At Kennedy Fitness: A Jefferson Affiliate, we offer Infant Swimming Resource, also known as infant self-rescue classes for children ages 1-6. While these lessons are becoming widely popular among parents across America, there are still many that have their reservations about placing their child who cannot swim into the water for a lesson.

Here we’ll answer a few of the questions about our ISR program that we hear most often so that you can feel comfortable teaching your child these critical and potentially life-saving skills.

First things first:

 

What is ISR?

ISR or Infant Swimming Resource is a safety program for children as young as 6 months in which they are taught a self-rescue technique to survive an unsupervised fall into the water.

 

What techniques will they learn in ISR classes?

ISR has two different survival sequences. Depending on your child’s age and degree of motor-function, he or she will either learn the Roll-Back-Float method or the Swim-Float-Swim method.

The Roll-Back-Float method is typically taught to children ages 6 months to 1 year. They will learn how to:

  • Hold breath underwater
  • Roll onto the back
  • Float unassisted while breathing, resting, and waiting for help

Children will initially be taught in a swim diaper, before ultimately learning to perform while fully clothed, as is the case in many infant drowning situations.

The Swim-Float-Swim method is for children ages 1 to 6 years old. It teaches children to:

  • Hold breath underwater
  • Swim with the head down
  • Roll to the back to float, breath, and recover
  • Roll over to swim to the edge, resting when needed

In this sequence as well, children will learn first in swimwear and then in full clothing.

 

Is Infant Self-Rescue safe?

ISR classes are centered around child safety. We teach these classes in a 1-on-1 setting with one of our highly-trained and ISR certified instructors. The program your child learns will depend on his or her abilities, and each child receives special attention to encourage safe learning.

 

How do I sign my child up?
At Kennedy Fitness: A Jefferson Affiliate, we offer many health and wellness programs across South Jersey, including yoga in Cherry Hill. For more information on any of our classes or programs, including ISR, personal training, and even Zumba in Cherry Hill or another location, call your local Kennedy Fitness today.

To sign your child up for a self-rescue swim lesson, visit our Infant Swimming Resource page.