News

16-Month Girl Swimming Alone: Stuns Viewers Everywhere [VIDEO]

By Cheri Cheng | Update Date: Jul 02, 2013 10:04 AM EDT

A video of a 16-month girl swimming alone in a three feet deep pool has gone viral, as viewers cannot seem to decide how they feel about it. On one hand, the toddler, Elizabeth, exhibits amazing talents as she swims and breathes comfortably in the water, moving from one end to the other end with relative ease. On the other hand, some audience members are critical of her parents, who left such a young toddler alone in the water. At Elizabeth's age, babies are just learning how to walk normally.

Even though the toddlers' swimming skills are beyond compare to other toddlers her age, as she jumps into the pool on her own, the majority of the YouTube audience expressed concern over whether or not the baby is being forced to swim despite looking tired. On top of that, based from Elizabeth's facial expressions since her baby talk does not make any sense, some people are worried that she might not even like swimming.

"At no point do we force our child to do anything she is unwilling to try. We are able to recognize infant/toddler fatigue in the swimming pool," the user, Adam BC wrote in response to the comments. "Elizabeth is a very determined little girl and sometimes wants to roll over and breathe as she was taught and sometimes she wants to hold her breath the whole way."

After receiving all kinds of comments ranging from harsh to kind, Adam BC, Elizabeth's father explained that he is a registered nurse. He is also professionally certified in CPR and is an expert in advanced pediatric life support. His wife used to teach swimming and was a lifeguard for six years.

Adam BC also explained that Elizabeth has been trained by certified instructors. These instructors teach the infant swimming resource technique, which teaches young toddlers how to rescue themselves if they so happen to be in a life-threatening situation in the water. Adam BC recommends that parents consider getting their young toddlers and children into these type of classes.

"It only takes a moment for them to slip under and drown," Adam BC said. "Sometimes the difference between life and death can be six inches of water and their ability to flip over on their back and take a breath."

After Adam BC clarified the situation, the audience attitude toward the parents shifted from critical to understanding. The parents remind others not to ever put their babies and children in the water if they do not know how to swim.

© 2023 Counsel & Heal All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Join the Conversation

Real Time Analytics