A video on YouTube of a 16-month-old toddler swimming alone has gone viral after some people criticized the parents and some appreciated them for their efforts.
Parents of 16-month-old Elizabeth posted a video on YouTube of her swimming alone in a pool without any lifeguards around or flotation devices but under the watchful eyes of her parents. The 71-seconds video uploaded August last year went viral and has sparked controversy.
Baby Elizabeth paddles across the entire length of the pool using her hands and legs facing downwards and rolls over on her back to grab air.
Adam Christensen defended the video clip by explaining to the media that his daughter was trained by a certified professional. "When I first watched her in there, every time she went face down I was like 'oh my goodness, she can't breathe.' I was just worried to death, but the instructor assured us that she was just fine," he told CNN news. "We didn't teach her ourselves. We wanted a professional, somebody that was certified to do that, but we still are able to recognize warning signs, when they're fatigued."
Christensen also wrote in the description of the YouTube video that he is a registered nurse trained in CPR and water safety along with his wife, who is a former life guard. He noted that Elizabeth was trained by an ISR (infant swimming resource) instructor.
In the video, Elizabeth's mother is heard encouraging her little one and is surprised that she is able to swim all the way across to the pool by herself. Her parents insist that they never let their daughter out of sight and were prepared to dive in at any sign of distress.
The 16-month-old paddling her way to the other side of the pool was quite astonishing but Christensen noted in the video description that "she didn't turn around and come back to me. This was her first time she didn't come back to me :)"
Christensen said her daughter swims thrice a day and is familiar with picking up toys by diving into the pool.
