s/o Swim Lessons - When did you start them?

[vtdiamond]

Swim lessons at the YMCA by us start offering parent/child lessons at 6 months old.  I'm wondering when you all started doing lessons with your kids.  Is it worth it to start younger at ~6 months, or better to wait until they are a little older?

[Deleted]

I think it's fine to start earlier but I don't think they will learn to actually swim any earlier if that make sense. I think it's more familiarity with the Water.

We started J at 2 and will probably start the girls around 15/18 mos. Again, I still think of this as familiarity with the water.

J's classes have involved lots of singing songs, going down the slide, and working on floating on back, kicking legs on a paddle board etc.

[ginkgoleaf]

We did lessons through the park district, so just s couple weeks long, when DS was 1.5 and 2.5yo. Those were really just to have fun in the water and get comfortable in the pool. We started "real" swim lessons at a swim school at 3.5. At this place the kids are in the water with the teacher, no parents, starting at 3. That's really when he started to get it. He's almost 4 and can swim about 10 feet on his own now.

[karinothing]

We started at 6 months but that was just playing. Now at 3.5 we are about to start real lessons with no parents in the water.

[Deleted]

We're probably starting at the end of April. DD will be a few days shy of 8mo.

[jeaniebueller]

I started them at 3, but he didn't really get the idea of what was going on until he was more like 4 or 5. With DD, we will hold off until 4.

[sunshine608]

7 months like pps for fun and they teach survival techniques.

[arch01]

Parent/child lessons are more for introduction to basic water skills and to teach parents how to be comfortable with squirmy kids in the water and to know what to encourage them to do.

Ages 3+ is for learning how to actually swim.

Depending on your comfort level with a young child in a pool and how regularly you have access to a pool-it may make sense to start now, it may make sense to start later. IMO save the $$ and spend the time playing in the pool for now.

[Deleted]

We are starting next month at 3. I didn't want to do parent participation and teach him things I could do on my own. He floats on his back with little assistance goes u see makes the arm motions knows how to monkey along the wall and climb in and out on his own.

[tigress]

I didn't want to do parent/child classes. We would go swimming every once in a while to introduce to water, but no classes.

We started formal lessons at 3.

[Velar Fricative]

No formal lessons yet at almost 18 months but we plan to start soon. Before now she would just be taken into the pool by DH to play and he would "teach" her some basic swim techniques, starting at around 7 months.

[hocus2]

I tried baby lessons with both kids but didn't find it worthwhile. Both kids started regular lessons at 3.

[booboo173]

I started them at 6 months because it was a fun activity for us to do as a family. However I was not a fan of the way the lessons had been run. I was a past teacher of parent and child lessons and was expecting it to be lots of songs and play but the instructors were really pushing skill, expecting my 6 mo old to hold on to the wall and kept trying to take him from me to swim with them even if he was crying. So we stopped going and I am going to look into the y instead. It's more expensive but the classes are better run

[ssmjlm]

We started when she was around 9m. It was more for water introduction since we spend a lot of time around/in the water.

She really loves it now at almost 2. Around 2.5 they start the no parent lessons if the kids seem ready.

[carolinagirl831]

We started it at 13 months, more of a fun activity and to get used to the water. That was in April last year and we have a neighborhood pool we go to all summer. It was nice because DD wasn't afraid to put her face the water, she knew how to jump off the side and climb back up, blow bubbles, ect, get used to floating on her back.

We just started them again so she can get used to it before summer again.

I think if you wait to long, alot of kids end up afraid, growing up we always knew how to swim even at 3, and i think it was from swimming since we were babies.

[jene]

6 months, we thought it would be fun and get him used to the water. He loved it, we're taking a break this summer, but will definitely pick it up again in the fall

[boxerdog]

I plan on doing them this summer, he will be 13-14 months. Just for fun and to get familiar with the water.

[leonard131]

Started swimming when he was 8-9 months. Lessons started the following year - so about 21 months.

[aspentosh]

We did swim lessons starting around 3. I wish we'd started at 2 because I think she would have had more fun last summer in the pool.

That being said, the lessons are her and H in the pool and she is just learning how to kick her legs, and how to float, etc. It's not a true swim lesson at that age.

[wonderfezz]

Earlier the better. We started around 7 months.

[ilikedonuts]

A 2, DD1 did couple months of a parent/child at a swim school and then shetested into a no parent class a couple months later. She has been taking lessons without us since then and has been able to actually swim (ie: swim distance, roll over to take a break, can tread water for short periods, jump it and swim to the wall or jump in and float, etc) since right before she turned 3. Her new level now has her working towards actual strokes.

DD2 started in January at 14 months in parent/child and we're thinking she'll test into the no parent class in the next couple of months.


BUT there are kids a few months younger then DD1 that started at the same time as us and they basically still can't do much almost 18 months later. I think it really just depends on the kid. My girls LOVE the water and always have.

[laurenh]

We started at 6 months with DD1 and intend to do the same with these girls. It could be a fluke but DD1 is completely comfortable in the water, which was our goal for now. We'll do real lessons when she's old enough but I'm hoping this will help her avoid any fear of the water.

[jssymom14]

I have done two rounds of swim lessons at 13 months and 22 months. The first set were pretty useless. It was taught by a high school student and geared more towards the upper age range of the class (3 years). The second class was very informative with a teacher that was concerned about safety in water as well as basic skills. I enjoyed doing it with DD and am planning on taking classes again this summer (the same set).

[kittycatlove]

We tried lessons at 2.5 and he only did a couple and wasn't having it. We're going to try them again this summer and he will be 4.

We go to the pool a lot in the summers so I think it's really important for him to learn. Hopefully he will be more comfortable this year.

[Deleted]

We started lessons at 3 years old.

I took them to the pool from a few months onward, I just prefer to do my "mommy and me" classes with my clothes on.

[aqualuv]

I'm looking to sign up for them now and he will be 8 months old on Saturday. We have access to a pool so I want him to be comfortable in the water I'm not expecting him to actually learn how to swim until he's older.

[undecidedowl]

We started taking them to the pool to play and be comfortable with the water around 5 months old. We make a point to go semi-frequently. As far as actual lessons, DS1 will start when he is potty trained.

Actually, DS1 is able to take lessons during daycare as long as he is potty trained. I am trying to decide how comfortable I am with him doing this while I am not there. I know lots of the kids do it but the stories I have heard here make me nervous.

[ryry]

We started both girls at 8 months or so and it was a disaster both times We've only done one parent/kid session with DD2, but we did a few with DD1, and it was not fun. She loved the water (they both do) but they both just clung to us for dear life. When DD1 was able to start classes on her own, it started going really well and I think we'll just wait on DD2 doing the same. DD1 has been taking classes on her own for about a year now at the Y and has so much fun and is progressing well.

[magpie]

we tried last summer around 9 months as a fun activity. We got a dud teacher (he seriously didn't even know the words to "Ring Around the Rosey") and didn't go back for any lessons after the first couple. We have a pool, so we just splashed around in there all summer on our own. I think we'll probably just do that again this summer.

This brings up a question I've had though. At what age do swim lessons become more than just "getting used to the water"? What sort of activities do they teach at age 1, 2 or 3?

[ilovebacon]

DD Started swimming lessons at 7.5 months - just because we didn't know she could start at 6! She's 9 months now, but I really think she's done well with them. I'm not saying she's learning a lot, but I think she's more comfortable in the water. She doesn't freak out when she goes under. I plan to do the initial class again (so she can learn a little bit more of the basics...holding breath/fat face, etc) but I'm really glad we started her early.

It also helps us not stay home alllll the time. It's nice to meet people - we're kind of hermits.