Granger Smith "infant self-rescue" technique

[Anonymous]

If I recall she’s shared before that they were all outside watching the daughter show them her gymnastics or something along those lines and when they looked over they saw him drowning. So it may just have happened that quickly even in earshot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I recall she’s shared before that they were all outside watching the daughter show them her gymnastics or something along those lines and when they looked over they saw him drowning. So it may just have happened that quickly even in earshot.

A four year old drowned at a kids' birthday party we'd been invited to (but didn't go). There were adults and other kids right there.

[Anonymous]

I have three children who all have done the “controversial” ISR method starting at age 6 months. They also regularly do refresher courses so they continue to get practice.

Of course parents should (and DO) watch their children in and around the water. But these drownings happen in seconds and are almost always children who consistently wore puddle jumpers in the water, we’re not developmentally able to understand they could not swim without them, and wandered in during a non-swim time.

While we don’t have a pool, my in laws do and several neighbors do. And now not only do my kids have the skills to roll to float and survive if they were to somehow fall in, but I also have learned so much about water safety from the instructors that I feel better equipped to keep them safe when I know we will be going somewhere with a pool. I can’t recommend them enough and think it’s wonderful that families like the Smiths, Millers, and Hugheses are spreading the word.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I recall she’s shared before that they were all outside watching the daughter show them her gymnastics or something along those lines and when they looked over they saw him drowning. So it may just have happened that quickly even in earshot.

And the pool was fully fenced in. River either figured out how to use the gate or got over the fence. It happened very quickly.

[Anonymous]

Pools are dangerous for small children. It was a deal breaker when we were house hunting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pools are dangerous for small children. It was a deal breaker when we were house hunting.

Yes, I posted earlier. My husband had a childhood friend who died by drowning (daytime kids party at a private home, the friend went to the pool area to retrieve something, didn't return and they found him in the pool by the wall, they think he tripped, fell in, panicked and drowned). What I didn't say was that I was a nationally ranked swimmer when I was a kid and teen, so I really wanted a pool because swimming is important to me. Anyway, our compromise was no pool at our house for me but our kids would learn to float, turn over and swim as soon as possible. I wanted them safe in pools but also anytime they are near the water, like fishing from a dock or on a motorboat or sailboat. But that's why we don't have a pool at our house. It still gives my husband the heebie jeebies when we're at a house with a pool - and our kids are all in their teens or older, and great swimmers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pools are dangerous for small children. It was a deal breaker when we were house hunting.

Yes, I posted earlier. My husband had a childhood friend who died by drowning (daytime kids party at a private home, the friend went to the pool area to retrieve something, didn't return and they found him in the pool by the wall, they think he tripped, fell in, panicked and drowned). What I didn't say was that I was a nationally ranked swimmer when I was a kid and teen, so I really wanted a pool because swimming is important to me. Anyway, our compromise was no pool at our house for me but our kids would learn to float, turn over and swim as soon as possible. I wanted them safe in pools but also anytime they are near the water, like fishing from a dock or on a motorboat or sailboat. But that's why we don't have a pool at our house. It still gives my husband the heebie jeebies when we're at a house with a pool - and our kids are all in their teens or older, and great swimmers.

I want to point out, too, that it is important that kids know how to react to an unexpected interaction with water. Similar to sailing lessons where kids spend their first days practicing rolling the boat and getting out, kids need to be taught what to do when they are unexpectedly in water, either by falling off the side of the pool or falling off a dock or other things. Just knowing how to swim isn't enough. Knowing how to get their head up, how to bounce or push off the bottom, how to regulate their breathing, are all important skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pools are dangerous for small children. It was a deal breaker when we were house hunting.

Yes, I posted earlier. My husband had a childhood friend who died by drowning (daytime kids party at a private home, the friend went to the pool area to retrieve something, didn't return and they found him in the pool by the wall, they think he tripped, fell in, panicked and drowned). What I didn't say was that I was a nationally ranked swimmer when I was a kid and teen, so I really wanted a pool because swimming is important to me. Anyway, our compromise was no pool at our house for me but our kids would learn to float, turn over and swim as soon as possible. I wanted them safe in pools but also anytime they are near the water, like fishing from a dock or on a motorboat or sailboat. But that's why we don't have a pool at our house. It still gives my husband the heebie jeebies when we're at a house with a pool - and our kids are all in their teens or older, and great swimmers.

I want to point out, too, that it is important that kids know how to react to an unexpected interaction with water. Similar to sailing lessons where kids spend their first days practicing rolling the boat and getting out, kids need to be taught what to do when they are unexpectedly in water, either by falling off the side of the pool or falling off a dock or other things. Just knowing how to swim isn't enough. Knowing how to get their head up, how to bounce or push off the bottom, how to regulate their breathing, are all important skills.

Life jackets, that has what every boater needs (on them, not available).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You all mean well, but are uninformed about the science of this topic.

Drownings are the LEADING cause of death for toddlers in our country. Those kids don't die because ("Good God") their parents leave them alone outside by the pool. In most instances, the young child were last seen inside the house fully dressed. While the frantic parent is searching the house for them, their brains are silently dying. That takes only six minutes.

The problem is that no jurisdiction in our country has passed laws which REQUIRE 4-sided fencing around in-ground pools (so if a kid wanders outside, the still cannot access the pool). Those fences need to have self-closing, self-latching gates. 4-sided fencing is PROVEN to prevent more than 80% of these fatalities.

Kids that age need "arms reach" supervision, which is very hard to achieve everyday all day. So, passive measures (=4 sided fencing is what society needs to mandate). Not alarms or covers, which have not been evaluated. It really is that simple. But policy makers have not had the political will to stop these deaths.

I'm sorry, but if you have a pool you don't let your kids have unsupervised access to it. Just like poisons or knives or hot stoves -- you make sure it doesn't happen.

Smug IDIOT, they don’t LET their kid have access. Kids can drown when their parents simply use the toilet.

You are pathetically uninformed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is what the American Academy of Pediatrics (and EVIDENCE) recommends:

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/143/5/e20190850/37134/Prevention-of-Drowning?autologincheck=redirected

It says for toddler drownings:

The primary problem for this young age group is lack of barriers to prevent unanticipated, unsupervised access to water, including in swimming pools, hot tubs and spas, bathtubs, natural bodies of water, and standing water in homes (buckets, tubs, and toilets). The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) found that 69% of children younger than 5 years of age were not expected to be at or in the pool at the time of a drowning incident.

This. Most kids drown at a "non swimming time." I also wonder how many of them don't know they will sink because they've never been in a pool without a puddle jumper. There is a growing movement against the use of these.

Ugh the judgement about flotation devices would be better spent increasing access to swim classes for those who can’t afford them.

We used puddle jumpers bc as a mom of 2 young kids, the pool was stressful. We also had them spend time in the water WITHOUT the floatie, and worked to teach them to swim as early as we could.

But please realize, access to a pool is a huge privilege. Shaming people who use floatation devices is not helpful or productive.

The poster was not shaming anyone. She was making parents aware of a potential risk to their children.

Floaties also give kids access to deep water. Touch supervision (meaning you can reach your child) is what is necessary for toddlers. Trust me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I recall she’s shared before that they were all outside watching the daughter show them her gymnastics or something along those lines and when they looked over they saw him drowning. So it may just have happened that quickly even in earshot.

A four year old drowned at a kids' birthday party we'd been invited to (but didn't go). There were adults and other kids right there.

Parties are a high risk time. Someone needs to be appointed water watcher and they do nothing else until the next adult takes over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I recall she’s shared before that they were all outside watching the daughter show them her gymnastics or something along those lines and when they looked over they saw him drowning. So it may just have happened that quickly even in earshot.

A four year old drowned at a kids' birthday party we'd been invited to (but didn't go). There were adults and other kids right there.

Parties are a high risk time. Someone needs to be appointed water watcher and they do nothing else until the next adult takes over.

We always hire 2 lifeguards.

[Anonymous]

I am sure the Smiths knew pools are dangerous, but I am guessing they didn’t realize drowning is the #1 cause of death for children 4 and under or that toddlers can drown in just under 20 seconds, that drowning is totally silent, or that it often happens when kids aren’t supposed to be by the pool - not because an adult is not supervising when kids are swimming. There is a lot of focus, rightly, on things like car seats, safe sleep, etc., but water safety is something discuss relatively less frequently. Lots of parents just don’t know, and I admire her for sharing her story despite the comments she’ll get saying she’s a bad mom who should have been more careful. This is tragic and it happens to many, many good parents.

[Anonymous]

This family is being treated with extreme privilege! A black or brown or poor white parent would be in JAIL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This family is being treated with extreme privilege! A black or brown or poor white parent would be in JAIL.

This isn't accurate. It's unhelpful and wrong.