I'm interested in starting swimming lessons soonish for DD. The earliest age classes start at 6 month around here. I'd love to start early so she's comfortable in the water -- we have a pool at FIL's house, and DH also enjoys fishing and boating so we are around water often.
Has anyone started their LO swimming before a year old? Tell me about your experiences.
I did swimming lessons as well as mom and baby Aquafit at a local indoor pool starting around 6 months. The pool is mainly intended as a therapy pool for people with disabilities and is kept quite warm. All the babies in the Aquafit class loved it (you put them in a little floatie and push them around the pool with you) and I'd say probably 3/4 liked the lessons. Looking for a warmer pool is key, even at around 2 years old we started going to the regular pool and DD would be shivering and blue lipped and couldn't last too long.
Post by winecheery on Dec 28, 2015 23:21:47 GMT -5
We started at 5 months. Loved it. Took a break for summer vacations and what not, then continued to practice on our own with what we learned from the school at the local YMCA and on vacations, etc. Now that she's old enough for the next level, DH wants to start her up again. But it definitely helped her get comfortable with the water and she loves "swimming" as a result.
Post by imojoebunny on Dec 28, 2015 23:30:28 GMT -5
We did not do it, but we have good friends (spending New Years weekend with then for the 14th time) who have pool, and they did. Their daughter could swim across the pool at 18 months. It is not easy and requires a lot of time, many, short lessons. One of my friends growing up teaches these type of intense lessons and they are expensive, but worth it for families with a lot of water exposure.
My mom swears we learned to swim at 9 to 12 months. I never remember learning. We spent a lot of time around water, and she was terrified we would drown, so she taught us early. By swim, I think she means flip and float, but I really never remember learning to swim at all, even different strokes, so maybe we really could swim to the side at 12 months.
Post by scribellesam on Dec 28, 2015 23:57:30 GMT -5
I tried it but as a shy introvert, I found that I preferred to dance around in the water and sing silly songs to my baby on my own. Any time you spend with a baby in the water is basically a swim lesson, right?
We started when DS was around 10 months. I had considered ISR, and discussed on the board, but decided against it in favor of regular swim lessons.
We are in a parent-tot class at a private pool that is kept at 90* year-round. After 6 months of lessons, I don't think he's a whole lot closer to actually swimming, but he is comfortable in the water and is working on rescue skills. He can hold his breath under water, creep along the edge of the pool, climb out at the stairs, and is working on back-floating. I imagine that we'll move him up to the real 1:1 lessons by the time he's 2.
Whether you're taking lessons or just getting in the pool on your own, the younger the better, IMO. The kids that start in his class before 18 months seem to have a much easier time than the kids who are 1.5-2.5ish.
We started at a few months old at our local Y with an outdoor pool. I'd watched my nephews infant and toddler swim lessons at a different YMCA and they were great. However, I found out that our Y was really crappy (in every organized sport and activity we tried)and I did not care for their methods or instructors, so we only did one short series of sessions there. They weren't very enthusiastic and would instruct people to put their babies under water without saying it was optional or taking the time to teach them the proper method the first time, which led to very unhappy babies who were afraid of the water. A few months later I took DS to a private swim school recommended by a friend and it was so much better! The indoor pool was much warmer, too.
Post by sillygoosegirl on Dec 29, 2015 0:39:52 GMT -5
Started at 11 months. She cried the whole first session, wouldn't sit down in the bathtub for most of a week after, and cried a good bit of the second session, but by the 3rd time she loved it. Now (13 months) she tries to swim in the bathtub.
I find the baby and me swim classes kind of boring. We're going to try to rearrange the schedule so DH can start taking her, because he used to take her and liked it. And, obviously, she likes it.
We started at 7 months. It's fun and a good activity for us to do together. We sing and play with toys. Activities are designed to be fun and teach skills like face in the water, hold onto the side of the pool, climb out, etc. It's pricey but in a nice warm indoor pool. We plan on continuing! I've seen growth in my son since we started and he doesn't mind the water or being dunked one bit.
Unless you're not comfortable with a young child in the water or you really just love singing songs and want the social aspect of it, save your money and just go and play. If you don't have access to a pool without doing lessons, then go for it. Really though, it doesn't do much for a child outside of exposure to the water at that age.
We did it from 3-5 months and then stopped because he started wanting a short evening nap that interfered with the lesson time. We are starting again in January (9.5 months). I am confused about the logistics of getting dressed afterward since we no longer use a bucket seat and he is insanely mobile. What do I do with him?!
Post by bananapancakes on Dec 29, 2015 7:49:56 GMT -5
We did a parent and tot class starting at 6 months. He vacillated between indifferent and miserable. Our teacher was lame (think bored 16 year old who was bitter she was assigned to the Saturday morning 8:00am class) and I didn't really enjoy it either. We took a break and went back at 15 months at a new centre with an enthusiastic teacher and we both really enjoyed it. It's not really swimming lessons though. Much more singing and dancing in the water.
krystee, that was the hardest age. I'd bring a container of puffs or Cheerios and he'd sit on the bench and eat while I got ready. Books helped sometimes too. To make the process easier, I'd forgo a bra and underwear and wear slip on shoes (Toms or Uggs) with no socks so all I had to do was take the bathing suit off, throw on a pair of yoga pants, a shirt and a jacket and I was good to go. Same with him. Easy on off clothes and slippers.
We did it from 3-5 months and then stopped because he started wanting a short evening nap that interfered with the lesson time. We are starting again in January (9.5 months). I am confused about the logistics of getting dressed afterward since we no longer use a bucket seat and he is insanely mobile. What do I do with him?!
I always brought a stroller in and left it in the locker room.
I don't think the class did much for us, just more for something to do. We haven't done it with Dd2 and will likely wait for an immersion type class when she's older.
Post by ilikedonuts on Dec 29, 2015 8:20:00 GMT -5
We did an 8 week class when DD1 was 15 months at a local community center. It was pretty pointless. Then we started at a swim school at 23 months. DD2 started there at 15 months. My kids got a lot more out of it at the later ages. DD2 moved to a no parent class at 18 months. DD1 moved at 25 months.
Our baby swim class at the YMCA is just okay. It's the same every week so we do it for one session every fall and then we all, including DD, get bored. I think we'll look at the local Goldfish swim school for next summer or fall.
There's a swim school here that offers free lessons for 2-4 month olds. We did it for a few weeks, but it was a pain and DD didn't care for it; she basically screamed the entire time. I think the water was also irritating her skin. She didn't really like the water until this summer when she was 17ish months.
DD1 started around 9 months; the class was mainly just getting her used to being in the water (lying on her back, getting her face wet, etc). Honestly, you could probably get the same results by taking your DD to the pool yourself on a semi-regular basis.
Post by thebreakfastclub on Dec 29, 2015 8:33:41 GMT -5
Do it if you feel like it.
DS loved it at 8m, but when summer rolled around 8m later, he was nervous in the water all over again. And this past summer, he had to get used to the pool yet again.
We started at 4 months. Honestly, we found it a huge pain to get her changed, wrangle with her in the locker room etc just for 25 mins and I really don't think she got a lot out of it but we persevered.
We live in Canada though and it was absolutely hell in the winter having to bundle her up afterwards. Much easier in the summer when we could wear flip flops and be in and out much quicker.
BIL and SIL did in their own pool. Niece had her first case of swimmers ear at 6 weeks. They kept DD #2 out of the water until she was 12 months old. DD #2 was the one who swam competitively.
Our baby swim class at the YMCA is just okay. It's the same every week so we do it for one session every fall and then we all, including DD, get bored. I think we'll look at the local Goldfish swim school for next summer or fall.
We've been at Goldfish for over 2 years and are really happy!
Post by steamboat185 on Dec 29, 2015 9:52:25 GMT -5
We did it when DD was 8 months and again recently with a slightly different class at 2.5. I don't think it was worth it at 8 months and would probably just take her swimming to introduce the water. At 2.5 she learned something and enjoyed being around the other kids, but she wanted to play in the splash park section of the pool the entire class.
We started at about 15 months, and are about to do another session at 21 months. Our Y offers two months of weekly classes for $30, which is a steal. And if we can't make a few lessons, it's NBD.
Yes, the lessons get repetitive. It's a lot of games and songs, but the goal is to get the kiddo used to the water, get some exercise, tire him out so he sleeps well, and break up the monotony of our weekend routine. Also, there isn't much else to do for exercise here in the winter because it's too damn cold to go to the playground.
We did some pool on our own and our daughter did fine. At three, she started to be scared of the water, so we enrolled her in swim lessons. She got over her fear but didn't have the coordination to swim on her own. We stopped lessons and plan to start them again now that she is older.
Both my kids take lessons year round (They are 6 and 4) We tried a mommy and me with both kids. My daughter was indifferent and I hated it because of the logistics of dealing with changing and such my son refused to participate.
If you enjoy it then go for it, but for the most part "baby" swim classes don't impact kids ability to swim at all. 3 is usually the earliest you can start traditional swim classes. My daughter swims pretty well for a 6 year old and my son is coming along. We could have probably start him in lessons at 5 and he'd be fine.
FWIW our dance studio also starts at 3. I think there is a lot of developmental stuff that happens right before that that allows kids to listen and really follow instructions and get something out of lessons.
I think I started around a year old, maybe 12-15 months.
I used to teach swim lessons and had the babies. I had as young as 6 months in the pool with me. This is all parent/infant classes so age didn't really matter. It has been a long time since I taught, so I can't remember when any of this happened but I would do splashes in the water so that the babies would get water in their face, make a motor boat sound on the surface of the water, have the parent (or me as they were older and no parents in water)hold their head and them lay/kick feet while on their backs. Older still was them holding onto the edge of the pool and kicking.
As long as you have a good instructor, the experience will be good. Getting them in the water that young is to get used to being around water and getting water in your face. I realize water safety is a survival method where I live, but I really believe that starting kids to be safe and comfortable in water is important.