Infant Swimming Lessons Saving Lives

AUSTIN, TX - Temperatures have been soaring throughout the summer and many families are spending their time in or near the water. Each summer, dozens of kids drown in Texas. A local program helps teach kids at a young age how to swim and life-saving skills.

Erica Allison is greatful to know that her 1-year-old, Lilly, already knows how to float on her back.  Allison may not always like what it takes to learn this skill, but it is a lesson that could save her life.

"The end result is worthwhile to me to know that if I turn my head for 2 seconds and she happens to fall in the pool that she can get to her back and float till I can get to her," said Erica Allison.

Erica enrolled Lilly in the Infant Swimming Resource Classes six week agos. ISR is a swimming instruction program that focuses on self-rescue.

"We teach them also how to hold their breath when they go in the water, to roll over, also to maintain a float and flip over and swim, and repeat that process," said Robin Bates.

Robin is one of four ISR certified instructors in the Austin area. The program was founded in Floria more than 40 years ago and started up in Central Texas last year.

"The skills they learn are what we call muscle memory. It's kind of like learning to walk or ride a bike. Once they learn it they dont forget," said Robin Bates.

Kim Shipman is putting her 16-month-old, Cooper, in the program to learn these life-saving skills.

"Our family spends all our time around water: pools, lakes, ocean, and we thought it was very important that Cooper know how to survive if even for a second he was caught in a precarious situation," said Kim Shipman.

ISR always recommends "barriers of protection" including: alarms, locks on doors, fences around pools and number one, supervision.

According to ISR, there have been more than 60 drowinings in Tecas this year, the majority of them are toddlers. There mission is to end child drowning. So far, they have a 100% safety record.

"To date, none of the children who have completed the program have ever drowned and they've grown up always knowing how to swim," said Robin Bates.

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