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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Does anyone know what's the earliest a child can properly start swimming?

69 replies

Thomcat · 24/02/2008 08:55

I've been taken DD2 swimming since she was tiny, booked her onto a swimming course called Born to Swim. She's now 2 (in Dec) and I feel we're just going over and over the same things on this course. She's so super confident int he water, happy to go under, happy, in fact estatic to jump in from the side and so on. We don't seem to be moving past this stage. Perhaps there is a very good reason for this which is fine if there is. But I don't want to keep going and wasting my money if at 2 yrs old she can be doing more.

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IlanaK · 24/02/2008 10:01

We have the problem mentioned that if they start to swim early, the other children in the class are much older. My youngest is 3 and a half and learning to swim really well. He is lukcy to be in a very small class with similar aged children. However, at the rate he is progressing he will probably be 4 when he is ready to move to the next level. Most childre in the next level are much much older. The company has already said they would not move him into a class like that which I agree with.

seeker · 24/02/2008 10:19

I took mine to the baby classes becaus eit made me take them to the pool regularly. We used to go at the weekend as well, when they wore armbands so that they could zoom about in the water and have fun in deeper water without being held.

They were both swimming independently if inelegantly by 3.5.

Plenty of time for learning strokes and stuff - keep it fun for as long as possible!

TheHonEnid · 24/02/2008 10:22

why do you NEED to put them under the water?

you dont really

they get enough water in their face with normal splashing or jumping in with you holding them

thomcat not criticising your classes which sound like they have been fun for you and your dd but I do think people get unneccesarily stressed about swimming at a young age

JingleyJen · 24/02/2008 10:31

DS1 and I went swimming from 12 weeks he loved it however I didn't get on with the swimming lesson as I felt I was regularly missing chunks of the class as he wanted a feed or got sleepy quickly so we stopped, we then went on our own to the family swim session at the local pool.

He loves water, very confident however won't let me take his arm bands off he can swim doggy paddle for ages up and down the pool but all with the arm bands. It is something I want to do.. can I just take some of the air out of his armbands bit by bit or is that dangerous?

(he will be 4 in April)

moljam · 24/02/2008 10:32

i think if you think youve got all you can out of the classes just take her by yourself.there is no rush for her to be swimming alone-if shes got the confidence thats great keep it up!has she used a noodle?this was next step for ds2,and were gradually losening it.

moljam · 24/02/2008 10:33

JingleyJen yes just gradually take air out.

Original poster

Thomcat · 24/02/2008 10:58

No you're right, they don't NEED to go under the water. I guess it's just part of it. This group says "it's their natural instinctive ability to hold breath under water called the mammalian diving reflex' and they work on controlling the breath when their face comes into contact with water as well as the other skills they will need to swim.

I don't feel the need for DD2 to be able to swim at all. She'll swim when she's ready. It's just an enjoyable thing to do together, she loves it so that's great and joining a class makes me take her. If it was down to me to just go swimming other stuff would get int he way I know it would, I need the structure of a class to get me to the pool every week without fail.

But if I'm chucking money at this it may as well be the best class I can find to suit her. If it's all about playing and picking up skills for now then great but if actually there is another class out there that is more advanced then I might go for it.

However many people have said that before 3 it's about learning skills in the pool rather than actually swimming.

Oh and the noodle thing, yes we have played with one of those but actually she doesn't like it very much. She just wants to do it on her own and doesn't like this huge foam pole getting in her way.

Think what i'll do is see if I can just bump her up a few groups as I feel we're just going over and over the same things which she can do and with extreme confidence. Think we could both do with a bit more of a challenge. If she's not ready we'll swap it back. Don't want to push her in any way but at the same time don't want to throw money at something she knows how to do over and over every week.

OP posts:

TheHonEnid · 24/02/2008 12:41

it's their natural instinctive ability to hold breath under water called the mammalian diving reflex'

i thought that reflex disappeared once kids were a few weeks old

sorry sounds much too lentil weavery for me

Original poster

Thomcat · 24/02/2008 12:44

LOL! Yeah i know what you mean.
Think it's otherwise known as 'persduading parents to part with hard earned cash' technique.

OP posts:

TheHonEnid · 24/02/2008 12:45

ok I looked it up and it does exist but sounds extreme and can only be triggered by very cold water

they're having you on

still she sounds v confident and would no doubt enjoy a more structured class

TheHonEnid · 24/02/2008 12:45

brrrrr

TheHonEnid · 24/02/2008 12:47

if it helps, dd3 (2 in april) sounds v similar to your dd2 as far as swimmming goes and I know that she will be a fab little swimmer when older, I've booked her in for formal leassons from Sept next year when she will be 3.5 or we may leave until Jan 2010

Cataline · 24/02/2008 12:58

Have to admit that i'd believed most children couldn't swim properly until about 3 because they lacked the strength and coordination to manage. (I'm talking without any form of support in the water)

And I also have to admit, we've taken DS (8mo) to Waterbabies classes since he was just shy of 4 months. I was a good swimmer as a child but terified of being splashed, putting my face under the water etc so I really wanted to avoid this with DS.

The classes are fun and teach simple skills. DS can swim underwater on his own, jump into the pool from sitting on the side without freaking out and hold onto the side by himself. He loves the classes and Dh and I enjoy seeing him progress without any pressure or oneupmanship from anyone. The main thing is that he's comfortable and confident in the water.
I don't see what's wrong with that?

Littlefish · 24/02/2008 12:58

Hi Thomcat.

Dd is 3yrs and 3 months. She has had 18 swimming lessons over the last 9 months (gaps because of school holidays etc.)

She has gone from clinging to the swimming teacher and refusing to let go to......

Yesterday when she swam 5 metres unaided. By that, I mean without floats/armbands/ support of any kind.

I was so, so, so proud. The lessons are with one other child and the teacher, so lots of individual attention. She now has bags of confidence and just loves being in the water.

Cataline · 24/02/2008 13:01

waterbabies website if anyone wants more info

Cataline · 24/02/2008 13:02

Just realised it looks as if I work for waterbabies or something!! I have no connection other than we go to the classes and they're fab!

SoupDragon · 24/02/2008 13:07

DSs both swam 5m at 3.

They both went through the same type of class you're talking about TC. I'm now going through it for the 3rd time with BabyDragon and I can see where the skills they teach gradually build up into swimming & breathing and stuff like pushing up from the bottom of the pool (so they can get another breath if they fall in) and how to turn back to the side (and thus hold onto whatever they've just fallen in from).

If you've not done it before, it is difficult to see where it's all going. The repetition reinforces the movements making them second nature so when they swim, it just kind of happens!

Surfermum · 24/02/2008 13:12

I taught dd to hold her breath under water by singing pop goes the weasle and launching her into the air and thereafter getting a good ducking!

TheDuchessOfNorksBride · 24/02/2008 13:17

Just checked with swim coach friend - she says age 4 for learning to co-ordinate arms & legs for each of the strokes, breathe under arm every 3 or 4th stroke and have the stamina to swim 10 metres or more.

But she also adds that swimming 5 or 10 metres at age 3 whilst only using legs (no floats) is perfectly normal - my DD1 certainly could.

I guess personal strength is a factor. My 4yo DS1 can't raise his arms in front crawl for more than 5 metres. Then he sinks.

Original poster

Thomcat · 24/02/2008 13:46

Great, thanks everyone.

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Littlefish · 24/02/2008 15:15

Oh Duchess - here's me thinking my dd was a swimming genius!

TheDuchessOfNorksBride · 24/02/2008 16:22

Littlefish - she is a swimming genius. And so is mine.

Bouncingturtle · 24/02/2008 16:45

Well was going to start a separate thread, but thought I would just hijack thin one
I'm planning on taking my ds swimming, he will be 9 weeks on Thursday, just to a parent and child swim session. What exactly should he wear? What do you dress babies in (apart from a swim nappy, hoping the one I've ordered will come in the next couple of days).

lottiejenkins · 24/02/2008 16:51

Can i just hijack this to tell you how proud i am of my ds, he's profoundly deaf with dyspraxia and global delay, he started swimming without armbands two weeks before he was 5(last achievement his dad saw b4 he died) and he is now 11 and just had his 800 metres badge!! Its about the only thing he can do on the same level platform as able bodied children(hope thats the right thing to say) of his age...........

Original poster

Thomcat · 24/02/2008 17:01

Lottiejenkins, that's lovely
Sorry to read about his dad not being around, really sorry but lovely to read your proud post all the same.

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