distances.
Why did you make the decision to put your child in ISR swim?
I decided to put my two kids in ISR Lessons because I have always had HUGE respect for pools or any body of water for that matter. When I was in fourth grade, one of my classmates younger siblings drowned at a friends pool. I remember our teacher talking about it and it stuck with me always. I always said whenever I had kids I would teach them about water safety. It is totally beneficial and it’s a “life insurance” for my kids and our family.
How old is your child and what skills have they learned since beginning ISR?
My oldest is three and a half and he totally grasped the concept of swim-float-swim. This meant that he would try to find an edge and reach it to get out of the pool but If he couldn’t then he would get into his float position and breathe and relax until he could try again. If not then just stay in his float position. My youngest one is 19 months old and he MASTERED floating. He was also taught the swim-float-swim method and knows perfectly how to do it but I think he feels safer right now just floating and screaming out if he ever fell into a pool.
Why did you make the decision to put your child in ISR swim?
I made the decision for ISR because my mom put me in a similar class when I was a baby and thinking back, I never remember a time of not knowing how to swim or being afraid of water. I'm thankful for that. Also, we started my son in traditional classes when he was 6 months old but it was not what I wanted. It was more mommy and me, having fun. I wanted him to learn life-saving tools. So, I researched and found ISR. Best thing we've done.
How old is your child and what skills have they learned since beginning ISR?
He started ISR when he was almost 2 years old last August 2018. He finished refresher class last month. He is just over 2 1/2. He has learned how to turn and float in his back and how to swim underwater short distances. He also gained so much water confidence. I learned that babies are so smart! We don't give them enough credit.
And! I learned to trust the process. 😂 It was hard to watch at first because the kiddos are scared but the instructor is amazing. Her calmness and training allowed our son to learn in a safe environment.
Why did you make the decision to put your child in ISR swim?
When I was pregnant with my firstborn, I saw many videos circulating on the ISR program. I looked into it more, and found out many, many horrifying statistics on childhood drowning. There were two statistics that shook me to my core. One was drowning is the number one cause of death in children ages 1-5. The second was, it only takes 30 seconds for a child to drown once they get into water unattended. I know I’ve taken my eyes off of my children for 30 seconds, and life and distractions happen! As a toddler, I almost drown when I removed my own floatation device, and all of the other adults were distracted by one of my cousins who was stung by a bee. I knew that ISR was a necessity, and it was absolutely ESSENTIAL in protecting my children.
How old is your child and what skills have they learned since beginning ISR?
My son is 3, and he started ISR at 11 months old.
My daughter is 18 months old, and she also started ISR at 11 months old. They can start as early as 6 months old!
They first learned how to turn over on their back and float. So if they fall in, they immediately turn over and float on their back! Even with clothes on. Once they start walking, the next step is to learn the “swim float swim” method, which essentially teaches them to swim towards the edge, or exit, but to flip over and float on their back to rest. That is where both of my children are now.
Aside from the methods they have learned, the most important thing they’ve taken away from ISR is knowing exactly what their ability is in the water! They have a healthy respect for the water, but are not afraid to play in it.
See email photos
Why did you make the decision to put your child in ISR swim?
We decided to put our daughter in ISR swim lessons as an extra safety precaution in our home. Obviously the first line of defense is to never take your eyes off of your child, but we have a pool in our backyard and had to know she knew how to be safe. Not only did the lessons teach her respect for the water, safety, and survival skills, but they allowed us to have so much more fun together whenever we were in the water! The lessons were difficult to watch and listen to since she cried the whole time, but they were 100% worth it. One day while traveling on the coast of Italy, our daughter was swimming with us and did not realize there was a drop off in the water. She instantly worked her way onto her back completely relaxed without panicking. Everyone on the shore who was watching clapped and were amazed that she was able to do that considering she was so small. To say that those lessons were a life saver is not an understatement!
How old is your child and what skills have they learned since beginning ISR?
Our daughter was 15 months old when we first enrolled her in lessons with ISR. We would have began her lessons much sooner had they been offered in the winter, but are so thankful for what she has learned. This summer (one year later) she is learning the swim-float-swim sequence. We briefly tried swim lessons at another establishment that just didn't compare to the skills that ISR teach. For us, ISR is the only way to go! We are forever grateful to have this extra line of defense!
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