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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask at which age you told your children how to swim?

113 replies

Flyingfish2019 · 19/02/2019 19:33

?

OP posts:
Didiplanthis · 19/02/2019 22:23

I tried to be all mumsnetty and took him to baby swimming which he hated and screamed every week. Have up tried again at 3 which he hated and screamed for weeks gave up again started again at 4.5 didn't scream so carried on. At 6 he still can't swim much at all. He enjoys it but the only record he will break is longest time spent in each level !! His big sister was confidently swimming lengths in 3 strokes at 5. He's happy and confident in the water so it'll come with time.

user1471426142 · 19/02/2019 22:24

Water babies from 12 weeks. My little one is 2 3/4 and is desperate to try and swim independently. I don’t think it’ll be long before she can do a width (albeit not very elegantly) but I can’t see her managing independent lessons at 3 so we’ll carry on with baby swimming for as long as we can. We would not have pushed her as hard as a proper teacher does if we had tried to teach her ourselves and I don’t think we’d have gone regularly enough. When you’re paying a lot for class, it is a pretty powerful incentive to go.

gt84 · 19/02/2019 22:25

I can’t swim, I have a fear of the water.
As a child I only had school lessons and was forced to put my head under water before being allowed out of the pool.
As a result I never took my children swimming but they both started lessons at about 4 years old when they didn’t need to have a parent in the pool with them (I was a single parent for 6 years)
I think if you have time and patience you could certainly teach them yourselves but you would have to keep going regularly, like on a weekly basis

MidniteScribbler · 19/02/2019 22:29

DS started swimming classes at 8 weeks, but during the warmer months was in our pool nearly every day. We now live five minutes from the beach and are there at least once per day, sometimes twice. He's part fish I think. All the kids around here are familiarised with the beach very early on, and whilst I still won't let DS swim without me, most of the local kids are hanging out on the beach alone from about 7/8 years of age.

DoJo · 19/02/2019 22:53

Yes I’m sure you can, if you know how to “teach” swimming. Do you know the terms used? Methods that help children? The steps needed to build on from the beginning? It’s not a matter of getting in the water and saying ok “ do this with your arms, kick your legs and don’t forget to breath” there’s a lot more to it! It’s little steps. And even if you do know how to swim it for mean you can teach it easily! Not trying to be negative or rude. I’m just stating facts.

They aren't really facts, though, just your opinion - plenty of others on here have taught their kids to swim (me included) without getting bogged down in 'terms'.

In the same way that I didn't 'teach' mine to walk, I haven't 'taught' them to swim, although I do think that going to the pool regularly and encouraging them to build up their confidence by trying different things in the water has contributed to it. I am a bit of a water baby though, so will happily spend a couple of hours at the pool (nearly 3 today in fact) which I think helps.

I am now showing my oldest different strokes at six, and his friend who has had lessons since she was 3.5 is still scared to put her face in the water, so it really does depend on the child as well as the teacher!

overjoyedmumma · 19/02/2019 22:58

You can definitely do it yourself IMO. My nephews were taught by my sister, by 3yo both swam really well. My stepdaughters were never taught (as my partner is wheelchair bound). Taught the two youngest ourselves with weekly swims, but the eldest is now 10 and we still haven’t managed to teach her to swim after 2 years, so will definitely have to get her lessons. Personally think it’s much easier if they’re water confident from a younger age.

SlipperyLizard · 19/02/2019 23:01

Our oldest had a term of lessons aged 4, but hated them (even though she loved going to the pool outside of lessons). We decided to teach them ourselves, thankfully DH is a patient man!

The biggest progress has come every year on holiday when we can go swimming every day.

Although I think kids should learn to swim, I disagree that it is a really important life skill. Let’s face it, most people who drown don’t drown because they can’t swim (ie they don’t accidentally fall into water and drown), they drown because they can swim, so go swimming and get into trouble once in the water (and that applies to “strong” swimmers too - cold water, tides etc can be incredibly dangerous no matter how strong you are).

NobodyKnowsTiddlyPom · 19/02/2019 23:15

My eldest did waterbabies from 3 months until 1 year but then they started messing our times around so we stopped. We went swimming a few times but I have three kids (4 years between eldest and youngest) and husband often away so I couldn't take them on my own. When she started swimming lessons at 4 at the local council pool, she was terrified and hated water near her face, took forever to be able to swim 25m - I think she was about 8 when she eventually did it. We switched to lessons at a private school after that, with much better instructors and much smaller groups. She flourished there and got her mile badge early last year, age 10. She completed stage 6 and then stopped lessons.

My other two started at age 4, also at the private school and the middle one got her mile badge last autumn, age 9. She completed Stage 7 and then stopped lessons. The youngest is age 7 and will be doing his 100m badge next week. He will complete Stage 4 at Easter.

Pimmsypimms · 19/02/2019 23:18

My ds is 6 and he's been having swimming lessons for about a year now.

Absolutelylocaltoyou · 19/02/2019 23:24

Mine learned with a swimming club, from age five but we took them from babies for fun and splash sessions.

PalmTree101 · 19/02/2019 23:25

From being babies just in the pool, and formal lessons from age 4/5

nanbread · 19/02/2019 23:42

DS 6 has been having lessons for a while but can't swim unaided yet. He can float but we suspect he's dyslexic/dyspraxic and struggles to get the strokes right.

Otterseatpuffinsdontthey · 19/02/2019 23:44

Q

TooManyPaws · 19/02/2019 23:51

Mum took me into the pool at three months old. I can't remember a time when I couldn't swim and so never had a fear of the water. I did have proper lessons but I can't remember when they started but I remember them at about six. We were always on and off ships and boats with Dad so it was essential to know how to swim.

Mum did say that she knew a nutter of a woman who really tested the instinctive swimming/diving reflex in babies by dropping all hers in the pool at a very young age. They all survived and got to the side somehow - I went to primary with them.

JaceLancs · 19/02/2019 23:54

Yes I taught both my DC to swim DD was proficient at 5 DS 6/7
I also taught them cooking, baking, cleaning, ironing etc
At 17 I supplemented their driving lessons by taking them out to practice every day
They both passed quickly first time
There are other things I’m crap at so wouldn’t dream of trying to teach them...........

tulippa · 20/02/2019 00:17

Wow - so many early swimmers on this thread! Shock I took 44 year 3 children (so 7 and 8 year olds) to swimming lessons in September and out of those 4 children could swim 25m confidently. The vast majority couldn't swim at all. This didn't surprise me.

I think my own DCs were both about 7 when they became competent swimmers after having lessons. Don't think I'd have been able to do it by myself (DS had a big fear of water and I hadn't had swimming teaching training then). They're both better than me now!

Witchend · 20/02/2019 00:45

Mine learnt in different ways.
Dd1 started swimming lesson at 4yo was swimming well and confidently by 4.6yo.

Dd2 didn't do swimming lessons, but suddenly swam a length aged 5yo in a hotel pool.

Da clung onto me for dear life until he had 1-2-1 swimming lessons aged 10yo then learnt to swim in about half an hour.

VanillaBlossom · 20/02/2019 01:09

To be honest I love swimming so they had no choice...they had a few lessons at school but have excelled through swimming with me since baby years really, it comes natural to them (good job as I'm not that sporty elsewhere! ) Although they are...very sporty (from their dad ..deffo)

shpoot · 20/02/2019 01:24

😂😂 to all the "I took them as a baby and they are ahead". Give over. Swimming is a skill everyone needs but by 10 years old you will never be able to pick out your PFB from the chaff

Stupomax · 20/02/2019 01:53

I never had a swimming lesson in my life but I grew up in the Mediterranean area and we'd swim every day all summer, so I'm a very strong swimmer.

My kids mostly learnt to swim the same way - by going to the lake or beach or pool most days in the summer. They were between 4 and 6 I'd say. TBH it's so long ago now I can't remember. They just stopped needing armbands.

MidniteScribbler · 20/02/2019 01:55

o all the "I took them as a baby and they are ahead".

Swimming was a vital skill to me as we had a pool in the backyard (and now live by the beach). When I take school classes to swimming, you can tell the difference between those that started as a baby and those that have had very few lessons. It may not make a difference when it comes to Olympic medals, but it certainly makes a difference with water confidence in the younger years.

AcrossthePond55 · 20/02/2019 02:00

I learnt at 3, taught by my uncle who was a certified swim instructor. Both my children were confident swimmers by 5, a combination of lessons and lots of time in the water with us and various family members working informally on technique and confidence. We lived in a 'year round swimming' climate.

Yes, I think it's quite possible to teach your own children to swim as long as you and DH are confident swimmers yourselves AND very patient. But I suggest you do research into how to do it correctly.

HoppingPavlova · 20/02/2019 02:02

I think you can teach kids yourself but it’s a really bad idea unless you are a qualified instructor or competitive swimmer.

Basically you can teach your kid and they will make it from one end of the pool to the other but generally they have appalling technique which means they tire quickly. Once they learn with a bad technique it’s really hard for a professional to correct it so I think most parents who do this are doing their kids a real disservice. I think it’s grest parents take the kids in the water from a young age as it adds to water confidence but leave the actual skills and proficiency to a qualified professional or someone who knows what they are doing (which is not your average parent unless they are an ex-Olympian or similar). And for those that do try and teach their kids and use floatation devices ........

Juanbablo · 20/02/2019 02:04

Ds1 could swim well by about age 7. Dd is almost 9 and can barely swim but is getting there. Ds2 is almost 5 and making progress.

BrizzleMint · 20/02/2019 03:00

Both started at 6 weeks old.