Got a Child Afraid of Water on the Face?

Got a child afraid of water on the face? Meet Abram. I am currently working on getting Abram to put his face in the water. The goal is to have him hold his breath and keep his whole face in the water for ten seconds.

More specifically with consistency and without hesitation. This skill is called breath control. Once he has mastered breath control, the next step in the learn to swim process is floating.

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This video will show you how easy it is to get kids as young as 2-years-old to put their face in the water with four simple activities. And without goggles or a nose clip which is the recommended approach. Goggles can be introduced after they have mastered this first step.

Abram is two months shy of 4-years-old and is not comfortable with water on his face, yet he is willing to try everything that I present to him.

The reason for this is simple. He’s in control. And as long as he is in control, he feels comfortable and relaxed.

By staying in the shallow end of the pool or on the steps, he knows that he’s safe, so that relaxes him and when he’s relaxed he’s willing to challenge himself.

As a swim instructor or parent, your job is to motivate and encourage your child or student with activities like the ones in the video. And to never force the child’s head under the water. It will only prolong the process. It’s also dangerous and irresponsible.

And finally, when your kid or student pours water down his face or puts his face in the water for a split second all by himself, remember to praise his accomplishments. (Check out this blog post for more on this subject.)

I hope that you have the opportunity to try some of the suggestions in the video. And if you do, let me know how it went. I would love to hear all about it.

Update: A month has passed since I wrote this post. If you would like to see Abram’s progress, click here.

Love the water but fence it in, so
Tessa so

P.S. Test your knowledge of water safety. Take the quiz. You don’t have to enter any personal information. Get instant results.

P.P.S. Join my private Facebook group. If you need to help your child overcome their fear of water or if you’re a swim instructor and would like to share some tips and tricks on the subject, please join my private Facebook group here.

P.P.P.S. To start your child on the path to becoming water safe, click here.

Mind-blowing underwater choreography that I thought you might enjoy.

Deep sea diver and filmmaker Julie Gautier holds her breath for over 5 minutes as she performs this beautifully choreographed masterpiece. Don’t try this at home folks. 😃

For the full story click here:

https://youtu.be/bdBuDg7mrT8 data-pin-nopin=”nopin”

Shallow Water Blackout

Speaking of holding your breath for a long time, have you heard of shallow water blackout?

Shallowwaterblackoutprevention.org defines it as:

“Shallow water blackout (SWB) is an underwater “faint” due to a lack of oxygen to the brain brought on by holding your breath for long periods of time. Without immediate rescue, the swimmer quickly drowns. SWB is most common among physically fit swimmers, spear fisherman and free divers.”

The website mentioned above recommends the following tips to prevent SWB:

• Never hyperventilate so
• Never ignore the urge to breathe so
• Never swim alone so
• Never play breath-holding games so

I remember playing a breath-holding game with my big brother once when we were crazy kids. I won! That is if the object of the game is to be the first to pass out, then yes I got to bring home the trophy that day. At least we were on dry land at the time.

Free Resources:

• Looking to score some water safety and drowning prevention tips, check out our water safety quiz.
• If you have a child in your life with a fear of water, this private Facebook group is just for you.
• And this is where you can get your child started on the path to becoming comfortable in the water.

Love the water but fence it in, so
Tessa so

P.S. Test your knowledge of water safety. Take the quiz. You don’t have to enter any personal information. Get instant results.

P.P.S. Join my private Facebook group. If you need to help your child overcome their fear of water or if you’re a swim instructor and would like to share some tips and tricks on the subject, please join my private Facebook group here.

P.P.P.S. To start your child on the path to becoming water safe, click here.

So, the other day one of my 3-year-old students asked me if I was a grandmother. 🙁

I know that there are plenty of 54-year-old grandparents in the world, so it’s not entirely unrealistic, but I’m just sayin’, I didn’t need to hear that. I was having a great day, then Autumn comes along and… well you know the rest.

Anyway, enough about me.

Student Spotlight

Meet Brogan. When Brogan first started taking swimming lessons with me, he was certainly not without fear, clinging to his mom like a sock to a sweater fresh out of the dryer.

Brogan’s Ultimate Self-Rescue Challenge

3-year-old Brogan crushes the ultimate self-rescue challenge, which means that he can now self-rescue if he were to fall into a swimming pool fully clothed.

See his progress take place over a three-day span. From being a little tentative and not entirely confident to then being able to pull it off without a hitch.

Free Resources:

• Looking to score some water safety and drowning prevention tips, check out our water safety quiz.
• If you have a child in your life with a fear of water, this private Facebook group is just for you.
• And this is where you can get your child started on the path to becoming comfortable in the water.

Love the water but fence it in, so
Tessa so

P.S. Test your knowledge of water safety. Take the quiz. You don’t have to enter any personal information. Get instant results.

P.P.S. Join my private Facebook group. If you need to help your child overcome their fear of water or if you’re a swim instructor and would like to share some tips and tricks on the subject, please join my private Facebook group here.

P.P.P.S. To start your child on the path to becoming water safe, click here.

Drowning: The Silent Killer

Drowning: The silent killer. Isn’t it obvious when someone is drowning? A grandmother of one of my students shared a story with me the other day. She agreed to let me share it with you.

Here’s what she wrote…

How a drowning REALLY happens.

I had no idea how FAST and SILENT a drowning is!!! I always thought it involved flailing, splashing, yelling… like in the movies.

Our family has been dragging our feet, discussing getting swim lessons for my beloved granddaughter. Two years, now. Like most children, she absolutely LOVES water.

Our Country Club has a gorgeous, huge, heated salt water pool and two Jacuzzis. She likes nothing better than to go for a swim after school. Plus her parents enjoy a break after work and prepare dinner.

Age four, she’s a ‘big girl’ now, not a ‘baby’ anymore. Objects to tubes, armbands, vests – since her friends at the pool – same age – are ‘water safe’ and have basic swim skills.

One evening, after the pool, I let her get into the Jacuzzi. Very shallow, 3 feet deep. A man turned on the jets and got in. I sat in a chair on the edge, wrapped in my robe, while she played on the steps. No phone. No book. No distractions. Just watching her.

I noticed, with the jets on, she started moving VERY very slowly, away from the steps, towards the middle of the Jacuzzi. Drifting.. Puzzled, I called “Tilly?”

She managed to turn and look at me. Her mouth and nose were under. She didn’t even know how to hold her breath underwater! Her eyes!!! Wide open in panic and terror as they went under. She was drowning right under my nose, three feet away. DEAD SILENT. The man in the Jacuzzi facing her? No clue.

I went straight in, robe and all and grabbed her. It happened in a matter of SECONDS, SO fast! So SILENT! Afterwards, I was shaking like a leaf. Absolutely horrifying and traumatic, for both of us.

Then I contacted Tessa Rhodes and booked swim lessons. I need peace of mind. Last summer – Sea World and Legoland. This summer – swim lessons. She absolutely LOVES her lessons. Tessa is VERY patient with her. A bit of a slow start, after her near-drowning scare, but now, well on her way to being ‘water safe.’

She wants to be a professional swimmer in her future. Until then, I’ll watch her like a hawk. ‘Baby Steps’ I tell her.

I might have been ignorant, but I will not be negligent. Sadly, any and everybody can lose their toddlers to drowning. I never knew how that could happen? Now, I do. NOT on my watch.

Luckily Tilly’s grandmother, Patricia was actively watching. If she was engrossed in a novel or on her phone, it might have been quite a different outcome.

Drowning the silent killer. Drowning is without a doubt silent, and if there is no one actively watching, it will most certainly go unnoticed.

Thank you, Patricia, for sharing your personal experience. so

The fact that drowning is silent is something that most people don’t know.

Please share this newsletter with as many people as you can to bring as much awareness to the general population as you possibly can. Hopefully, we can save some lives with Patricia’s story.

Test your knowledge of water safety.

How much do you know about water safety? Find out with our 10 question true or false quiz. If you read Patricia’s narrative, you’re guaranteed to get at least one right.

You don’t have to enter any personal information, I promise. This link takes you directly to the quiz with instant results when you complete it.

Good luck! Hope you ace it! so

Love the water but fence it in, so
Tessa so drowning: the silent killer

P.S. Test your knowledge of water safety. Take the quiz. You don’t have to enter any personal information. Get instant results.

P.P.S. Join my private Facebook group. If you need to help your child overcome their fear of water or if you’re a swim instructor and would like to share some tips and tricks on the subject, please join my private Facebook group here.

P.P.P.S. To start your child on the path to becoming water safe, click here.

Related Posts

Do Life Jackets Prevent Drowning?

Dry Drowning: Real or Fake?

Pool Gate Left Open: The Unspeakable Happened

Having a Pool Party? Consider Hiring a Lifeguard