Need some thoughts- ISR

PunkyBooster

https://www.infantswimsc.com/

Sorry, Chrome doesn't do clicky.

People are talking a lot about this program around here. At first glance, I do think it looks appealing, but then you see the registration and fees- it adds up to $600 pretty fast, even for just a 6 week course.

Has anyone does this type of swim? DS has been swimming since he was 6 months old. We have done classes at 3 different locations and he starts a new class in February for spring swim. We also have a neighborhood pool so he is swimming with us as well, all summer, at least 3 times a week.  

I just cannot wrap my head around this program, the costs, and if it really is *that* much better than constant swim exposure in other classes.

Is it just like one of those "jump on the bandwagon" or social status things? Is it really worth the cost? Will my kid be the next Michael Phelps if I suck it up and pay it? 

Thoughts?  

pennysuedog

I have my kids in community ed. swim lessons which are much cheaper and they have learned how to swim just fine.  We actually have had great experiences with them. For younger classes they had one teacher for every 2-3 kids.  The instructors were college kids.

I was a lifeguard swim instructor for community ed, back in the day.  I can tell you that although I'm a very good swimmer and totally competent to save a child's life they gave me very little instruction on how to actually teach kids.  I think I was a good teacher, but it does not come naturally for everyone.  I'm guessing for that price the instructors better be great swimmers and awesome teachers. 

My brother had all his kids signed up in Foss swim school and they raved about it.  My brother was also a life guard and swim instructor in his younger years.

PnkDingo

The cost is about the technique. It's not actual swimming lessons, it's self-rescue lessons. It teaches infants/young toddlers what to do if they accidentally fell into a pool/water source. They practice in swimmies and fully clothed with shoes on. Starts out just learning to reflexively flip to their backs and cry to keep their face out of water and alert help, and as they are older to flip back over, swim for the edge, and turn back to their back if they get tired and try for help again.

 

jessacrea

Butting in from lurking -

We did it with my daughter at 9 months (she is now nearly three years old) because we had a close family friend lose a sibling at a birthday party from drowning (everyone thought someone else had the child with them and when they realized he was missing and checked the pool, it was too late. Now add to that, the parent of that drowned child is an Pediatric ER physician. Too painful and tragic for words. If you have a pool, ALWAYS check there first!)

I will absolutely ABSOLUTELY do this with my son this spring. He will be a year old in February. I would have done it already, but he had severe shoulder dystocia at birth and was not released from his Physical Therapist to complete the training before now. 

Why would I spend all that extra money? Because I've seen it work. I went through traditional swimming lessons as a child and I feel meh about them at best. I swim very well myself, and taught my sibling (who is a lifeguard) to swim. BUT I chose this route because they train a child as young as six months to SURVIVE until someone can get to them. It's not about swimming until they are a bit older.This course is designed to keep you from ever going out to your pool and realizing that someone left the dog door open and now your kid is at the bottom of the pool because you didn't realize they could climb out of their crib already and you were in the bathroom while they were taking a nap.

In three weeks, my child was able to be pushed into the pool in full winter gear (jacket, turtleneck,wool pants, cloth diaper, socks, shoes, hat, mittens) surface, and keep herself afloat until someone got her out of the pool. We have since gone back to the swim-float-swim lessons that ISR offers for older kids and she swims now like a little fish, but even if I had never kept her in for the s-f-s lessons, the skills she learned in the initial ISR training have carried over from season to season (and being in Florida, those seasons are very long) and it was worth every last penny that I have spent knowing that she has the skills she needs to keep herself afloat in the pool until someone can get her out. 

If your child is over a year old, they will probably go directly to swim-float-swim, bypassing the ISR training for infants. Basically, they are taught to swim, and when they need to rest or catch their breath, they flip over onto their backs and float until they have done so, then they flip back over and swim again. It was amazing to see my 17 month old child (gently) pushed into the pool fully dressed and surface, flip onto her back, take a breath, look around for an exit to the pool and realizing it was behind her, flip over, swim to it, flip back over to rest (fully clothed, she was very heavy), and continue swimming and resting until she got to the ladder/steps and could get herself out. 

ISR requires a tremendous commitment from parents though, because the lessons are 5 days a week for 10 minutes at a time. It's not just a once a week thing on Saturday. Some days, depending on my work schedule,I had to bust it to get off work, get to the babysitter, then get to the lessons. But again, worth every last penny.

ETA - the instructors in our area do not use any sort of flotation device (swimmies, floaties, life vest, kickboard) during training.  

PnkDingo

Just to clarify: swimmies in my area are swim diapers flotation devices are "bubbles" or "floaties"

jessacrea

Ah! That makes sense. My apologies. Some people here call the flotation devices that go on the arms "swimmies". Yes, our child was in a swim diaper for the majority of the sessions, and only fully clothed for the final ones.