Has anyone's dc started swimming unaided around the age of two?

[claraquack]

Sorry really crappy thread title but my dd2, who will turn two in Dec, is desperate to swim on her own and I don't know how realistic I am being to expect it to happen any time soon. She refuses to wear any sort of floatation device, although she will occasionally agree to swim around with a "noodle". Her older sister (just turned four) has just started swimming unaided, so of course she wants to as well. Most of the time she will stay in the shallow area where she can stand, or else me or my dh has to hold her. We live overseas and have a pool in our garden so swim in that or the sea almost every day, so she is very confident in the water.

Any views/experiences welcome!

My dd is nearly two and has been doggy paddling on her own with a floatie jacket on for about 4 months. I've no idea when we can expect her to do it without a jacket. Me and dh take her every other week or so and I'm going to book her in for lessons when she's 3 and they can go in the pool without parents.

I'm not sure when they can do it without any floatation. My dd is also very confident and started swimming by letting go of our hands in the pool one day.

DS2 did but he is otter boy. He 'swam'but swimming under water and just surfacing for air. It was scary to watch but highly effective. Only now aged 13 is he actually being taught stroke - which frankly just pisses him off.

He is safe which is the main thing

I think dd was 3 (actually I've just checked her baby book - she first swam without aids at 2yrs 6mths), but swam like pagwatch's otterboy and didn't see the point of learning to swim properly until much later. Like your dd her prime motivation was an older sibling doing it!

People did comment a lot when I took her swimming & the lifeguards jumped in for her more than once, when she was actually fine, but her underwater style was alarming them. (I always thanked them profusely & said I'd far rather they went in if there was any doubt than let a child potetially drown).

And I ment to say, her refusing of floatation aids will almost certainly lead to her 'getting it' earlier than most. The key thing is to try & encourage an effective kick with streamlined body position - perhaps letting her kick while you pull her along by the arms in a torpedo shape might help?

Thanks that's really helpful and gives me hope she will swim on her own sooner rather than later. I really don't want to be holding her for another year or two!

Yes DS2 did at 2 years 5 months. We were on holiday and I had taken DS1 off for a trip that DS2 was too young for, we came back and DP informed me that DS2 could swim! Apparently he just jumped in and started dog paddling in water too deep to touch the bottom. We had never used arm bands or floatation aids with either boy because DS1 is 4 years older so we only ever had one non-swimmer to cope with and we had the idea that they would become dependent on arm bands and it would be hard to wean them off. Also, if they fell in accidentally they would be unlikely to have a floatation device.

For what it's worth DS2 is a great swimmer for his age (nearly 6 now) because he started doing proper lessons aged 3 with special dispensation when they said he was too advanced for the water confidence lessons to benefit. Technically he's probably only average but a lot of children his age are still overcoming their fear of putting their head under or floating so it did give him a headstart. Not so amusing, on our last holiday he thought it a great joke to pretend he was drowning in deep water, cue everyone thinking what terrible parents to let their non-swimmer swim unaccompanied in the deep end!

dd swam 5m without flotation aids just after her third birthday. Just before she was 4 she swam 50m unaided.

Yes it can be done - if she is keen let her in the water without swim aids, but make sure she has 1:1 supervision from you at all times - so may mean two of you going to the pool if your other DD wants to swim too. She can have lots of fun just pushing away from the side and trying hard to get to you and all this will strengthen her muscles and staminer until she starts to "get" what she is doing. Better still look at getting her some lessons that don't use swim aids if she is really keen? My Dd#2 got her 5m badge at 2yr 4mth and her 10m badge at 2yr11mth - she is just a little fish who loves to swim.

Thank you beautifulgirls. I have tried letting her go a few times but she goes under water still and I don't want to scare her. I do have the number for a good swim coach so that is a possibility but I think I will wait until she is over two. My other dd has more or less just learnt on her own, although at the moment she is still doggy paddling.

My DS was an underwater swimmer from about the age of 2, he even managed to do a width of back stroke underwater when he was 3 , it was really funny to watch. He had lessons from his 1st birthday so he did learn to swim properly , but he has always been a natural breaststroker.