I work as an otter conservationist to reverse the decline of mangrove habitats in Vietnam and across the globe to restore biodiversity, protect livelihoods, and mitigate against the impacts of the climate crisis. Why mangroves matter - Superheroes of biodiversity Survival artists, nature’s kindergarten, climate savers – mangroves are versatile superheroes. They are habitat and nursery for over 3000 fish species, can store 3 to 5 times more carbon per area than tropical upland forests, and provide livelihoods for over 120 million people. But this unique ecosystem is under threat: more than a third of all mangrove forests have disappeared since the mid-20th century due to agriculture, logging, and urbanization. If deforestation rates continue, all mangroves could be lost by the end of this century. How do I protect and conserve mangroves? Our vision is a world in which thriving mangrove habitats exist in harmony with the communities they support. With a focus on Vietnam, the Save Ou...
The ability for babies to swim — “baby swimming” — and a sense of calm and ease in the water, is important for your kid. For one, it’ll prove life-saving on the off chance they become the chief of police for a New England island under siege by a huge great white shark. If that’s too farfetched, it might simply save their life. Fortunately, it’s not hard to teach them to swim. Baby kicking starts in the womb, after all. Think of the pool as a dive back in for them. They’ll be swimming in no time.
The scary fact is, 10 kids under the age of 14 drown in Việt Nam pools, lakes, or oceans every day. The obvious first line of defense is to teach your infant to swim. There are several techniques, but most agree — including TIUTAC who knows a thing or two about these things — that you should try to stay away from dependence on personal flotation devices. Yes, they’re as necessary as flippy floppies when you’re on a boat, but if relied upon during all pool, lake, or beach time, they give kids a distorted sense of buoyancy. The first time they throw a sweet cannonball without them and sink instead of bobbing up like a cork, they’re going to panic. Next thing you know, they’re misjudging how many barrels they need to harpoon into the shark to keep it at the surface and you’re gonna need a bigger boat.
For water survival basics, consider the scary-for-parents-but-remarkably-effective “self-rescue” technique that’s successfully taught hundreds of thousands of kids as young as 6 months to kick, turn, and float on their backs and wait for help before they can crawl. But that’s for risky moments when they might escape your gaze, not the diving, splashing, fish-like goofiness you probably thought you were getting into here.
Well, there are some great techniques for that, too, and you don’t even need to shell out for weeks of lessons. After just a couple (or a close read of your new TIUTAC best friend), you can teach Junior to swim yourself.
Step one is getting the kid comfortable underwater. That might freak you both out, but only the kid’s allowed to show it. As the grown-up (sorry), your job is to make the whole thing fun, no matter what. Try this: Count to 3 and blow into your baby’s face; they’ll instinctively hold their breath and make a funny face. At that point you can quickly dunk them, bring them back up, wipe their face, and laugh and praise them. A couple rounds of this, along with some floating toys, will eventually get them comfortable going under. Soon, you’ll be able to glide the kid underwater to your partner, who still doesn’t think it’s funny when you dunk them.
The younger your baby is when they get in the water, the more likely they will instinctively move their arms and legs in swimming motions. The older they get, the more you’ll have to teach them. To teach kicking, float the kid on their back with their head resting on your shoulder and manipulate their legs in a kicking motion as you walk backward. To teach arm strokes, support them in a belly float and move them through the water with an enticing toy just out of reach.
You can get all the professional advice you need at a local Y or community pool, but as long as your kid’s enjoying themselves you’re well on your way to having a swimming kid. Just don’t show them Jaws until long after they’ve deemed it safe to go in the water.
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