A swim instructor speaks with WAAY 31 about the importance of teaching kids to swim.
A swim instructor talks with WAAY 31 about the importance of teaching kids to swim.
Swimming experts say drowning is the leading cause of death in infants ages one to four.
We've had nine drowning incidents in North Alabama this year. Each one, has parents on high-alert.
We sent WAAY 31's Jillian Kay to meet with a local swimming instructor from the Infant Swimming Resource (ISR).
Christie Hamby's taught lessons for more than a decade. The same survival swimming skills she teaches actually saved her daughter's life when she was a child.
Hamby says it's important kids learn to roll on their back and float. If they know to float, she says they can keep themselves alive until an adult can help.
"It's necessary for them to have the skills if they make it to the water to be able to roll over and get on their back and hold a float," Hamby said.
More importantly, she says it's every adult's job to keep an eye on their kids, especially in the water.
"If you go to the pool with your child, then you're not sitting in the chair while they're in the water by themselves," Hamby explained. "Your hands are in the water, you're actively engaging in the water."
Hamby says most drownings happen when it's not time to swim and parents least expect it.
She recommends several layers of protection. That includes supervision, locks and gates around the pool, and bright colored swimsuits so your child is easier to spot.
One of Hamby's clients, Karen Lovvorne, has two granddaughters. They take lessons regularly and Lovvorne says it's worth every penny.
"Anybody should be able to swim, enough at least to save themselves," Lovvorne continued. "Imagining now, not having [my granddaughter], with something so simple as just do some swim lessons. Just teach them to just float on their back."
You can learn more about ISR by visiting their website. Hamby says they have easy ways to find your nearest instructor, and they offer scholarships.
Christie Hamby teaches survival swim lessons in Huntsville. Her classes teach kids to save themselves in a body of water until an adult arrives to help.
