More a 'Who is being unreasonable?'....

[Amy0039]

I take DS to the public swimming baths every week, we use the main pool for the most part, as the toddler pool is too shallow to practice his swimming in. At the time we go, half of the main pool is set up for lane swimming (lengths) the other half is free use. Most weeks there are people doing lengths in the 'free' half of the pool, which I don't have a problem with in itsself, but when I'm teaching DS to swim by doing widths with him, I often cross their path. I try to scootch out of their way, but I don't always see them as I'm walking backwards dragging DS. It's not always an issue, but a woman doing this earlier was very rude in telling me to get out of her way, and this isn't the first time I've had this response.

AIBU to expect people to use the lanes if they wants to swim lengths uninterrupted? Or am I being unreasonable expecting her not to use the 'free' half of the pool?

He does enjoy the water or obviously I wouldn't take him. As I said, I wasn't asking for opinions on baby swimming lessons.

Dragging him under water sounds absolutely batshit crazy. And those are your words- you said you drag him, and then added you mean underwater.

I'm all for swimming lessons, that doesn't sound like any kind of baby swimming lesson I've ever seen.

The main bit of the pool is for doing what you like within reason. You should just try not to crash into anyone, which is awkward when it gets busy. I know some lengths swimmers don't like the lanes, but they need then to cooperate with the splashes and widths people. She shouldn't have been rude.

He does underwater swims in his lessons which is a controlled environment with a trained instructor, from a reputable and established swimming company. Babies can swim under water from birth on reflex; swimming from an early age stops them losing this reflex.

When I take him to the public pool we practice the skills they teach them above the surface of the water, which are geared towars building on the reflexes they're born with, and equipping them with the skills to save themselves if they ever fall into water. I don't take him under the water in the public pool.

For the third time, I REALLY wasn't seeking opinions of baby swimming lessons, I was seeking opinions what people deem to be reasonable in a public swimming pool.

I took DS to water babies for a while so have no issue with baby swimming lessons, he enjoyed them at that age. I don't think he needs to be doing widths though really at 20 weeks does he? I get that you don't want him to forget but he'll honestly just pick it up again after summer - I'd focus on the fun splashy bits for now, he'll build up just as much confidence - and practice the 'sitting on the side, falling in, turning round and grabbing on' stuff which, ultimately, is much more useful than swimming widths (which he's not going to be able to do for a while anyway). So whilst I think the woman absolutely shouldn't have been rude to you since you have as much right to be there as her, I can kind of imagine she might be thinking 'do you really need to be doing that in the adult pool?'

Thanks for getting what I was trying to say Daily :-) We do all sorts on the pool when we're there, not just widths to and fro the full time. He does love being in the swimming position though, he's all smiles and giggles getting pulled about, is arms are beginning to sync up with his legs, and he's starting to blow his own bubbles already, so it would be a shame to cut that bit out completely. As I said in a PP, I'll try going before the clinic rather than after next week to see if it's any quieter :-)

[snort]

P.S. Thanks for the reassurance he'll pick it up still after summer. We've obviously only done Chapter 1, so I've not experienced the break before. As you know if you've been, it's a lot to spend for it to be forgotten and wasted :-)

Amy post publicly, there's no need to send PMs.

If its a reflex, how does he risk forgetting it?

Is anyone else having visions of underwater Russian baby yoga?

Is anyone else having visions of underwater Russian baby yoga?

I am now!

Quite honestly I did water babies until he was about 1.5 years old and he wasn't able to swim at the end of it BUT that was fine by me because he was very happy and confident in the water (which I wouldn't have been at that age and I probably wouldn't have taken him to the pool regularly if it hadn't been for the lessons). So I wouldn't think of it as wasting your money if he forgets how to 'swim' because you're not really teaching him to swim yet if you see what I mean, you're teaching him confidence and fun and safety techniques. I put DS into swimming lessons again about 3 months ago (age 7) because he was very happy in the pool and could swim underwater (a la water babies) but had no idea how to keep going once he had to take a breath! Really, just enjoy him - 5 months is the golden baby age (all smiles but not able to crawl yet!)

Yes, you're being utterly absurd and entirely unreasonable. You're getting in everyone's way with a tiny baby that could just as easily "swim" in the designated children's pool.

I'd be annoyed because I would've want an obviously incontinent baby in the adult pool.

And is the water warm enough?

Wouldn't, not would've

This is seriously one crazy thread.

If she wants to swim uninterrupted Lengths use the lanes. End of. YANBU

I'm not sure on the lengths part of me says yanbu but I imagine the possibility of hitting a baby makes it m worse and anyone who did would feel terrible

Why on earth does he have to "swim" widths?

Tbh I was totally with you and thought it was just one of life's inconveniences for the other swimmer until you mentioned the babies age. I presumed he was about 5 and actually learning to swim for himself but at 5 months you could just be pulling up and down in a small area of the pool and staying out of the other swimmers way. That said we brought all of ours to swimming pools from very early on and I agree that it was superb from a water confidence point of view but they really don't learn to swim until they are much older.

OP you're bonkers!

Did you all get PMs about how rude you are too?

I taught my first to swim from a few weeks too. Well, less taught, more just enabled. I get the method and, fwiw, she was a great swimmer with loads of water confidence and we had a wonderful time at the pool several times a week for years. She snorkeled on the GBR in Oz age 3.5.

Length swimming is for in the lanes. The rest of the pool is for mucking about in, swimming widths, etc. Swimmers who do lengths outside of empty lanes are breaking swimming etiquette and can't complain, imo.

YANBU, the pool is for everyone to use and you can use the 'free' bit how you like.

I'd simply reply with "Excuse me but could you get out of my way."

Any further argument and I would say 'lengths lane swimming is over there."

Any fights, report to life guard.

I;d be tempted to say "Please don't be rude in front of my son." as well.

You could also report to life guard if it happens a lot. Surely teaching children to swim is one of the main reasons for public pools!

(Or in reality I might mumble sorry but really I want to say what I said above!)

"WipsGlitter* Re "Could you drag him up and down rather than across?" Unless she is pretty tall she would not be able to stand up in the deep end and non-swimmers (rightly) cannot go past a certain depth at some pools.

DeathStare if 'Free use is free use' then presumably walking backwards is free use too! People swim back stroke which means going backwards. but there is a separate but for lanes so swimming lengths in the free use park means the swimmer is being a bit selfish unless the lanes were really crowded. And they have no right to be rude to others doing 'free use'.

MargotsDevil 20 months isn't a tiny bay and lots of babies start swimming from 5 months, mine did.

The Op has clearly stated he cannot swim in the toddler pool. No one can, it is for paddling in. He is having swimming lessons. I doubt he knows he is having a swimming lesson, but he is. How can anyone object to a toddler learning to swim!

OP re "I didn't mean to come off as entitled" you ABSOLUTELY do not come off as entitled. Maybe some people do not know about baby swimming but whether they do or not a random person being rude to you in the pool is very nice. And you were totally in the right.

stiffstink "If its a reflex, how does he risk forgetting it?" because that is how it works, you have a 'time limit' to get things going or it is lost.

She's not getting in anyone's way!

You cannot swim in the toddlers pool, it is for standing up in (as a toddler) and not for swimming in. The Op has every right to use the pool so she is not getting in everyone's way. There is no 'right of way', except on lanes.

Babies who can swim enjoy the water, and are less likely to drown. I can't imagine how anyone cannot see that.

Wow, some very rude people here, if you don't understand baby swimming, fine but the OP has made it very clear what it is and having paid to use the pool has every right to do so.