At what age could your child swim by themselves?

[Ozziegirly]

So, I'm not pushing for the next Ian Thorpe, but my DS is 21 months and loves the water, is very confident and has been "swimming" (eg in the water with me holding him) since he was about 3 months.

We have a swimming "lesson" once a week which is the normal stuff (jumping in, running off mats, "monkeying" along the side, all of which he loves and is happy doing.

But I am now pregnant with No2, due in December. I just don't see how I"ll be able to continue swimming with DS when the new baby arrives, apart from swapping to weekend lessons (which is Option 2), so I was wondering, what's the youngest that your child could have had swimming lessons without you actually holding onto them?

Is it a total pipe dream that I could achieve this by just over 2 1/2?

My plan was that I sit and watch with child 2, while DS has his lesson.

Madness?

My dd was 2.5 and we go to lessons where mum and baby get in at the other end of the pool. That said my dd is very obedient and I think it's that + confidence in the water which made it easier.

My son started lessons at 5. Mainly due to that fact of me being rubbing and never getting round to it. He just finished his first "course" of lessons and doing very well. Im confident he will be alot safer and able to swim unaided by our hol in oct
Better late than never i suppose

So buggy, do you need to hold onto your dd, or can she float/swim by herself?

My DS is confident - I don't know about obedient, although he would probably follow instructions from our teacher, who he kind of adores, over me....

My local club will take them from 3 years old for lessons without a parent/carer in the pool with them. My DD isn't old enough for this yet but I have seem the lessons and they have at least 1 adult teacher/assistant for each 2 children. It might be worth l

Sorry posted too soon, was going to say might be worth contacting some local swimming schools/clubs to see what they offer

DD swam confidently at 3 and DS at 2yrs 8mths. We swim pretty much every day though.

All of mine could swim at around 3.

Once DD could swim she attended lessons where I didn't have to get in the pool with her so you cold easily sit on the side with a baby. DS2 also sat on the side in his carseat as a baby whilst I took DS1 in for his lesson. The people waiting for the next lesson entertained him :)

our pool has preschool lessons from 3 where you don't need too come in too.

DD1 age 2
Ds1. age 6
Ds2. age 2-3
Ds3. Age 16 months

This is swimming alone with no help & no aids like floats etc. DS 4 jumped in to holiday pool to be with the others ( to my horror) and just started swimming, no lessons at that age, he could just do it.
All my kids could except for DS 2 who was terrified of water.

It is perfectly possible that he will be swimming independently by the time the new baby arrives, but if he is not then that needn't be a problem either - just give him some arm bands or a float. There are exactly 2 yrs between each of my 3 DCs and once I started going in the pool with the new baby the toddler was v happy swimming on their own, albeit with some form of float. But if you have a teacher present then I don't think that you need to worry at all - I'm talking about on my own with 2 or 3 children, the arm bands on the toddler were more for my peace of mind as it's hard to have eyes everywhere all the time.

my dd loved the water at 18 months and would jump in go under and was fab - then at around three she got nervous.

Had swimming lessons for a year and as she could touch the bottom she never actually swam and the lessons where useless so changed her to a private lady who had her swimming in the first week and she was 6 years old.

So later starter - but she swims well and can do all four main strokes and is now 13

TBH I wouldn't worry about swimming lessons until they are older - fun in the water with you is all that is needed for now

our pool takes them for lessons without a parent in the water from age 3. For leisure swimming they have a 1 to 1 adult to child ratio for children under the age of 4 so you wouldnt be able to go swimming by yourself with a baby and a toddler. Check with your local pool as to what their regulations are as it can differ depending on where you live.

DS started lessons just before he was 4 and can swim a fair length now at age 5

Confidently where i could turn my back on them in the pool, about 5.5yo.
In some kind of fashion that looked like very dodgy swimming, more like 2.5-5yo.

Local places here only start lessons without parents t 5y, so dd was 5y when she could swim on her own.

Thanks so much everyone! So it looks like it might be possible for us to carry on even when the new baby arrives - very pleasing as it's a real fave of an activity for him.

I'm not sure about ratios, knowing Australia there won't be any......

My son began swimming lessons at 3 but I wasn't happy with the ratio of adults to children or the quality of teaching that took place (instructors never seemed to notice or intervene if his technique was correct / needed addressing). Although much more expensive, we found a private pool that offered one to one tuition (with only one other child & instructor allowed to work in the pool at the same time) and ds came on in leaps and bounds (able to swim entirely independently after only 5 lessons & having 'wasted' a year basically faffing about in the local pool's group lessons).
We decided to go straight to one to one lessons for dd at age 3 and luckily had same success. Dc are now 8 & 6 and both proficient swimmers.
Expensive I know but worth it for their enjoyment and water safety.

My dd can't swim independently but goes to lesson herself - they sit on side and take turns with the instructors.