swimming

[MummyToToby]

when did your child learn to swim without any armbands?

I think I prefer the float suits or swim vests, but the disc armbands are easier to get on/off, so easier in a lesson environment. They are also less prone to tipping the head under at the start, which can happen with the floats especially if they are wrongly distributed. They are preferable I think to the blow-up arm bands as although it's possible not to fully inflate them, in practise nearly everyone does and even if you don't, it's hard to judge how little air to put in. With the discs going from 3 to 2 to 1 is a much easier progression.

The discs come in at least 2 sizes, as bigger arms need a bigger hole, but you can't use them well if they are too loose.

ds1 was 5-5.5 IIRC. He's not the strongest swimmer.
DD has discarded her armbands in the past year, actually over last summer holiday more or less (on a crash course), tho she still occasionally wore them during the autumn term lessons. She was then just 4. She has moved much more rapidly through the levels than ds1 (and is catching him up actually, oo-er)
DS1 is just 3 and ahead of where the other 2 were but not ready to drop armbands just yet. For one thing he's too small to stand in the water so the arm discs help him float now and then for a rest lol. Snorkle your posts are interesting (are you a swim teacher?) - we have the discs which are good and also I try to put ds2 on a woggle with no armbands now and then.
It varies loads tho - I know a 5yo in reception who's got his 100m badge, and a friend's 6yo ds is doing life-saving and all sorts. OTOH I know plenty of 5-6 yos who still have armbands.
Hul that's a bit rubbish that there's no pool will take a 4yo. Some will take at 3! tho I think that's a bit young.

DD 3years has just started swimming lessons and she is being taught with a toggle. Doing really well, it puts her in the correct swimming postion and she has to use her arms and legs to get anywhere.

DSs didn't use armbands either (Aquatots). IIRC, they swam 5m unaided at around 3.

Armbands are cr*p. They just get in the way. A float vest is better as the child is at least in the right swimming position.

Ds is starting swimming lessons - had a few in the holidays and is starting properly this week - he's 4.10. He REALLY hates water on his face, and won't go in without armbands at all, but he is gaining confidence. They tried the discs on him, but his arms are too thin for them and they fell off!!!!

Dd is 2.8, and is MUCH more confident in the water - she can swim with just a float, and although she prefers to have armbands on, I dont' put very much air in now - have been secretly not blowing them up so much each time we go (which is once a week). I learnt to swim that way. My brother was totally different and just decided one day that he could swim without them (at about age 5) and took them off and swam!

ds is terrible about gettting his head wet.I playfully splash him now and he laughs but I long for the day when he'll go under the water.He refuses to use the goggles we bought a few weeks ago

Anyone elses child get over this annoying fear?

ggirl my DS is greatly lacking in confidence about splashing and getting wet. I really don't know what to do. I took him to the parent and child sessions at my local pool from being 3 months old right through until when he started school (with just a brief spell off when DD was born. Actually took him the day before she was born. He has been having weekly group swimming lessons for about 18 months and we have paying for one to one approx once a fortnight for the last 4 months or so. And he still will not jump in. Argh!

I think the answer probably is to take him swimming loads, ie day after day. But DH will not go on a Med type holiday and I can't see the pool in Normandy being all that warm. I can't do it that well in England because I have to really guilt trip DH to come (he can't swim) and I need him because of DD and the rules. This week I was at the baths Friday, Saturday and Sunday but never got the chance to swim a stroke.

Sorry for rant.

bozza does yr pool run crash courses in the hols? Ours does, every day at 9.30am or whatever, you sit by the side with littlies, mine have always really come on.
Mind you they need to be 4 here, not sure how old yr ds is.

ggirl - my friends little boy is the same (the one I was saying has stayed behind while ds1 and others have moved on. He can swim and I've noticed the teacher holds a hoops on the surface of the water and gets him to swim through - every now and then, she drops it lower so he has to get a bit of water on his face.

His mum has asked about how she can make him more confident about water on the face - one idea was to let him have goggles in the bath to see if he would just look underneath the water in the bath. He wouldn't do it though and the teacher says just not to push it as the worst thing you can do is dent their confidence so much that it puts them right off the water altogether.

DS is 5. I think the crash courses would be great for DS. I remember doing one myself as a child (that was really great because it was in the local shutdown weeks so really under-suscribed). But I am not aware of the pool doing them and it would mean that I would have to take 3 half days off work - would willingly do this if I thought it would get DS going.

gdg - I have been doing that with DS and the goggles in the bath and it has worked slightly.

have been trying the goggles in the bath when he has his hair washed...torture!

It's a struggle to get them on even.Little bugger!

Yes I am a part-time swim teacher. To those of you with nervous children do persevere, they (nearly) all do gain that confidence eventually. Crash courses often work well - reinforcing the skills everyday is obviously great for learning. If that's not an option, go as often as you can and try visiting different pools with different friends but keep it low pressure and enjoyable.

ooh, snorkle, canyou tell me whether we should be getting formal lessons for my DS? He has gone swimming at least once a week since he was about 8 months old and is now 3.5; tried group lessons when he was about 18 months old but he hated it and cried all the time!

My DH takes him at weekends, and I went to watch recently and was amazed at his confidence in water - he literally bombs in off the side! Also walks till the water is neck high, and in shallower water pulls himself along like a crocodile...are we better to stick to this or should he be having lessons by now to actually learn to swim?? sorry for hijack mummytotoby

snorkle - how frequently would you aim for?

Feeling slightly more positive as we had a good bubble blowing session in the bath tonight.

sparklemagic,
I'm not a great fan of a lot of pre school swim classes. Although there are some excellent ones around, many seem too regimented and not enough fun at that age and many (but not all) children struggle to concentrate in a formal way for 30mins. Your dh sounds like he's doing a great job and your ds could easily continue to learn a lot essentially just splashing about with dad (and doubtless getting more 1-1 attention than he would in a class). I've added a few pointers below to try and pursuade you that swimming teaching isn't all that difficult - especially with a confident youngster not afraid of the water. I guess the time for lessons is when he stops learning from dh.

The crocodiling along in shallow water is actually a recognised way of learning to swim - as your kick gets stronger your hands touch the bottom less, eventually paddling instead of pushing on the bottom.

Swim teachers would be aiming to:
o encourage confidence in moving around in the water - forwards, back, sideways, twisting, jumping etc.
o practise floating and regaining standing position.
o get confidence in putting face underwater & breathing skills - practise blowing bubbles, pick thigs from the bottom, turn face to side to breathe in and do a series of breathing in and blowing out under-water.
o practise kicking - easiest is alternating front crawl/back crawl type kick - try holding side or dad and then with a float. Practise on front (float overhead) and on back (start with float on chest, then overhead). Aim for a horizontal body position and kicking from the hips with flexible ankles rather than from the knees. If the legs sink, then the kick isn't strong enough, use a float and practise more.
o encourage push-glides for streamlining (front and back), from wall to you, gradually increase distance, eventually add kick.
o practise arm movements. To get feet off bottom anything goes - dog paddle is acceptable! Then work towards proper front and back crawl arms.
o breastroke is a little trickier - you might want lessons for that.

Bozza, As with anything you don't really want to overdo it. Much less than once a week is probably not quite enough to progress. More than twice a week (unless over a short time as per crash course or on holiday) is probably too much.

Thanks for the link surfermum . I loved the swim nappy bikinis too!

snorkle, thanks so much for your wonderful reply and all the time you took
Only just seen it this am as was booted of net last night by DH!

It will REALLY help, thanks

My DS swims like an old lady with a brand new purple rinse who doesnt want to get her face wet!!!. If he didnt have armbands he'd swim like a brick

DD is 6 and has been able to swim without armbands for a year now, we think this is good as she has never had lessons and DP has taught her. She's very confident in water but has been going since she was 2.

DS also confident but still wears armbands, he's almost 4.

we've had real trouble getting DS1 to learn to swim despite many many swimming lessons. Finally I relented and decided to get him one to one lessons as he is now 9 and I was worried that he was still unable to swim without float aids. His new teacher said something quite interesting - she said she was not surprised that he was struggling - he is so tiny, no fat on him at all. Fatter children find it easier to swim because fat floats! The skinnier the child the harder they will find it to learn to swim because they sink like lead balloons!

He is now swimming :) phew!!

Poppies - being skinny is great for diving though :) Someone said watching DS swim backstroke is like watching 2 carrier bags being dragged through the water (his ribcage)!

Mine both went to Toddler classes and could both swim before they started school. DS(10) has just been accepted into a swimming club now.

poppies - I think that is why ds is so nervous - he has no fat on him at all, and has no buoyancy! He just doesn't float at all. Whereas dd is a lot more solid, and bobs like a cork!