Kids learning to swim, summer only?

[Margotshypotheticaldog]

Both of my kids have seasonal asthma, also hay-fever, not sure if there's a link.
Anyway, If they go near the water October-April it's ear infections, coughs, chest infections and antibiotics after antibiotics.
I try to get them in swimming lessons then May, June, Just the 2 of them in the lesson. I guess my aibu is aibu to expect them to learn in such a short burst?? We do beach trip etc over the summer then and swim for fun. But really it's just intensive lessons for 2 months and then not much the rest of the year......

Kids are 8 and 9, missed out on 2 years lessons over covid.

Loads of swim schools do intensive summer courses - good results for my dd

Hello,
Is there perhaps a pool nearby that uses a salt electrolysis system? I went to one with my asthmatic child, worked wonders.
Learning to swim (well) usually takes longer than two months. Maybe if they have to go intensively in a short period of time, they might end up not enjoying swimming.
Good luck!

I know lots of people who swim with their kids for fun then do an intensive course once a year. It’s fine but you do need to practice with them. Maybe you can find a nice, warm pool somewhere. There is one close to us that does baby swimming classes and is always warm with warm changing rooms. I had sickly preemie weenie twins and found that being warm throughout stopped the post swimming illnesses.

I learned how to swim in the summer, and not with lessons. My moms godfather had a house with a pool, and we would go there most weekends as kids.
First with arm floaties, then, with the help of parents, we would remove them.
By age 5/6 we could swim without help. Obviously with no technique, but we were safe in the water.
We didnt really go to the beach or another pool, apart from the 3 months of summer.

I guess it just depends on what kind of swimming you want your kids to learn.

Do you want them to be safe in the water (regardless of techinique) or do you want them to be able to swim butterfly or crawl?

Thanks for the replies.

@OneFlipflop l wish! That sounds amazing. We do practice and slso swim just for fun during the rest of the summer, I agree it's nit good to make it a chore for them. They enjoy the lessons, the instructor is very nice. I must ask him for some feedback I suppose I was just looking for a " not drowning" swimming level tbh. They both appear ( from the side lines) to be thereabouts...

@Badbudgeter We have actually changed pools and that does seem to have made a difference, but at the same time I stopped sending them for lessons from October on, do can't say for sure which helped.

@ASGIRC Really just safe in the water tbh.

Is it possible that you are over anxious about their ears/ chests ? I get that you don’t want to waste money on lessons that they aren’t well enough for.

@olympicsrock

Yes, I'd say I definitely am. It's mostly work stress related. When they were small it was alot worse, I would actually tense up if I heard a cough in the night, knowing there would be a row with oh over who's job was more important and who would be staying home. He works from home all the time now so it's actually not an issue anymore. Obviously don't want them sick and constantly on antibiotics though! But yes, I am probably a tad over cautious....

I feel your pain - we have the conversations along the line to whose job is the most important .
swimming is so important - I wonder whether things will be better now they are older. Children’s ear canals are narrower when they are hound and more prone to infection and of course Covid didn’t help anyone develop a good immune system.

I wonder whether it’s time to be brave and have another go.

Not the point of your post but hay fever and asthma are strongly linked!
As is eczema.