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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I don't have a pool, spa, or boat, and I never leave my child alone. Why should I give my child survival float lessons?
Children are curious and want to explore. Neighborhood pools, ponds, lakes surround us all. Water glistens, is shiny and calls to a child. Water entices children more than adults can imagine. Humans are born with fear of falling and loud noises, but no inborn fear of water. The statistics Drowning Statistics nationwide and especially in California, where drowning is the leading cause of death for children pages I-4, supports the need for a program that teaches infants and toddlers the Survival Back Float, as only one part of the many "layers of prevention" Drowning Prevention Tips a parent should implement.
What is Infant/Toddler Survival Back Float?
It is a unique, personalized program where a young child is taught to float, calmly and unaided on their back, when placed in water. What Is Survival Float A child who is taught Survival Back Float early in their water experience gains a greater respect for the water and has a better understanding of how to safely handle them selves when in water.
What does the Survival Back Float process entail?
A child, between nine months and three years, is gently and gradually taught and conditioned to always surface by rolling onto their back, get their face out of the water, and remain in a back-float position for an undesignated length of time How We Teach. This is accomplished in a series of private lessons, through a sequence of steps, building one upon the other. To successfully graduate this needs to be done in clothes, since 86% of children who drown do so fully clothed.
How does the program managed to elicit a positive response from my child?
In a relaxed and assured manner, the instructor places a child into the water How We Teach. While holding them securely and talking in a continuous, loving, reassuring manner, a child is slowly taught and conditioned to feel secure, confident, safe and happy when lying still and floating on their back.
As a parent, how am I a part of this team?
Parents and instructor work, in concert, as a support team committed to the Survival Back Flotation process The Parents Role. In addition to attending a Parent Orientation Meeting (required prior to lessons beginning) one parent will need to be in the water with their child at certain times during the instruction process to learn how to work with their child. Parents take over where WALLYPOGS leaves off and need to be totally comfortable with their ability to keep child floating. The more a child floats the stronger the skill becomes. The instructor will determine, by child's progress, at what time to ask parent to come into the water.
Why should my infant/toddler be taught floating instead of swimming?
Because survival is the priority, back flotation is stressed What is Survival Float. The very young child usually does not have the coordination or strength to breathe independently from a face down position for an extended period of time. At the age of three, verbal skills, the ability to follow directions and physical stamina have developed well enough for the child to be taught to swim. At WALLYPOGS back floatation is still strongly stressed. Our experience has been that children who have been taught to back float, show more control once they are taught to swim. In an emergency situation, even when child is older, the ability to recall the back float is far greater.
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WHY WE FOCUS ON SURVIVAL FLOAT
Drowning is caused by an intake of water and loss of air due to a persons inability to keep mouth and nose out of water to breathe. With the lack of success in in ability to breathe, panic begins to set in causing the person to tire. Drowning or near drowning occurs within minutes. This is where the Survival Back Float can be important to the safety of a child. We work with the child to create controlled, movements that aide them in getting to a back float position, without panic, from which they can breathe. They are taught to do this in clothing, as 86% of the children who drown do so fully clothed.
When handled in a positive, loving, gentle and constructive way the opposite actually occurs. How We Teach. A child becomes very confident, comfortable, secure and happy in the water and has a genuine love of the water experience. Trauma is not caused by the back float process, |
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