Learning to Swim At A Young Age Has So Many Benefits

By admin

Jun

29

This is a video of  a two year old doing what we call in aquatics Rhythmic Breathing. This is one of the most advanced swimming techniques. This child started swimming lessons at 8 months old and has continued lessons.  His parents noticed his love for the water and how easily he took to learning. His first level was the Turn, Kick Reach unique five day program and then from there he went to the Baby Otter Swim Schools second level and now the third being rhythmic breathing. His fascination for learning new strokes was astonishing to all of the instructors. He now enjoys swimming with our five year old swim team.  Understand that our children are only limited by our fears not theirs. They can do most anything when taught properly.  We tell them at our school, you can do anything you want to do. They believe in themselves as much as we believe in them. With the proper training, love and patience a child of any age can learn some amazing skills, just ask Michael Phelps. Swimming is not only an amazing competative sport but a great activity to overcome the nation’s issue with childhood obesity. Get your children away from the computers and in the water. They won’t even realize they are exercising.

To enroll your child at Baby Otter Swim School near Fort Lauderdale Florida., call (954) 704-0080 or 1-888-swim-kid.

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Drowning Prevention Tips for Summer Vacation & Hotel Pools

By admin

Jun

27

Summer is the time of year when many families travel for their annual vacation. If you’ve followed our blog, you’re already familiar with the layers of protection we suggest for every parent, including motion activated alarms and fences with locks above the reach of your child. Unfortunately, these layers of protection aren’t always available when you’re staying in a vacation home or hotel.

Since you can’t install alarms or heighten the locks on a hotel pool, supervision and communication are two of the most important keys to protect your child from drowning at a hotel pool. Remember, vacations often involve lots of daily events and activity, which means you’re more likely to get distracted at different points throughout the day. Each parent must take responsibility for supervision. Don’t assume your spouse or other children will be watching your child. Confirm which parent will be responsible for watching the child throughout the day. Plan your schedule each morning together as a family so you can establish buddy systems.

Remember, whether or not a lifeguard is on duty at the beach or at your hotel, they can’t watch your child every moment, and drownings can be quick and quiet.

Here are some important facts from a study by the National Safe Kids Campaign, the American Academy of Pediatrics, National Safety Council,Orange County California Fire Authority, Drowning Prevention Foundation, the National Safe Kids Campaign and the CDC.

  • Fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years (CDC 2005)
    U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  • It is estimated that for each drowning death, there are 1 to 4 nonfatal submersions serious enough to result in hospitalization. Children who still require cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at the time they arrive at the emergency department have a poor prognosis, with at least half of survivors suffering significant neurological impairment.

  • 19% of drowning deaths involving children occur in public pools with certified lifeguards present.

  • A swimming pool is 14 times more likely than a motor vehicle to be involved in the death of a child age 4 and under.

  • Children under five and adolescents between the ages of 15-24 have the highest drowning rates.

  • An estimated 5,000 children ages 14 and under are hospitalized due to unintentional drowning-related incidents each year; 15 percent die in the hospital and as many as 20 percent suffer severe, permanent neurological disability.

  • Of all preschoolers who drown, 70 percent are in the care of one or both parents at the time of the drowning and 75 percent are missing from sight for five minutes or less.

  • The majority of children who survive (92 percent) are discovered within two minutes following submersion, and most children who die (86 percent) are found after 10 minutes. Nearly all who require cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) die or are left with severe brain injury.

Baby Otter Swim School swim lessons in Fort Lauderdale Florida offers drowning prevention courses for children, infants and swimmers of all ages.

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NFL’s Leonard Pope Saves 6-Year Old from Drowning at Pool Party

By admin

Jun

22


While the NFL is in lockout, Leonard Pope of the Kansas City Chiefs is making headlines for his heroic effort off the football field. Last Saturday, Pope saved a six-year old from drowning during a pool party in his hometown, Americus, Georgia. Pope told the Kansas City Star that he reacted on instinct rather than waiting for anyone else.

“I heard that cry. Yelling like, ‘He’s drowning, like, someone get him. When you hear that in a woman’s voice and she’s screaming for her child’s life, I didn’t think twice about it. That’s a kid.”- Leonard Pope

According to the report, Pope saw the outstretched fingers of six year old Bryson Moore, who was submerged in about six feet of water, gasping for air and gagging. Without hesitating, Pope jumped into the pool, grabbed Moore and carried him out of the water. Pope told the Kansas City Star:

“Recollecting on Saturday’s ordeal, Pope said he and his brother learned to swim when he was growing up in western Georgia. His mother made certain they were comfortable around water, and in time, Pope said, he earned a card from a local organization for learning to swim. Bryson’s mother, Anne Moore told the Times-Recorder newspaper in Americus this week that she planned to enroll her son in swimming lessons after the shock of Saturday dissolved.”-Kansas City Star

While Bryson’s story had a happy ending, there are thousands of stories that end tragically each year. Sadly, drowning is the number one cause of death for children under five in Florida, Arizona, and California with a ranking of number two for the nation. At Baby Otter Swim School near Fort Lauderdale, our state certified swimming instructors are devoted to each student’s progress.

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Making Water Safety A Priority

By admin

Jun

20

After lifeguarding the first two days for a camp who comes to our pool, it was astonishing to see that two three year olds needed to be rescued in less than 20 minutes. What are parents thinking by not making swim lessons a TOP priority? As soon as a child can crawl they need to learn to swim from a professional with experience in teaching children how to swim. How do you send a child to a camp when you know they will be going swimming and not make sure that they know how to swim.  Drowning is the leading cause of death in children under the age of 5. Parents need to learn and understand all of the layers of protection to be sure that their child is protected.  Swimming lessons are a very important part of drowning prevention. Another important component of drowning prevention is knowing CPR. Make sure you know CPR and any care takers who are watching your children should be trained as well.   Please take this serious and make sure you take all precautions to prevent these senseless drownings.  Make sure when you choose a swim instructor you check out their ceritifications and how long they have been in the industry. Many people claim to be swim instructors but are not ceritified to teach children. Do your homework before hiring someone who will be working with your child.

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Communication is a Key Factor in Child Drowning Prevention.

By admin

Jun

18

No matter how many physical levels of protection you place between your child, verbal communication is vital for ensuring a safe environment. Whether you’re at home or on the road, drowning prevention for children begins with parents who are committed to keeping track of their children throughout the day.

Tragically, many children drown due to poor communication between the adults. It only takes a second of poor supervision for disaster to strike. Earlier this year, Jada Pepin drowned at the Crown Plaza in Melbourne after she feel in the hotel pool. According to family friends who were quoted by Central Florida News 13, Jada’s parents were good, vigilant parents, who lost track of their child. This month, Jada’s parents made an effort to spread awareness about swim safety. They  took part in a water safety event at the Wal Mart in Titusville.

Family friend Shannon Bray said this type of accident could happen to anyone. She told Central Florida News 13:

‘”They were those vigilant parents and it was a miscommunication and a child drowned. “

Family friends said they would like laws to force hotels to have better security gates when it comes to hotel pools and lifeguards on duty. At  Baby Otter Swim School, we’re always happy to see laws in favor of securing pools, but we remind parents they make the biggest difference and they are the final barrier between their child and a water related disaster.

In addition to a steady stream of communication and an awareness of your child’s whereabouts, you can implement other layers of protection around your home.  There should be an alarm on the door that makes a loud noise if the door gets opened. All doors to the pool area should be double bolted and one of the bolts should be at the top where the child can not reach.

Remember, drownings are known as the silent killer, because the victims are unable to exhale and call for help. Together, we can expand awareness about drowning prevention techniques.

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Drownings Can Be Quick and Quiet

By admin

Jun

10

Over 26 years ago when I was at the pool with my children and my daughter disappeared for only seconds was the day my life changed forever. When I couldn’t find her we realized she had SILENTLY slipped under water as she walked down the steps. There was never a sound or a splash. That’s why they call drowning the ‘SILENT KILLER”.

These drownings that are occurring on a daily basis are preventable if parents take note of the proper layers of protection needed. Supervision is the most important layer. Swimming lessons for children are a must. Install alarms on all exits of the house that beep if  opened.   The first place to look when a child is missing is the POOL.  Learn CPR.  Make sure a proper drain covers are in your pool. Know how to turn your pool pump off in case of an emergency. Barriers around the pool like a fence should be closed and locked at all times. Keep a cordless phone outside for emergency use only. Do NOT spend time talking on the phone while supervising children in the pool. If you must leave the pool area for any reason take your kids out of the pool and bring them with you closing the gate behind you.

These are all common sense layers of protection but are the ones most ignored. DROWNINGS ARE PREVENTABLE.  Once your child is crawling they need to know how to swim. If they learn at a young age when the fear has not yet set in they adapt so much better.  We have learned over the past 35 years in this business that the children we teach are only limited by what their parents think they can’t do. They can do anything when taught properly. When we teach our unique 5 day water survival program we always have the kids say “I can do it”. Once they say it they believe it. Parents please pay close attention to swimming season and make sure you follow all the necessary layers of protection.

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Parent Testimonial for Our Special Needs Swim Classes

By admin

Jun

2

“I would highly recommend Baby Otter Swim School!

I have two Autistic children, one of which I was told last summer was “too Autistic” to learn in their program and would have to have further very expensive private lessons. After hearing that, we signed up with Baby Otter, who couldn’t promise he’d learn in five days, but promised to stay with him  until he learned! BOTH of my children learned to swim in five days, went on to join their Special Needs Swim Team and now jump into the deep end and swim across the entire pool! They were 4 and 5 years old when they took their lessons.”

“They continue to swim in Special Needs classes that are instructional and social! Baby Otter has brought so much peace to our home and given both of my children a tremendous amount of confidence, two things that make us forever in their debt!
They’re located in Plantation and their number is 954-704-0080 , call and talk to Staci! It’s family owned and they have so much compassion!”

-Cate

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