Spoiler alert: This baby swimming video is disturbing. A Florida mom has been blasted online for teaching her 6-month-old baby how to swim in a "sink or swim" kind of method. The video shows Keri Morrison's daughter Josie falling into the pool and struggling to swim. My heart hurt after watching this and I started to think about how I would've reacted if this was my 6-month-old son. You have to watch the video for yourself.
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Dov, the man who shared this on Facebook, wrote the caption, "So hard to watch but every kid should learn this young!" I couldn't agree more. My 6-month-old son is taking swimming lessons and while he loves splashing and floating, he's not the biggest fan of being submerged in the water. Babies aren't natural born swimmers, but they can be taught to swim as young as six months. Infants do have a natural reflex called the bradycardic, which allows them to hold their breath and open their eyes under water.
That said, I would be more hands-on with my baby in the pool. It's one thing to have a tough love approach to teaching your baby how to swim, but there are so many things that could go wrong. Baby Josie could've swallowed too much water or hit her head against the stairs. However, I have to trust that her mother felt like she was making the best decision for her child.
In an interview, she told Today.com, "You're seeing a 6-month-old sitting on the steps playing, which can be a real life situation." She clearly doesn't see the big deal about the video and there may be another reason why. Reportedly, Keri lost a son to drowning back in 2013. I'm sure she wants to ensure that it doesn't happen a second time around.
Yes, it's hard to watch baby Josie finding her groove in the water, but she doesn't seem in danger. I say, judge on your own side of the pool.
Images via Dov/Facebook
