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Mother of 2 gets social media backlash demonstrating drown-proof infant swimming technique with her son.

entremet

entremet

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Oct 26, 2017
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www.goodmorningamerica.com

The controversial water safety technique that could save a baby from drowning

When Krysta Meyer posted a video of her eight-month-old son's swim lesson to her Tik Tok she has had no idea the decades-old technique being taught would draw worldwide a
www.goodmorningamerica.com www.goodmorningamerica.com

When Krysta Meyer posted a video of her 8-month-old's swimming lesson to Tik Tok, she had no idea a decades-old technique taught to her son would draw worldwide attention.

"I'm getting messages from overseas, from everywhere," the Colorado-based Meyer, a mom of two, told "Good Morning America." And while the majority of messages were supportive and expressing awe as the baby surfaced from underwater, rolling onto his back to save himself from drowning, there was plenty of criticism too.

The criticism, said the owner of Little Fins Swim School, in Colorado Springs, where Meyer's sons, Oliver and Jace, take lessons, primarily is based in a misunderstanding.

"They're focused on Oliver being thrown into the pool," Lauri Armstrong said. "But that's something they work up to. That's not the first day."
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Not a parent, but this is interesting. Definitely looks scary AF. Apparently, this a well-known technique with swimming instructors, it just went viral with this TikTok.
 
DiipuSurotu

DiipuSurotu

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
53,148
Who invented that technique? Crazy that there is still no scientific consensus on whether this is a good or a bad technique.

The AAP wrote on its website: "Children over age 1 may be at a lower risk of drowning if they have had some formal swimming instruction. However, there is no evidence that swimming lessons or water survival skills courses can prevent drowning in babies younger than 1 year of age."
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Deleted member 4367

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I learned to "swim" at 9 months. This is just sorta what it looks like.

Maybe the dropping part is unnecessary but the rolling over is almost an instinct you can encourage.
 

Titanpaul

Member
Jan 2, 2019
5,008
how often babies drowning out here that justifies spiking lil Trevor rather than just waiting until they can learn how to swim

Edit: I was provided statistics below which helped inform me
 
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Bigwombat

Bigwombat

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Nov 30, 2018
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entremet said:
No idea. Not a swimming instructor lol. Apparently it is decades old.
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Yeah that is a known technique that is taught all across the states. Used to help manage a municipal pool in Texas and that is one of the classes. They start as early as 6 months.

Fucking idiots giving them a hard time. It saves babies plus they like it. Where the hell do people think babies live while in the womb?
 

Deleted member 52442

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Oliver had been taking lessons for two months when the video was shot. His mom said the progression from day one to the video was a slow one.

"First, they get comfortable in the water, then comfortable lying on their back, then lying on their backs with one hand, then keeping their chin up," she said. "There's a lot that happens before they are thrown in the water."
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I dont know. If it works and is safe I guess sure?
 

dep9000

Banned
Mar 31, 2020
5,401
I kind of wish I had taken my kids to swim lessons. We taught them ourselves and of course never did anything like this. Now our five year old swims, but he still wants his floaties and our three year old kind of just sinks. It would have been nice to do something like this so they were better swimmers.
 
Grimm Fandango

Grimm Fandango

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Oct 28, 2017
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Ummmmm yeah don't care how well regarded and old this technique is, no one is doing this do my kid.

Oh so this isn't day 1 stuff? Little easier to understand I suppose
 
DiipuSurotu

DiipuSurotu

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Oct 25, 2017
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From the title I was expecting parenting on the level of "crazy antivaxx parents", but this isn't it
 
moblin

moblin

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Oct 25, 2017
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Москва
Mom was literally right there, it's not like they were trying to see how long the kid could hold his breath.

Some baptisms are worse than this.
 
Lowrys

Lowrys

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Oct 25, 2017
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Speaking as someone who taught our 2yo to swim, there are plenty of moments that taken in isolation can look surprising or dangerous. But in context you build up to them as the child develops their instincts, breath control and familiarity with the water.

Some of the lessons involve literally dunking them underwater for a few seconds so they learn how to hold their breath and aren't scared of it. But again, you build up to those moments by teaching them to blow bubbles, and counting them in so they know it's coming.

If you took a 5 second clip of me dunking my son underwater it could look horrific, but in the context of a swimming lesson with safety measure and qualified instructors, it's perfectly safe.

You don't just start throwing in a toddler and hope for the best.
 
Joni

Joni

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Oct 27, 2017
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Titanpaul said:
how often babies drowning out here that justifies spiking lil Trevor rather than just waiting until they can learn how to swim
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It's an unbelievable statistic: According to the CDC, drowning is the number one cause of unintentional death for children between the ages of 1 and 4.
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www.edgarsnyder.com

Swimming Injury Statistics - Swimming Pool Accidents

Swimming injury statistics for drowning (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008) and circulation entrapment (1990-2004, 1999-2007, 2004-2007).
www.edgarsnyder.com www.edgarsnyder.com
 

Titanpaul

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Jan 2, 2019
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El_TigroX

El_TigroX

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Oct 27, 2017
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I have seen this for years - people need to chill out, kid isn't getting hurt, rusk is exceptionally low with people around...

Stuff like this saves lives.
 
Viriditas

Viriditas

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Oct 25, 2017
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I mean I get anxious AF watching how my friends with small kiddos toss them around, into the air or onto bedding or whatever. "They like it!" Yes, clearly, but friendo, you are so very confident your hands won't slip or grip the wrong way...

Somehow tossing a baby into water after teaching it apparently well-known swimming skills seems safer than that?

Idk. Not quite ready to clutch my pearls over this one.
 
Slayven

Slayven

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Oct 25, 2017
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Of course teach your kid to swim. But you don't have to toss them around like a sack of potatos
 

Deleted member 9241

Oct 26, 2017
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The best way to make a baby float is to add root beer and 2 scoops of ice cream
 

Deleted member 18400

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My niece learned to swim like this.

The entire point of dropping them into the water is to simulate the experience of falling into a pool or other body of water. Also, babies are born with a natural reflex to hold their breath and open there eyes when submerged in water. Teaching them to swim at a super young age helps them keep those instinct when most lose it.

Some of you are tripping. My niece swims like a fucking champ now.
 
Nooblet

Nooblet

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Oct 25, 2017
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I mean this has been a thing for a while and I feel the criticisms are unfounded. It's not the first time I've seen it and my first response when I first saw it years ago was of confusion and disgust, until it changed. I realised that it's better that the baby learns than if the baby doesn't.

That video was obviously not the first time the baby was doing it. They would have had to start slow and gentle while the parent is in the pool holding the baby and slowly sinking them, and then leading up to a sudden throw like this.

You can't really simulate the baby's instinctive response from an accidental fall if all the baby's ever known is to gently sink into the water. And if that's all the baby's known and there is indeed an accident then the baby might not know what to do as it'd be the baby's first experience of a sudden drop into water, which is why you kind of do have to make them learn to overcome the suddenness of it all.

I am someone who can't swim because I never learned to do so after I had a drowning experience at the age of 6 or 7. I'd rather have been a swimmer since I was an infant that be like I am right now.
 
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R0b1n

R0b1n

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Jun 29, 2018
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Surprise: Most Social Media users just want to find a way to shit on someone despite knowing nothing regarding what they are talking about
 
HiLife

HiLife

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Oct 25, 2017
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I wasn't expecting the toss, but I feel like I've seen videos like this before. It might've been the same lady lol.

In the other videos they just...plopped the baby into the water and the babies instincts kicks in.
 
Biske

Biske

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Nov 11, 2017
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DiipuSurotu said:
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jesus christ. Kid is like the fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. Way worse than the first video, drowning and whiplash.

The first video freaks me out as someone who doesn't know how to swim, but perhaps if this was done with me at that age I wouldn't be so fucking terrified of water and would know how to swim. Obviously not good for any random fuck to just toss babies into the water, but people who know what they are doing and well supervised I can see how it would work.
 
LProtagonist

LProtagonist

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Oct 27, 2017
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I mean, I don't know shit about babies, honestly. I don't even like holding them, so I have no idea how fragile they actually are.
 
Failburger

Failburger

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Babies spent 9 months of existence in a water sack. I think they have a decent instinctual knowledge on what to do in water.
 
weemadarthur

weemadarthur

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Titanpaul said:
how often babies drowning out here that justifies spiking lil Trevor rather than just waiting until they can learn how to swim
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Tons and tons of toddlers drown actually, they manage the doorknob, run out of the house to the nearest runoff pond, and die.

Teaching them to swim won't prevent hypothermia when they do it in a northern winter, but anyone living near ponds, lakes, rivers, or ocean should be teaching their kids basic swimming techniques. Or having them taught.
 
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