Is this amount of swimming ok for a 5 year old?

swimwhimp · 2025-08-14T20:22:44+00:00

Asking for advice as I genuinely have no idea. My 5 yo son is currently swimming Tues to Fri in a 50m pool for about 1.5 hours. The coach is also coaching another child. My son has improved massively since the beginning of the summer holidays, and is now swimming around 10 lengths of the 50m pool. He does have breaks at the end of each length. Is this ok for a 5 year old? He is a very good swimmer, just very good physically at most things we try him out on, so he is very enthusiastic, but I have concerns about stunted growth etc. He is obviously not training for competition or anything and if he wants to get out of the pool, that's fine with me. Is it unreasonable to let this continue until the end of the holidays?

Mustbethat · 14/08/2025 21:30

What are your concerns around stunted growth? Do you think swimming would? Why?

is it 1.5 hours each Tues/wed/thurs/fri? Or 20 mins a night to a total of 1.5 hours?

the former is way too much. The second is fine if he’s enjoying it, especially over the summer, but I’d dial it back for school.

the only think I’d be asking myself is what’s the point? He’s 5, starting that young won’t help in the long run, and may well have him burned out before secondary. General advice with sport, even elite sport, is to have them doing a lot of different things at that age and not focus on one sport. At 5, a lesson once a week is enough.

one of mine was a natural athlete with a lot of energy to burn. At 5 I think they did swimming, gymnastics class and a dance class.

by 8 they were being noticed by coaches and offered more hours. No need before then.

Springadorable · 14/08/2025 21:32

If he's enjoying it then that's fine. It's a lot though and too much during school. No idea where the stunted growth concerns have come from.

BunniB · 14/08/2025 21:34

That’s impressive he must have great focus. I can’t see why it would hurt him.

BlueMum16 · 14/08/2025 21:39

As per PP, 1.5 per session is much too long at age 5.

1.5 hours over the weeks is fine.

1diamondearing · 14/08/2025 21:41

Its too much, when my 5 year old swam on consecutive days over the summer he ended up with eye problems from the chlorine

Original poster

swimwhimp · 14/08/2025 21:53

1diamondearing · 14/08/2025 21:41

Its too much, when my 5 year old swam on consecutive days over the summer he ended up with eye problems from the chlorine

Ah, ok. Thank you. I didn't think of this at all.

OP posts:

Original poster

swimwhimp · 14/08/2025 21:57

He is not swimming for a reason. His older siblings are in a squad, and so rather than have him sit poolside. He asks to go in so we let him, and now he has a teacher guiding him.

I do not forsee him becoming a swimmer. We are not a swimming family, so we wouldn't push him. I am not stealth trying to say he's the next Peaty, it really isn't that. It's not that at all. It's just holiday japes.

Yes, 1.5 hours he is in the pool. He isn't swimming constantly, but he will swim around 10 lengths of the 50m pool during that time. Other times he is doing handstands and somersaults and stuff, as you'd imagine with a 5 year old.

Stunted growth worries came from a google search - yes, i admit it....

OP posts:

Original poster

swimwhimp · 14/08/2025 21:59

He won't continue once back at school. Usually he swims half an hour (well, 25 minutes as I am usually late!!) twice a week in a group of 6.

OP posts:

Mumofteenandtween · 14/08/2025 22:06

I used to do this! My mum was a swimming teacher / lifeguard and she used to bring me and my brother to work to save on childcare fees. We would either swim lengths whilst she worked (people used to approach her and say “there is a very tiny girl in the deep end - I’m a bit worried” and she would have to reassure them that the “very tiny girl” was probably a better swimmer than them) or use us as either “demonstrators” (“right - I want everyone to blow the little ball across the pool whilst kicking - Lucy - show them what I mean”) or to comfort scared little ones (“it’s ok Susan - I know you don’t like the water but come and hold hands with Lucy - she will look after you”)

It was actually a pretty awesome life. I still love the water.

The only problem was it gave me a distorted view on my swimming talent. When I was 7 I was beating 9 year olds in galas. When I was 9 I was easily still beating 9 year olds in galas. When I was 11 I was not beating the other 11 year olds in galas. It seems that there is such a thing as genuine talent and I didn’t have it. Oh well.

Original poster

swimwhimp · 14/08/2025 22:09

Hard work no talent beats talent no hard work!

This is reassuring, though I think I will probably now tell him to get out at an hour. We really aren't trying to raise a swim star....

OP posts:

Mustbethat · 14/08/2025 22:18

Mumofteenandtween · 14/08/2025 22:06

I used to do this! My mum was a swimming teacher / lifeguard and she used to bring me and my brother to work to save on childcare fees. We would either swim lengths whilst she worked (people used to approach her and say “there is a very tiny girl in the deep end - I’m a bit worried” and she would have to reassure them that the “very tiny girl” was probably a better swimmer than them) or use us as either “demonstrators” (“right - I want everyone to blow the little ball across the pool whilst kicking - Lucy - show them what I mean”) or to comfort scared little ones (“it’s ok Susan - I know you don’t like the water but come and hold hands with Lucy - she will look after you”)

It was actually a pretty awesome life. I still love the water.

The only problem was it gave me a distorted view on my swimming talent. When I was 7 I was beating 9 year olds in galas. When I was 9 I was easily still beating 9 year olds in galas. When I was 11 I was not beating the other 11 year olds in galas. It seems that there is such a thing as genuine talent and I didn’t have it. Oh well.

That age though it’s very difficult to say who has genuine talent. Which is why I hate all this TID stuff and picking kids out for future greatness.

it may simply have been difference is growth/puberty. Now matter how talented, a small 4’6 prepubescent 11 year old isn’t going to beat a kid the same age who’s at their adult height of 5’4 with the arm reach and strength to go with it.

i’ve seen it very often. Talented wee kid wins everything up until about age 10 when the other kids start to grow, get bigger and stronger, catch up and overtake. They have a few years where they are mid pack- and tbh like you a lot give up because they’re used to winning and start thinking they’re just not good enough. If you can keep them in it they usually come back into form once their growth has caught up.

Original poster

swimwhimp · 14/08/2025 23:09

Mustbethat · 14/08/2025 22:18

That age though it’s very difficult to say who has genuine talent. Which is why I hate all this TID stuff and picking kids out for future greatness.

it may simply have been difference is growth/puberty. Now matter how talented, a small 4’6 prepubescent 11 year old isn’t going to beat a kid the same age who’s at their adult height of 5’4 with the arm reach and strength to go with it.

i’ve seen it very often. Talented wee kid wins everything up until about age 10 when the other kids start to grow, get bigger and stronger, catch up and overtake. They have a few years where they are mid pack- and tbh like you a lot give up because they’re used to winning and start thinking they’re just not good enough. If you can keep them in it they usually come back into form once their growth has caught up.

Show quote history

I really appreciate this post. Not related to my son and swimming, but most amazing achievements seem to be how committed the parents were! That is a huge edge, and then the mindset of the young person. To my mind most sports are populated at the top with people who were not physically the most talented, they had incredibly determined parents and a very adaptable and persevering mindset.

OP posts: