None of them had arm bands on

[Pooskidsonthefrock]

We live abroad (originally from U.K.) went to a local swimming pool at a country club today, took Dd, 4 into the shallow pool with arm bands on.
A few British families there, all the children without arm bands, floats etc, some younger than Dd, most around age 4 too.
It made me feel a bit crappy that she can’t swim properly yet, I never realised so many kids her age can.
She had lessons when a baby, but then covid hit, my friends kids (her friends) can’t swim yet, am I missing something?

It's getting less common for armbands to be used in swimming lessons here now. When DD started swimming lessons at 4yo which was 4 years ago they went in with just pool noodles from the first lesson.

Swimming in a country club sounds great. A 4 year old not swimming is not a problem.

I very much doubt the majority of children are swimming age 4.

4 is young! Is she having lessons now?

I rarely see arm bands at the family swims we go to. It’s usually children with the vests that contain inflatables - I thought they were seen as more helpful?

Arm bands get in the way.

But not swimming at 4 is perfectly normal. Even with baby swimming lessons, they don't start strokes until 4ish.

Ds3.5 is not swimming independently still needs a noodle. Never used armbands for any of my Dc, not a fan of them, they reduce movement and give a false sense of security. Only used noodles and other than school never had lessons all 3 older Dc can swim well. I don’t get the rush to have them swimming, confidence and enjoyment of & in the water first.

My DD is 3 and not been in a pool
since she was 5 months. Covid hit us just as we started baby swimming and now I am back at work we can’t make any of the preschool classes. At weekends we have to do a 45 min each way trip to a pool so haven’t bothered.
We go on hol to a villa with a pool this summer so will hope to get her going and then start proper lessons when she is at school and can go on weekday eves. It’s just not possible after nursery.

I have big mum guilt about it too! But there’s plenty of time.

My DD is almost 4. Her swimming school use backpack floats and noodles, so the buoyancy aids lift from the chest area (akin to how you do when you swim independently by filling your lungs) rather than armbands which restrict your arm movements and lift from the outside. But she still needs floats at the moment.
If it's important to you (we're on the coast so v important to swim for safety, not just fun) then get her some proper lessons.

I thought arm bands weren't recommended any more?

YABU. I live somewhere where there's a lot of water, swimming and have a pool and kids were wearing armbands at 4.
It's totally normal for kids that age to not be able to swim yet and even if they can, armbands on until 6 is what I would see as the norm.

When I read your post I just assumed irresponsible parents

My 10 and 7 year olds can’t swim. Among their friends I don’t think it’s unusual. A bit crap, but not unusual. There’s a whole mix of reasons why, I’m working on it- but just to make you feel calmer- it’s ok to be working on it actively at any age even if you haven’t yet got there. Just keep trying and don’t be passive

4 is still very young OP, don't worry.

DD didn't start learning to swim until she was 6! That was down to various factors, including Covid. Our swim school also has a long waiting list. She's nearly 9 now and is a very strong swimmer.

DS started at 4 (now 4.5), but only because there just so happened to be a place for him when I called the swim school about something for DD, and they offered it to me. I took it because I knew about the waiting list! Otherwise I imagine he wouldn't be learning yet either.

My dc learned to swim without armbands - this was 8+ years ago now (youngest is 11).

Same.

I can’t remember the last time I saw armbands, woggles are much more common now as better for teaching swimming. I have taken DS swimming since he was 4 months old and he has never worn arm bands, until he could use a woggle I just held him.

My granddaughter is 4 they don't use arm bands in her lessons. They use noodles and floats sometimes but often nothing. Its surprising how many very young children can just swim. It's mainly doggy paddle but they can move and float without aids.

Swimmer here. Arm bands are terrible. they force the arms outwards, so then when you eventually teach the kid to swim front crawl or backstroke, they assume their arms will go into the wrong position and it is much harder. Non swimmers are better with a floatation aid round the chest, or better still, be taught to swim, use a float or pull buoy and be constantly supervised by an adult in the water.

Feel a bit reassured now! The kids were jumping in and I think Dd felt a bit rubbish as she’s not at that stage yet. Perhaps I’m going wrong with the armbands then? I’ll try her without. We do live by the beach etc so I do want her swimming as soon as we can to be honest. I have her down for outdoor lessons when it’s warmer in spring. I don’t know, the other kids just seemed so confident and at ease in the water.

Not swimming at 4 is common. Generally it's about 6-8 when most get the hang of it.

Arm bands are rubbish. They're obstructive, hold a poor position in the water and give a false sense of security as they can slide off but encourage non-swimmers to move away. Floating jackets are more secure and have a better position (but still require close supervision) and floats like noodles encourage better swimming positions, but aren't attatched so no illusion of security.

The thing is, you were making an assessment of how many young children can swim whilst at a swimming pool. That’s a bit like seeing how many people are ice hockey fans by asking around at an ice hockey game- it’s not really a representative cross section.

@Mariposista I had no idea 😬tbf, she’s only used them a few times as during summer, she’s in our fairly deep paddling pool without or in the sea without, we don’t tend to go to the swimming baths much. I’m trying to go more often though, will get rid of the arm bands!

My 5 year old can't swim. He wears arm bands and just enjoys being silly, blowing bubbles and kicking around.

Unless they need it for safety reasons, I really wouldn't worry at such a young age.

We plan on staying lessons when we feel his maturity is so a place that he can engage fully with the lessons in a positive way.

I’m a bit unclear on your OP but I think the country club is overseas and somewhere you loved fairly recently, so presumably somewhere pretty warm year round? My dc were born in HK and yes, it’s pretty typical for a 4 year old to be able to swim but that’s because you can be in an outdoor pool 10/11 months of the year. My dc were born there and probably in a pool 3 x a week from 6 months old and often all day at the weekends. It’s a totally different environment to being in Uk and having to pre book a slot at a public pool once a week or join a list for oversubscribed lessons.

Arm bands stop them being able to actually move their arms and swim. Get a Swimfin from Amazon, that's what they use in lessons, it takes their weight but keeps them in a good position for swimming.

My 4 year old wears one for part of his lesson then takes if off for the rest as he is able to swim short distances.
If we are just swimming for fun and he can stand he wouldn't wear it as he could just put his feet down if he was tired and prefers to practice.

Don't worry about it, just book her lessons.