2yr old DS developed swimming pool phobia - any tips?

[clareanna]

my Ds is 2.9 and has suddenly developed a complete phobia about going to the swimming pool.

He loved it when he was little, but recently if we go he clings on to us for dear life whilst screaming "NOOOO MUMMY - FINISHED NOW GET OUT ARGGGGH"

Should we persist, or leave it for a while?

Feel that all that cash I spend on Aqua babies was money well spent...

How about taking some of his usual bath toys in with him to the pool? a duck or boat etc, also, don't be quick to wipe water of his face when splashed, apparently that can cause phobias!!!!

Thanks squashysmum - good idea. I think I'll also try taking him to a pool with a sloped entrance to it, so he can control running in and out of the pool - I think we'll have to go right back to basics and start from scratch!
going on hols next week - and pool was going to be main way of entertaining him - might have to revise plans!

ds is same age and suddenly went off swimming after we hadn't been for a while - refused to get in at all! i think it's to do with developing more imgaination and therefore more fears at this age - quite rational in some ways to be afraid of pool. we just kept going, didn't push him, went to sessions with floats/bouncy balls/ distracting stuff, and eventually after watching from the side for a bit he was fine again.
might help to go with a friend whose kids really like it? it can sometimes give them confidence watching another kid the same age that they know.

I've taken my DS to swimming lessons every week since he was little, and at about 2.3 he suddenly became really reluctant to go and stopped enjoying it. The teacher told me that it was really common in children of this age and just to keep up with the swimming, but go at his pace and don't push him into anything he didn't want to do. We did that, and it seemed as though he was taking several steps back as he became very timid around the water, but now, at age 2.7 he seems to have come out the other side and it appears to have been 'just a phase' and he's now really enjoying it again.

So I second nouveaupauvre - keep it up but don't push him and I'm sure he'll come round again in his own time.

My DC1 was exactly the same - went from being a true water baby to refusing to go near a pool. Even on holiday recently when she saw the other kids having a fab time in a gentle warm toddler pool she would only put her toes in.... We were given a vintage Topsy and Tim learn to swim book, and bought a Peppa Pig book about the swimming pool, and funnily enough I think it was these that convinced her about going in properly. Anyway, she wanted to get her head wet like Tim when we went swimming again a few weeks ago - we couldn't believe it!