Swimming Babies? Trending TikTok Clip of Baby Being Thrown Into Pool Makes Waves

If you’ve been online in the past few days, you’ve likely seen the trending clip on the popular TikTok app of a baby being thrown into a swimming pool.

Now, for many people this can be alarming, and may even seem dangerous. That has certainly been the reaction of people viewing the clip online. But don’t worry. According to many swimming safety experts, this action was much safer than it appears.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at what’s really happening in this trending TikTok clip.

First Let’s Watch the Trending TikTok Clip

In a nutshell, a mother shared a video of her young son being thrown into a swimming pool. Before we get started, take a look at the video:

@mom.of.2.boyssOliver amazes me every week! I can’t believe he is barely 2 months in and is catching on so fast. He is a little fish. ##baby ##swim♬ original sound - mom.of.2.boyss

Now, let’s break it down. Here’s what’s actually happening: the mom, Krysta Meyer and her son Oliver are actually taking part in an infant swimming lesson. The woman throwing Oliver into the pool is actually his instructor. As you can see, she quickly jumps into the water after the baby.

This next bit in this trending TikTok clip is where the magic happens. Though the instructor didn’t immediately intervene, the little one was able to quickly right himself and float to the surface. Once he was able to get his mouth and nose above the water, this behavior was immediately rewarded by both his proud mom and instructor. Additionally, the instructor kept a close eye on the baby the whole time.

 

Learning About Infant Swimming Resource

Since this TikTok clip was initially shared, it has been viewed over 50 million times. It was then seen an additional 20 million times once it was reshared via Twitter.

For the curious, we've written about a different form of swimming instruction for little ones. It's called Infant Swimming Resource before on this blog. Unlike the controversial training shown in this video, ISR is an optional form of swim training that all parents of young children should at least consider.

Put simply, ISR aims to teach small children how to get their heads above water until help arrives. Overall, the goal is to eliminate debilitating panic that can set in if they’re suddenly dunked under the water. In short, the plan is to teach kids to develop the instinct to save themselves using their natural buoyancy. Drowning is one of the greatest dangers young children face. In fact, drowning claims the lives of more children under the age of four than any other hazard. However, along with active supervision and other layers of safety, ISR training can help to prevent a potential tragedy.

Kids Can Learn Self-Rescue From a Surprisingly Young Age

Believe it or not, kids can learn to survive in the water from a very young age. That means kids as young as six-months-old.

Through ISR training, a licensed instructor will work one-on-one with a single child.

• Babies who are 6 months to 1-year-old will learn to:

  • hold their breath underwater
  • roll onto their back to float
  • rest and breathe without panicking

• Once children are able to walk, usually at around 1-to-6 years of age, ISR instruction can become more advanced. In addition to the earlier lessons, they’ll learn to:

  • swim with their head down and their eyes open
  • roll onto their back to float, rest and breathe, then resume swimming until they reach the side of the pool or are rescued

As we mentioned, overall the idea is to help the little ones become comfortable in water and to float on their backs until help arrives. When combined with other water safety layers of protection, ISR training is another excellent tool for keeping little ones out of harm’s way. The video can be shocking or even funny, but it’s actually displaying an excellent teaching option for concerned parents. To learn more about Infant Safety Resource, check out ISR's official website.