Child abuse or a good learning experience?

Question

http://www.wimp.com/floatingbaby/

I was told this is a well known teaching method for tots.

Answer 1

Teaching a baby to float is a good thing.  Throwing a screaming terrified baby into a pool is abuse.

Answer 2

Oh my GOD.  That was the worst thing I have ever saw in my life.  If I knew those people I would be calling the police with the video because that is child endangerment.  That poor kid was terrified and in the time it took her to get in the pool leaves her child open for dry drowning later if not right then and there.  Those people are crazy and sick and need to be educated.  Oh my GOD something needs to be done to stop that ****.

Answer 3

that was not a "learning experience", that was a demonstration of learned skill.  the baby had already been trained.

as for not throwing a screaming, frightened child into water, how many drowning children are calm and smiling?  the point is to teach them skills that will over-ride the terror and allow them to help themselves instead of succumbing to panic.

ALL babies - ALL babies should be taught this skill.  fine, not everybody has a pool or a lake but everybody has a bathtub and a toilet.

Answer 4

I think it's absolutely vital for young children to be taught these survival skills...however, I think throwing the child into the pool when he/she was obviously distraught was not right.  It hurt my heart to watch this video.

What's wrong with being in the water with the child and moving away?  I don't get it.

Answer 5

i think thats kinda cruel.

but i suppose so long as the baby didnt drown (which with the mother in the pool it wouldnt) its not harmful...

i still wouldnt do it though, its abit harsh for my liking.

plus...its probably illegal...you shouldnt be ableto push a poor baby in a pool liek that...the look on its face was heartbreaking.

Answer 6

It is very disturbing, but if that was a real life situation I would be very glad he knew how to do that!

Answer 7

I don't think I could do it to my own child, I'm not tough enuf for that but I can see the benefits...that child won't drown if it falls in water.  But, I made sure my kids weren't in danger of being unsupervised near water too.  If u had a pool maybe it would be a good idea.  I just want to cuddle the baby!

Answer 8

THAT IS DISGUSTING.... THAT CHILD WAS UNDERWATER TOO LONG AND SCREAMING BY THE TIME THEY DID THAT TOO HIM... I HOPE THOSE PARENTS END UP IN PRISON AND YES THAT IS CHILD ABUSE...

Answer 9

To me that is so cruel!! A baby can easily drown in a few inches of water and the woman wasn't even close enough to be able to save it. I will definatly not be doing this to my children!!!

Answer 10

Well known?  That's abuse, and horrible!  Did you see the baby's terrified face?  She/he even knew what came next and definitely did not want it.

It's a well known teaching method for perpetrators.

Answer 11

To watch the videos where the babies are floating on their  back was cute and neat but the one you showed is very disturbing. That baby was terrified. No way I could watch my baby screaming in fear and just watch. I would say that was abuse.

Answer 12

I don't think all toddlers need to be trained to float, unless they have a pool at their home. Then I would think this would be necessary and life saving. I know the baby probably hated being thrown in that pool, but it could potentially save his life. Hope this helps.

Answer 13

Ok the way they do it is just wrong the video of the previous poster is the way they should learn.

Answer 14

Not child abuse at all. Google 'Infant Swim Resource' for more information.

We did this with my niece starting at 2 months. There is never an excuse for a baby drowning while supervised, and this also will allow time if they slip from your view and you can't get to them. The babies are taught to float for at least 5 minutes, fully clothed, so basically adding minimum of 5 minutes to there life if they fall into water because they know not to stay face down, and how to relax instead of panic.

Answer 15

Seems sad and scary, but if you have a child and a pool, I'd rather have him learn to float that way rather than to find him floating face down.  Seems a bit extreme, and I wouldn't call it a 'learning experience', but might be a necessary evil if you're having trouble teaching your child to swim and you have a pool.

Answer 16

That video is disturbing. No mother wants to see it. My heart just broke. BUT it is NOT child abuse, not even close.

No one knows what the mother was actually feeling. She could have just been putting on an act for the child but could still have been terrified on the inside.

I was always told that to teach a baby to swim, just throw them in . Except i didn't think they meant it so literally.

I myself, don't agree with that method, but coming from someone who doesn't know how to swim, maybe its a good method, no matter how horrible it looks.

But i wouldn't do it myself. We were at the pool lastweek with my 20 month old, i was in the pool, but like i said i don't know how to swim and am terrified of going under water. My hubby left my 20 month old standing on the edge with me (i'm in the pool already) and went to the other side of the pool to relax. I was TERRIFIED. Not for me of course, but for her. I kept on telling him to come back, but his response, "She'll be fine, if she falls in just catch her" . Meanwhile she's running down the pool and i couldn't catch up. I almost had a heart attack, thankfully she never fell in. (i probably over reacted cause she did have a life jacket on , lol, but just the thought of her getting so upset and scared, made me feel just horrible)

Sorry for the long answer, but it may be a method that a lot of pple do, but i would NEVER do it. If my husband ever wants to do that with my daughter or my son after he is born and old enough, id have to walk away, far away.

Answer 17

that is horrible and disgusting. That child was terrified. What about buying a net to put around your pool so he doesn't just fall in.

I would beat the c**p out of parents like this, just to gladly protect the children. I  cannot believe that someone would willingly scare their child and emotionally damage them like this. This just pisses me off.

And carriehas5, it is child abuse when a child is terrified and screaming like that because he knows what will happen and he doesn't want to do it. That is emotionally damaging, and how can he ever learn to trust his parents if they would willingly throw their baby in the water just to show off for friends? Yes it is good that he knows how to do it, but to show it off when it obviously terrifies him? Just for a few laughs? If he was wanted to do it, and jumped in himself then fine, but HIS MOTHER threw him in. Yes that is child abuse.

Carrie, I can see what you mean about the car seat thing, but most babies I know hate the car seat because they don't want to be strapped down. I can also see how this is beneficial for a child. But in this one case that was child abuse. And I am sure you can agree with me on that one. If not then we see two different sides. :)

Answer 18

It's a great thing!  It's definitely NOT illegal  (laugh).

We make our children use seat belts don't we?  I think it's a very great idea for parents to teach their children to float.  If I had a baby, I would travel to the nearest school which is 300 miles away!

**********************ADDED***********...

The video you posted is a bit disturbing because the mom seems as though she doesn't care that her child is crying.  If I hadn't already known about this, I wouldn't have like that video either.

>>>>>>>>>>>WATCH THIS VIDEO TO UNDERSTAND MORE>>>

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/757673/ama...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~EDIT~~~~~~~~~~

Going crazy...I see your point although I do not agree.  If my child screams and hollers about going his car seat, is it child abuse if I MAKE him buckle up?   It's the same concept.

The mom on the aksers video obviously was taking it a bit too far.  If you watch the video I linked, , you'll see a better story.

******* I agree that throwing in the child while he screams and cries is WRONG.  But I don't change my view that the whole idea itself is not wrong.

Answer 19

I would never throw a baby into a pool like that!

Thats sick!

If I was going to teach my baby to swim, I would be in the pool with him with my arms under him. Not freaking throw him into a pool and make him teach himself how to float! People these days!!

Answer 20

That's terrible... It's known to work, but I would consider starting classes or with floaties or something... because it is pretty dangerous too. Have you ever heard of "dry drowning" or "secondary drowning". If you take in too much water a few hours later you could actually drown if it gets intto your lungs, it's happened to someone my dad knew.

Answer 21

OMG what the h**l!  That is beyond child abuse.  She put that child in danger!  I couldn't watch the whole video.

Answer 22

Well that made me sick to my stomach. That child was so calm because it was traumatized! These children will have problems later in life because of this. That was torture!!!

Have you ever heard of secondary drowning??? They need to be educated. Children can die later on in the evening from getting too much water in their lungs. This just happened to a kid not too long ago, it was on the news.