BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — Did you know drowning is the leading cause of death among children under the age of five?
That is why New York State will soon require all new parents to watch a video about the dangers of drowning before they even leave the hospital.
7 News Senior Reporter Eileen Buckley brings us the voices of two swim instructors with a powerful message for every mom and dad.
Last fall, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a law that would require hospitals to show new parents a swim safety video.
"Take it to heart. It can happen to the most diligent of parents," declared Shannon Wroblewski, a swim instructor.
"Drownings don't discriminate. It can happen to anybody, and it happens in the blink of an eye," remarked Alison Thompson, a swim instructor.
Alison Thompson and Shannon Wroblewski are both certified Infant Swimming Resources instructors. They teach survival swimming lessons for young children ages six months to six years old.
They met Buckley at the Lovejoy Pool in Buffalo, where Wroblewski teaches.
They're thrilled that the state will soon require new parents to watch a safety video about the dangers of drowning.
The New York State Department of Health says the video, which will be provided to the hospitals, will be ready this spring.
"And when you're going home with a newborn, you're thinking about so many other things that you're not really focused on water safety," replied Wroblewski.
"Firstborn, you don't really see how important it is. But really, as they grow, it's such an important thing to know," Thompson responded.
One online instruction video features parents who have lost children to drowning, one in a backyard pond, and another in a canal.
The new swim video is modeled after a state video that's used to teach parents about Shaken Baby Syndrome.
Sadly, experts say most children ages one to four drown in home swimming pools, and infants under the age of one are most likely to drown in a bathtub.
"Bath drownings do happen more often than we think," Wroblewski explained
"It’s something that we call a secondary distraction, so if you have another child and they're calling you to go into a room or they need something, you know, you feel like you have to go there and help them for ten seconds, and then ten seconds turns into five minutes, and that's when situations happen," Thompson noted.
That's why the survival swimming lessons these women provide are so important, and it all begins with teaching infants how to hold their breath.
"When we start lessons, kids know how to close their mouths so they're not drinking water. We spend a lot of time working with that, and I always tell parents that the first couple of lessons, even the first week or so, might look a little funny because we are spending a lot of time making sure that we're closing their mouth," described Thompson.
"And then slowly presenting them with the water level rising, and then they're slowly learning I have to take a deep breath and close my mouth, and that's how they learn really great breath control," Wroblewski commented.
Both instructors are warning parents about certain devices, like puddle jumpers.
"But because it does reinforce a vertical posture when that child, unfortunately, if they were to find their way to the water, without it on, they will immediately go into a vertical posture, and that's when they drowned," Wroblewski noted.
"But the problem happens when children think they have it on. You know, it's very light; it doesn't feel heavy. And that's when problems occur because they go into the water. They think they have it, and they don't realize what that actually is doing for them," Thompson stated.
For parents who can't afford survival swimming lessons, the Buffalo Chapter of the Infant Swimming Resourceshas a number of scholarship programs and other resources available for parents and families.
