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?

Mine too, noodles or flutter board. DC been swimming since about 6 months old. They discourage arm bands

Swim Stages don't seem to have much ti do with how well a child can actually swim. DD is at stage 5, which only requires you to swim 10m. Front crawl, breast and back stroke she can swim all day long. Brilliant stamina. But she can't progress until she's mastered the utterly ridiculous butterfly.

Arm bands get in the way. Both of mine could swim at 4 but we prioritised swimming lessons over any other clubs- for us it's an essential life skill.
I don't even want to contemplate how much it has cost us over the years though 🫣. They started lessons as babies and apart from covid interruptions they've had a lesson every week since then and they're 7 and 10 now. I could probably have bought my own pool 😂

All mine used armbands and could swim proper breaststroke by age 5. It really doesn't make that much of a difference in learning to swim if you use armbands or any other flotation device.

Don't worry, at DD's age the most important thing is to enjoy the water and the different ways she can play in it. Specific strokes and technique can be learned at any age, and won't be retained without regular practice anyway.

I spent the first 5 years of my life in warm countries with outdoor swimming, and was chucked in a pool to see if I would float long before I could walk. I swam like a fish, all the strokes, including butterfly. Then we came to the UK and I didn't swim again until class lessons in secondary school. I pretty much had to (re)learn from scratch along with everyone else. I'm a very average adult swimmer, unless I'm doing a lot of it. What I do have though is a general happiness in water, any water, whether pool or loch or river or sea. Which opens the door to all sorts of water-based activities.

If your DD is learning joy and confidence in the water, it will last a lifetime, irrespective of ability or technique. If you're going pool swimming a lot, she'll quickly learn the official strokes - however a decent doggy paddle in a variety of outdoor settings is just as valuable!

Being able to swim is important and should be prioritised. If you can afford £25 a month, get him swimming lessons as soon as possible.

My DD is learning to swim at 6 and about average in her class. We were effected by covid. Arm bands are strongly no recommended. She has a vest but in the pool with swimming instructor using pool noodle. 4 is very young. Don't worry

We live somewhere where kids swim from birth and are swimming on their own quite young. We never use arm bands as it hinders their learning. Obviously we never leave them unattended or in danger either! But it is kind of the same idea as not having stabilisers on a bike. You have to unlearn how to swim/cycle without the aid otherwise.

Most 4 were olds are not swimming well. However arm bands are a lot less popular now, especially in a shallow pool.

My 3 year old can swim 10m, she has never worn armbands. But I wouldn’t class her as a good swimmer, she still needs a lot of supervision. However if she fell into a swimming pool she could flip to her back and float, or get herself to the side for safety. That’s why we do lessons young, not for the distance swimming.

I can still remember the pinch getting them blown up on my arm now - ouch! My dad used to take all three of us swimming on his own so I guess he needed us in arm bands so we didn't drown. I don't think I've seen many kids in armbands over the last few years.

We supervise a child each when we go. DD5 has lessons so we take a float for her and she does her practice or chucks herself in off the side.DD2 mostly walks up and down the pool steps so I just hold her hand.

I got DD into lessons when she turned 4 (as before that I would have had to go in the pool with her and I had a small baby so it wouldn’t have been easy logistically). In the starter class she wore these round foam arm band things. She moved up quite quickly (I think a weeks pool holiday really helped!) and can now swim without armbands. Don’t worry OP, she can start to learn anytime and 4 isn’t unusual that she hasn’t started yet- the swimming pool parties where it would be embarrassing for her to be a non-swimmer don’t start till age 8ish.

My kids are 3 (nearly 4) and 6. The 6 year old went to a swimming party last weekend with his class, they all had to swim a length in front of the lifeguards before they were allowed on the inflatables etc as no adults in the pool. They can all swim well. My 3 year old does lessons with some of his friends. None of them can swim independently for more than a metre or so. They use pool noodles in lessons. On holiday we use a float jacket. I'm sure that if he carries on with lessons he'll be swimming well by 5 or 6. I think swimming independently at 4 is unusual but not unheard of.