um ... back in New York City when I was that old, I learned to swim this way as did all of my friends.

As for the "expert" any parent who doesn't watch their kids around water has a problem ... it has nothing to do with whether or not the children can swim

My 16 month old son Nate just completed a 5 week ISR class with Anna and I can attest that the technique does work. Now, his reflex upon "falling" into a pool is to flip onto his back and breathe - something that he did not know to do before. I am very pleased with the results. I'd like to see the "expert" research this method before discounting it...such reactionary sentiments are common, but not always correct.

What scares me the most is parents having a false sense of security with the swimming vests that the children wear when they are in the pool...Let's face it, once they are out of the pool, those suits are off and the kids are wandering around the pool deck with no protection, just waiting for an accident to happen. Having witnessed such a fall with a friend's child, I am relieved that my son would be able to maintain a float in such a situation.

As a mother of five, I want to say with every fiber of my being that this is WRONG. This form of teaching an infant child to save himself is abusive. I can't believe that this can be going on in any capacity.

this is so wrong in so many ways how you parents can just do that to your children i dont understand good way to make your children scared of the water and hurt them mentally in so many ways...GOOD parenting skills NOT....this makes me so sick i could never do that to my 15 month old baby

this looks and sounds like child abuse. what kind of parent would allow this to happen to their kids. what next are you going to put your child on the freeway and say make it across?

Personally this looks like child abuse to me; I could SEE the fear in the eyes of those babies when this story aired.

I am also wondering if King5 realizes the caption that was under the picture of the child in the pool when this story was on the news Thurs. night. The caption read 'Water Babies'. 'Waterbabies' is a local swim program with a VASTLY different philosophy than ISR. I sure hope viewers did not think 'Waterbabies' was the swim program that was throwing infants into the water to flail, scream, cough, and sputter while the teacher stood by....

After working as a lifeguard as a young adult, all I can say is it's a totally different story between being in a 75 degree pool as opposed to a 55 degree lake with choppy water and an uncontrolled environment - your body goes into shock due to the cold water, and that's when people drown - we hear about it in the news in the early summer around here all of the time. These kids are not taught any sort of respect for water, to just jump in and float - to them, water is water and they're not going to be able to distinguish between all of the different types. They don't have the cognitive skills available at that age to realize that the water is dangerous and can kill them. Talk about a false sense of security - this is so dangerous on so many levels, it made me sick to watch it - why in the world would you want to force your small toddler to literally have to fight for their life while sitting there smiling at them and cheering them on - do they have nightmares from this? ("Mommy, please save me!") I just can't imagine putting my children through anything like that. There's a reason there's only one person in the entire state teaching this class...

I agree with the majority of the posts already,however I will add one more thought. As a Native northwesterner, I too have taught my children a respect of the water and have provided swim lessons at a very early age. I have also taught them a healthy fear of the water, as I almost drowned as a child in a river. There is a HUGE difference between a swimmign pool and a lake or river which are so prevalent here!

I saw the previews for the news and the clip showing the young child screaming his poor little head off and it made me sick to my stomach and brought tears to my eyes. Being a first time mother of an 8 month old little boy, my heart dropped. How could someone sit back and watch as another person inflicted complete terror in their child? You are the one who is to protect and nurture your child not torture them! So I stayed up later than normal to watch what the drowning expert had to say. I completely agree with what they said, a child does need to learn to swim BUT at age 4 or above and most of all for FUN. We live in Washington, how many children are faced daily by a swimming pool hazard in their backyard? Not many. If so, you should have a fence around your pool. When is a child ever going to be thrown backwards completely clothed over an adults head with the possibility of drowning? The way I see it, is if you are doing your job as a parent, then your child would NOT ever drown. In a pool, a bathtub or a lake. It is our job and responsibility as GOOD parents to watch our children and keep them from any and all harm that is possible. If my son so much as crawls into another room, you better believe I'm on his tail into that next room. Like the woman whose aunt lost her 18 month old. My question is where was she? Not doing her job!

"Teaching" if that's what you want to call this to a young infant who doesn’t have the capacity to retain that type of information or knowledge is absurd! To me, this is just another form of child abuse and torture. Parents are abusing and neglecting their children who sit back and watch this woman bring complete fear and terror into these children’s lives. It is sick and disgusting that anyone in their right mind would think this is remotely okay. I’m all for having my son in the pool to get his used to liking the water, but doing it the RIGHT way. Being in the water, playing motor boat, blowing bubbles, making it an enjoyable, fun, relaxing time. Not making him gasp for air, screaming, flailing around just trying to live!

This type of ‘training’ should be banned and anyone who partakes in this should be looked at and charged like any other child abuser or neglector and people who do this to their children should have their children taken away from them. You (parents and instructor) should be ashamed of yourself!

Calling this child abuse is going too far. This is a survival technique, not a swimming lesson. The difference is vast, but not clear in the very short segment aired. I doubt any parent would consider this a substitute for careful monitoring.
In all, if it saving one life (which it appears it has) it is worth the tears.

As a parent and close friend of a pediatrician, I was HORRIFIED to see tiny babies sobbing while struggling to breathe. It IS ABUSE and all the research shows that children are not physically able to hold themselves up in water until age 4 or above. They call this a survival program??? They are helpless, totally dependent infants! It is the parents job to not traumatize their children when learning something new. Time in the pool should be together with a parent holding them while exploring the water in a fun way. This program should be shut down now and any parent participating in this, has been truly brainwashed instead of letting their gut/parental instinct direct them to what is best for their child.

Ok Mamas, my 10 month old son is taking this course with Anna. He is no way afraid of the water. I take him in water, and he doesn't cry with me. He cries, just like most of the babies taking the course because they aren't comfortable with someone they don't know. How many of your babies would be happy in the arms of a stranger? As for depending on this to save our babies lives, that is a bunch of nonsense. WE ARE NOT! Non of the moms that have put their chilren through the course think that we don't have watch our children around water, come on. As for those of you that think we are abusing our children, give me a break. He is not fighting for his life, are you telling me you never put your childs head under the water in the bath? Or he doesn't stick his own head under? And as for the crying, so he cries for a few minutes, are you telling me your child never cries. If you really think this abuse, come an actually watch a lesson, see how the kids really respond in person. Don't just judge based on a two minute clip

I am a mother of a 2 year-old, beautiful little girl. Although I haven't put her through this class, I did start taking her to the swimming pool when she was 3 months old. We've gone consistently 2x's a week since then. I've personally worked with her to get her comfortable with the water, being under water, on her back, kicking, blowing bubbles etc. This has been one of the best things I've ever done for her --she is confident in the pool, loves swimming, bath time and shower time. She's since been through a toddler swimming class and we continue to go to the pool together weekly. I believe it's important and valuable to get your children acclimated to water environments and for parents to work with them to build their skills.

I agree with posters who call this child abuse. There is long term effects of even very young babies who have been through stressful situations... Baies internalize fear. Having near drowning experiences over and over must be frightening for them. I do not understand how a mother can sit by a pool and watch as her baby fights for its life, crying and gasping for air.... My 12 month old daughter takes a mommy and me swim lesson, it teaches her to be comfortable in the water and to enjoy it... Not be afraid of it. And as for the mother who posted about her daughter being in the class.... You child doesnt cry in the water with you because he trusts you. You are betraying that trust by handing him over to someone who you know will do something to them that they fear.
Would you light your preschooler on fire to make sure they know the stop, drop and roll move?? NO!!! You teach them fire saftey and you supervise them and protect them, your JOB as a mother.
IT IS EMOTIONAL ABUSE AND CHILD ENDANGERMENT. I hope others besides myself make a report to CPS and let them know what is going on in this program.

I have been taking my 3 year to swim lessons at the REAL Waterbabies for the last two and a half years and this program has a wonderful philosohpy of teaching kids water safety. She is taught respect for the water, to ALWAYS wait for instructions and permission to be in the water, and how to have fun is a safe environment. NO WAY would I allow my child to be in the water feeling helpless and scared. Even though I was taught to swim through 'drown-proofing' methods it was 30 years ago. Times have changed and parents should teach their children that swimming is a happy activity, not one that is scary!

I have worked in daycare and Montessori schools for over 10 years, and have two kids of my own. Because I chose to put my son in this program, and try and make him as safe as possible, now I am a child abuser. Think about it this way. You put your child on a bike, you want them as safe as possible right? . They are going to fall and get hurt, no matter what you do, there is nothing you can do to prevent it, but you can give them protection like helmets, elbow and knee pad to prevent some of injuries that might occur. That is the same thing we are doing by making our children take this course. Like I said before, most of you saw a two minute clip. I thought in our society Today, we are trying to teach our children not to judge so quickly of what others do.

Lets face it - this course is not for eveyone - I would ask the parents so adverse to hearing their children cry have still taken them to the doctor for immunisations - knowing its going to hurt? Think of the lessons as an immunisation.

Parents choose ISR as an additional LAYER of protection - not as any form substitute.

ISR has been developed over a period of 40 years using precise behavioral observation and study. It is in fact the safest, most effective aquatic survival program of its kind.

All I can suggest to anyone with young children is go and watch an instructor teach some lessons - see how they work with the children and talk to the parents poolside before coming to a conclusion. Be sure to ask about the saftey protocols too!

It is impossible to address all of the concerns raised by the posts here - but lets face the facts.

Drowning is the number two cause of accidental death in children under 4 years in the USA today. Clearly the things we do to protect our kids already are not working. Swimming skills are the only form of protection that go with a child everywhere they go.

The course does not claim to "drown poof" children and adult supervision is still the key to drowning prevention. To date not one child who has graduated the ISR course has drowned. (Statisticly this is going to cgange one day)

I am an instructor with ISR and most of my students come to me by word of mouth. If this program was not as effective as it claims and children were being in some way traumatized I would simply have no students.

Go see some lessons first hand before you make up your mind...

IN RESPONSE TO HEIDI

What is so wrong , dear judgemental , ingorant heidi , is self- rightous people like you judging parents who want to ensure their childrens safety. If You don;t like it , then You don;t have to enroll your children in such a program!!!
24 and 26 years ago , when each of my sons were babies , we took the same types of classes. I can tell you now that durring the course of both my sons lives ...the baby swim classes saved their live a couple times over. When theyare little you cannot be too safe when it comes to water... and regardless of how the video looks to you , I can tell you from experience that the babies like it , and after a time or two , it isn't a new scary thing and they wiggle with delight at following classes , as soon as the pool is within their sight. Climb off your high horse of ignorance and consider what is at stake here. People who over react to things like you do and let ingnorant fear run there lives , are the ones who get to pick out those adorable little coffins to bury their toddlers.

I live in FL, where drowning is a huge problem! My son did the ISR program many years ago. Before I signed him up, he unfortunately wore a flotation device. One day he took them off and went under the water and did not attempt to save himself. After the ISR program (in 6 weeks) he was so confident in his skills, he was able to swim, float (breathing) and then swim again unassited and he would repeat this sequence as many times as he needed to get himself across the pool. He did ISR for 3 years, I then enrolled him in stroke swimming for 4 more years. He is a LOVER of the water, there is no learned fear. Fears of water, spiders and any other irrational fear is a LEARNED behavior. Putting a child in a controlled environment with a certified instructor will not create fear of water. I have a degree in psychology and have an understanding of how children cognitively develop. ISR was the best thing I could have done for both of my children and if I had to do it all over again, I would have done it the same, except I would have signed them up at an earlier age, and I wouldn't have put my older child in a flotation device which did nothing to help him, help himself! For those of you who are so upset (and crying) about watching a baby cry and calling this abuse, need to watch the program from beginning to end and to have a better understanding of what you are commenting about. You are taking a snap shot and commenting on it, instead of being truly knowledgeable about what ISR does and what they are about. I have met many women who have lost their children to drowning, now those are the REAL tears!

Both of my children went through the program as babies and now at ages 4 and 2 they swim like little fish and happily swim and float all over the pool. Yes, it was hard to watch them cry during the first few lessons, but the thought of losing them to such a preventable tragedy had made up my mind. Besides, the crying was not any worse than the reaction I got to bedtime, making them eat their peas, etc!

Here in FL, most child drownings happen with the parents home, and often with a parent or other adult just a few feet away. A momentary distraction such as a phone call, another child, turning the burgers on the grill, etc is all it takes to loose your child.

Before I found ISR, I had my daughter in a "water babies" class and it taught her to LOVE the water, blow bubbles, etc. She also had no FEAR of the water and would try to get herself in any way she could, regardless of whether I went with her or not! In my opinion, these classes gave her a false sense of security, thinking the water was a safe playground (after all, that's what the class taught her with songs and everything!), but not how to swim or make any move to save herself. She would happily jump off the steps and hang there, perfectly still, positive that I (or someone) would be along shortly to fish her out. I knew I needed help and that’s when I found ISR. A few weeks of classes and she was swim-float-swimming her way around the pool. ISR lessons teach children to BE SAFE in and ENJOY the water. Why would you want your child to be fearless of the water without the skills to be safe in it?

Go to www.infantswim.com and research ISR methods before jumping to conclusions and making judgments based on a few seconds of video.

Would it make you feel better to see a calm, relaxed baby doing her roll back to float, without a camera crew and a bunch of strangers gawking? Check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Xo3mfmeJVQ

The goal here is to save lives! My kids went through ISR training and learned to RESPECT as well as love the water - No trauma - I promise!

My kids quit crying and become very proud to show off their new skills after a couple weeks of lessons.