A video showing a six-month-old baby girl falling into a pool then turning to float on her back is going viral, getting thousands of shares and comments on Facebook.
The video is mean tot show the benefits of self-rescue swimming lessons, but some people criticized the parent, saying it's cruel to do this to a child.
But a local Infant Swim Resource Instructor and a family told Fox 4 it's not cruel, it's responsible.
"She loves being in the water now," Adrian Allen said.
His 8.5-month-old daughter has been taking self-rescue swim classes, and is able to be submerged underwater, find the surface, and float safely.
"For us being first responders, running calls and having heard about calls of children in pools, it's a really important issue, and it's teaching her a life-long skill and possibly saving her life," Allen said.
He and his wife Anne are speaking out in favor of the swimming lessons after the viral video got some negative feedback.
Comments on the Facebook video read "A baby has zero reason to learn anything about the water at that age."
Another comment said "I can't watch this... this woman is crazy!"
"This is cruel," another said.
"It was not something done where it was just a random 'Let's try and see what she can do!' She was very fully skilled. She had great breath control," Infant Swim Resource Instructor Kathy Cole said.
Cole said the little girl in the video was trained to do this over a four week period. That baby's mother lost a child to drowning and is now passionate about teaching kids to self-rescue.
"She believes that if he were to have done ISR lessons, he would have been able to save himself. So that's why she's enrolled both of her children in this program," Cole said.
"It's a responsible thing. It's not a torturous thing, and clearly she's happy as a clam!" Anne Allen said.
Cole said the self-rescue technique is a last resort and parents should always keep an eye on kids and keep pool fences up.
To find an instructor in your area, click here.
