AIBU - To pause kids swimming lessons in cold weather?

[Wonderchill]

Do you keep sending kids for swimming lessons in cold weather or take a break for a few months? Theses are not school lessons, but paid. We walk DS, 6yrs old to a local pool on Saturday mornings.

What a very snowflake question

Why would you do that? What has the time of year got to do with learning to swim?

Presumably it's not an outdoor pool, so why on earth would you stop the lessons?!

Keep sending. Just dry them properly, hair dry and wrapped up. Wee hot chocolate on way home.

Why would you pause all their progress cos it’s a bit nippy outside?

Unless you're going to drip in that you walk 7 miles in 8' snow drifts with no coats then YABU. It's not even cold yet and even when it is it's not really all that cold. I'm afraid you are not just BU but ridiculous with it.

Yanbu I only do kids swimming lessons in warmer months. I used to hate being so cold as a child (I was a skinny little thing and turned blue!)

Is this for your benefit?

Unless he's swimming in the sea you keep going! This is what onesies are made for.

Are you hoping to actively train him into being a snowflake?

Why would you stop lessons? Just make sure they are dry and take appropriate clothing for the walk.

Very silly

And I can see no actual reason why you'd do that. (Apart from that it's you who obviously doesn't want to do it in the winter).

Sad really that you wouldn't go swimming at all in the winter

We live on the coast so swim lessons have always been non negotiable in my mind rain, snow, cold doesn't matter they could still fall in no matter the weather

If it's cold just plan ahead a thermos with a hot drink
Warm tracksuit style clothing and maybe a dry robe on top
A hat

Can you even pause lessons? I remember doing swim lessons with the DC and they would've lost their places and gone back on the wait list

No!

I think if my child liked the swimming and was prepared to go and it was a usual part of their routine I would continue. It's great to learn to swim, as quickly as possible, to the highest level you can, as young as you can.

If he's going along with it happily and enjoying it, that can be priceless because you never know when children will just up and say they won't do it any more... same goes for music lessons or other sports. So if it ain't broke I wouldn't fix it. Also if you stop a routine it can be harder to restart one than just carry on.

And bear in mind it's really hard to get them that full-energy running around time in the winter when the weather is bad, so a guaranteed block of physical exercise weekly is a good thing. Plus if your pool is like ours, if you stop, you have to join the waiting list again and then frankly you might as well just give up on his lessons and restart by getting pregnant with a different child because the wait time is 100 years!!

However, if the cold is something he massively complains about already, and you're thinking as it gets colder he might just say no no no I don't want to go, because of it, and then be put off forever, then a tactical breezy "let's do a different sport in the winter months" might be prudent.

Why on earth does the weather have anything to do with it? No of course we continued

I’d definitely stop the lessons through the winter.

Assuming it’s an outdoor pool that is.

Of course we don’t cancel lessons in colder weather. Pools are heated so it’s just getting changed as usual in the indoor changing rooms. Put a coat or fleece on afterwards if necessary.

What?? Why would you do that? This is a wind up surely?

Just make sure he wears a warm hat for the walk home, as surely the only difference between walking in the cold normally and walking in the cold after swimming is damp hair so covering it up solves that issues.

no, and there are often hair driers in the changing rooms
just keep them warm after swimming
what will happen when its raining?
or snowing?
we need all temperatures

Nope- no if there was a particularly cold day where everyone was under the weather and couldn’t be bothered, I might skip the odd one but that sort of model of only swimming in the summer isn’t really going to work unless you just do intensive weeks at a time. Most swim schools will have notice periods and you might find it hard to get back in at the right level (eg if you quit at stage 4, not only might your child have regressed to stage 3 but you’ll be competing for a spot with all the kids coming up the levels).

Wouldn’t even occur to me just make sure there dry and wrapped up

but more to the point how easy would it be to rest them there used to be a waiting list round he you’d struggle to get your place back

Dry them well, including hair. Warm clothes, thermal vest? even pop a onesie on top of clothes and then a coat, gloves, hat, scarf etc if needed. Could even give them a warm drink for the walk home. They’ll be fine.
my ds is a skinny thing and gets cold so easily/finds it hard to warm himself up when cold so I get your concern; but really it’s fine and won’t do them harm as long as you’ve planned in advance and prepared things you need.

Colds are caught by being cold it’s a germ 🤦‍♀️