Parent Info & FAQs

Tips and Advice for Parents from Professor Fish

Safety Tips

Life Vests – The Myths and Facts
When purchasing a personal floatation device (PFD) for your child, be aware of the written material provided by the Coast Guard as well as the disclaimers. Not all flotation devices guarantee that they will turn unconscious wearers face up in the water. The popular myth that wearing a life vest will prevent drownings is inaccurate. As the NBC Dateline news-story describes, life vests may keep a child afloat, however, if they are face-down their life may not be saved unless pulled from the water.

If you are a boater and a Starfish parent, we will happily test the safety of your child’s life jacket during a lesson. Speak to any of the management staff or email your instructor for details.        

NBC Dateline story about how life vests fail; transcript pdf

For more information on Life Vests and usage go to:
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/mse4/pfdchilddata.htm
http://www.prospect-tech.com/pressrel/msnbc.htm

Personal Water Craft Safety
For information go to: http://www.uscgboating.org/articles/boatingview.aspx?id=89

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Little-Known Hazard on Pool Floors

There have been many preventable accidents where children have been injured or drowned due to being held underwater by the floor system of a pool or hot tub they were in. To learn more, view this video from CBS News about the hazards of pool floors.

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Moving to Another City? Need Help Finding a Swim School?

If you go to the US Swim Schools Web site, you will find a list of member schools across the country that have proven themselves worthy of the USSSA membership.

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The Star Thrower

A lesson . . . Once upon a time there was a wise man that used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer.

He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer he called out, “Good morning, what are you doing?”

The young man paused, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish in the ocean.”

“I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?”                       

“The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don’t throw them in they’ll die”                      

“But young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!”

The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said, “It made a difference to that one.”                      

There is something very special in each and every one of us. We have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference. We must each find our starfish. And if we throw our stars wisely and well, the world will be blessed.

Adapted from the Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley  (1907 - 1977)

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How Can We Encourage Youngsters to Start Swimming?

Swimming is so important because it opens doors to every other aquatic sport. If you can't swim then it means you can't sail, row, play water polo or even play in the sea. If you want to do anything to do with water then you have to learn to swim. If that is not reason enough to get people to swim then what is?

Swimming also encourages a healthy lifestyle. It allows young people's bodies to develop in a very natural way at a young age. It is basically an injury-free sport. Very few swimmers injure themselves in the pool.

Swimming is recognized as a good aerobic base for all sports such as football and soccer. Like gymnastics, it is a base to the development of other sports.

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Does Swimming Increase the Incidence of Ear Infections in Children?

Robertson LM, Marino RV, Namjoshi S. Department of Pediatrics Winthrop-University Hospital,
Mineola, NY, USA. PMID: 9107124 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Conclusion: Based on their findings, the authors conclude that there appears to be no basis to the commonly held belief that swimming may induce or exacerbate otitis media (aka "swimmer's ear"). In fact, the converse may be true.

Swimmer's Ear:

The condition commonly known as Swimmer's ear is different from an ear infection, which occurs in the middle ear space behind the eardrum. Swimmer’s ear occurs when water gets stuck in the ear canal. Lake water is the most likely to cause an infection, followed by ocean water, bath water, then pool water.

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Swimming and Ear Tubes?

The bottom line is that children should be allowed to swim in swimming pools and seawater without barrier methods (custom ear plugs, ear putty, bathing caps etc) since prospective clinical trials have not shown that swimming without water protection increases the risk of otorrhea.. Giannoni C, Swimming With Tympanostomy Tubes. Arch Otol H & N surg 2000;126:1507.

The practice of recommending water precautions for children with tubes grew out of what physicians thought was reasonable. However, the available evidence demonstrates that either prophylactic eardrops or custom ear molds have ever been shown to be effective, and may actually increase the risk for otorrhea. Water precautions for surface swimming in children with tympanostomy tubes are now considered unnecessary in most children. Otorrhea rates in swimmers with tubes are comparable with or without dry ear precautions. December 2002 by Richard H. Schwartz, MD, and Craig S. Derkay, MD Special to Infectious Diseases in Children.

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Parental Supervision

Once parents see that their children have mastered basic aquatic survival skills, there is a tendency to become more relaxed with watching them when they are around the water. Yes they are safer, but they are not drown-proof! No one is. Parents should always be in the water with their children, especially those under 5 years old, supervising their swimming. Do not leave children unattended around the water. Most accidents occur within moments of a parent becoming distracted. The best protection for the prevention of aquatic accidents is to constantly watch your children whenever they are in or around the water.

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Year-Round Swimming

Obesity rates in children are rising across the board. One out of every ten preschoolers 10% is now overweight. Risks: Increase odds of becoming an obese adults; Type II diabetes; At risk for early heart disease; Likely to have elevated blood pressure; Good chance to be a target of systematic abuse and tormenting.

At the same time that children are eating more, they're also leading increasingly sedentary lives. Cause: T.V., DVD, Videos, Computer, and academic pressure.

Children that swim year-round make swimming and other forms of exercise a habit that will stick within their entire life. Swimming is especially well-suited for children because it results in fewer injuries than any other sport.

- A 1991 study found that the hundreds of thousands of young people enrolled in organized swim programs throughout the United States are thinner, stronger, and in better health than their non swimming peers. Participation in swimming programs also promotes self-discipline and responsibility and develops regular exercise habits that can benefit children throughout their lives.

- Scientific studies of infant swimming have shown that the early stimulation which swimming provides helps to develop the child in three key areas: Physically, Mentally, and Emotionally. As compared with a control group who did not take year-round lessons, the children who swam consistently from infancy were found to be significantly stronger and more coordinated. Muscles developed in a process similar to physical therapy, enabling the children to excel at all physical activities, which was not limited to swimming. Emotionally, children who swam year-round were found to be more self disciplined, motivated, and self-confident due to the constant goal setting, learning, and achievement, that goes on during lessons.

One of the best things you can do for your child to insure his/her success and
good health is to teach them to eat properly and help them get “hooked” on exercise.
Year-Round Swim lessons are a great place to start. 

Habit formation - the importance of catching them young

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