yeah they drop them in like a real fall into a pool its an infant self rescue course its scary as hell to watch but it teaches your baby not to drown
No seriously it really is amazing. It’s called ISR Self Rescue. I’ve seen multiple parents on social media decide to do this with their babies as young as 6 months (they gradually get up to the “throwing” into the pool) and it’s so awesome watching it.
It literally could be a lifesaver some day. One time I watched a security camera video of a dad playing in a pool with his kids and his toddler, who had been sitting on the slide, fell in and the dad didn’t notice for at least 30 seconds… But this little toddler automatically knew what to do and started floating on his back. When the dad noticed, he immediately grabbed him, but the reason this toddler didn’t sink or drown was because of the infant swim lessons his parents had presumably put him in.
Obviously floaties and parental supervision would still help, but you can’t rely on those 100% of the time.
Oh thank you so much for explaining i was so worried
Crazy factoid: Babies are actually born knowing how to hold their breath and use swim-like movements when submerged. Yeah. It’s a primitive reflex that they lose (if not enforced) at ~6 months.
Obviously, do not submerge your infant in water without an expert, but what these lessons are doing is encouraging and honing natural reflexes. These babies are perfectly safe, and I honestly think this is a really responsible parenting move. Accidents happen. Floaties don’t know which side is up. Parents are humans, not robots, and especially with more than one kid, sometimes you look away for a minute. It happens. But lessons like these minimize the risk involved.
Also, as with so many things with infants and small children, mood is such a big deal. Letting your baby fall into the pool and not freaking out means your kid will probably be calm as they learn to maneuver in the water. If you panic, they’ll panic, cuz babies are very dependent on adults for emotional cues. So it’s also about helping parents maintain their calm in handling children swimming.
Fun fact: My folks did this! I could swim before I could walk. Also according to my mother, I was the demonstration child – the one the instructors used to demonstrate new moves at baby swim classes – because I am basically some kind of aquatic human subspecies.
