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?

I find the quietest time in both my local pool and the one near where I work is lunchtime. It's packed first thing with people swimming before they go to work and they are all definitely lane swimmers.

Jeebus people are shouty on this thread.

No - YANBU OP. We take our 6 month old swimming as he loves it. Not to lessons yet - but keeping up the underwater reflexes etc. He started when he was 4 months. Brilliant fun.

Marked lanes for swimming seriously, other area for fun.

Added joy that he sleeps really well afterwards!

Of course it's ok to swim widths in the free area of a public pool. Older kids who are learning to swim will be doing this all the time (and often don't pay attention to who they're crashing in to). This woman was being ridiculous, especially if there were lanes free.

We do baby swimming lessons, and it's been one of my favourite things to do with my (now toddler) daughter. Obviously it's important that water awareness and safety are taught along with swimming skills.

I don't think a 20 week old baby really needs to be doing widths in a public swimming pool. The OP has already said that she doesn't pay attention to what others are doing (aka: everyone should move out of my way because I procreated).

"Free" means that people can do what they want. You could have teenagers rough housing, or adults doing aqua aerobics, or someone wanting to do laps. Or someone wanting to drag a 20 week old baby back and forth across a pool. What that means is that everyone has to be considerate of each other, pay attention to their surroundings. And if you've got a 20 week old baby in there, then you make sure to keep them safe by watching what other people are doing.

YANBU. Free swim is free swim and it doesn't matter how old your baby is. Territorial swimmers in public pools are ridiculous. Please don't let this woman, or people like her, stop you going!

She was rude and unfair, and should be using lanes for lane swimming - so SIBU, but a half length would be fine and save you the aggro, so you are maybe a tiny but U too.

DD is 20 months (as in, a toddler, not a tiny baby) and we do the same style of her "swimming" while I go backwards and support her. It's perfectly possible in the toddler pool, I sit on my bum and scootch backwards, and when it gets too deep to sit, just keep my legs bent.

Insisting on using the free swim pool for a 20 week old infant does seem pretty mad to me, although using it for lengths is equally odd.

eatsleephockeyrepeat great post about how the OP is NOT being unreasonable.