Baby Swimming - risks?

[MrsFogi]

Dd is 11 weeks old and I've enrolled for a baby swimming course in London. My mother is horrified by this and has been canvassing various people about it (so far she's produced a swimming teacher who thinks it's better to wait until 6 months and various doctors who think it's a terrible idea). I was wondering if anyone has had any negative experiences with baby swimming - in particular health concerns?

I took DS1 to a swimming class at around that age. Lots of people do. I'd not heard of any health risks. If you are expecting your child to be a better swimmer as a consequence there may be a risk of wasting your money, but as a nice activity to do together I'd have though it was pretty harmless.

None whatsoever.
Just make sure you find a warm pool-for the sake of both of you.
Did it regularly.

harmless (although quite bug infested)

but pointless IMO

I did it with dd1 and she lvoed it, then got scared at 9 months and we couldnt get her near a pool until she was 2.5

didn't go to classes but i've been taking ds swimming since he was about 3 months old. he loves it - mad as a hatter and desperately tries to put his face under and swim free! I think it's starting earlier that's given him this confidence.

meant to say I didnt take dd2 swimming regularly until she was 2 ish and she is a very good and confident swimmer now at 3

took dd1 a lot and then realised (when lessons stopped for summer) that the chlorine had been causing her eczema, so try and find an ozone pool if you can.

I think it's a fun thing to do

Both mine love swimming and I did baby swimming with ds (but more because he was such an active baby and it was a good way to tire him out!).

In terms of health, I'm almost 100% sure ds got his molluscum from the pool and we tend to pick up a lot of bugs from there but then our local pool does seem quite dirty to me.

Took DS swimming lots when he was a baby but wish I'd started earlier he enjoyed it so much. When we got him into proper lessons he stopped enjoying it so much the water was blooming freezing, and the floats that they insisted he wore forced his face into the water while he was swimming so he refused to go after the 3rd lesson.

nothing wrong with going if you will both enjoy it and if it's warm enough. As for bugs, these can't be avoided at most pools and I'm firmly in the camp that children are far too protected from germs these days.

My ds2 and dd go swimming every week with waterbabies, and have done since a few weeks old!! Ds2(now 2 years)loves it, loves it, loves it. He puts his arms round my neck and we swim underwater. DD (now 20 weeks) is the same and her wee legs don't stop kicking the whole time she's in.

It's absolutely brill, however as Bundle says, watch out for the chlorine, give her a good rinse afterwards!!

I'm not aware of any particular problems with this apart from the fact that it does tend to tire them out quite a lot. As long as the baby enjoys it that should be OK. I do doubt it will teach the baby any useful swimming skills however. Anything they do learn is unlikely to transfer to real swimming skills later, and even water confidence at that age is only likely to be maintained if you continue regular swimming right through babyhood/toddlerhood (and can easily be learned later).

Took my DD1 from 11 weeks, she's 5 now and a real water baby - have no regrets whatsoever.

Would heartily disagree with "Anything they do learn is unlikely to transfer to real swimming skills later". Both DSs did baby swimming up til they were 4 and the progression through to swimming skills was clear.

I've always looked on the fact that it wears dd out as being a bonus! DD has always loved going swimming, her first dip was at 13 weeks in an open air pool in Newquay and it's done her no harm - although she's currently going la-la-la-la and running round in circles to make herself dizzy (but that's normal for a 2.10 year old isn't it? .

We took DS to waterbabies from about 8 weeks and can't recommend it highly enough. It took him time to really enjoy it but now he loves it. The first night he slept through was after a class, and he always has a good appetite too. It is a lovely bonding time with your child, helps muscle development, motor skills and they learn to respond to instructions. Plus he has lots of fun and enjoys being with the other babies. It's lovely to see the huge grin on his face when he gets to "surf" on a teddy bear float

Would heartily disagree with "Anything they do learn is unlikely to transfer to real swimming skills later"

Yes, I thought that was a slightly contentious statement from the moment I hit post. - Let me qualify it somewhat...

firstly, if you don't follow through and take them regularly they will forget. e.g. a baby that swims until it is say 20months won't be at any advantage to one that didn't if they next start at 4 or 5.

secondly, the skills they aquire often aren't those associated with formal stroke swimming. My dd swam from a very young age but took absolutely ages to learn proper strokes when she began swimming club at 5 (probably mostly due to poor listening skills and because she could already 'swim' she didn't see the point). She did however have plenty of useful skills that would keep her afloat if she fell in and she could swim very many lengths of her own hybrid stroke which are important of course. I still think most of the skills are aquired from 2+ rather than by the under ones.

but if your baby enjoys swimming then it's great. I'm not against it at all, just sceptical of it's importance to later swimming development. I've seen loads of children begin at 3, 4 and 5 go on to make really fast progress in swimming.

Oh good enid

Glad someone else has that problem. Ds was fine in the water from about 3 months old until he was about 11 months. Now (at 16 months) he is really scared and clings on to me or dh for dear life. In fact we bought him a new floating bath toy which looks a bit like a swimming pool and he refused to go in the bath til we took it out

Hopefully he'll grow out of it. I've decided to wait a while before taking him again.

I didn't take dd1 near a pool for until she was 2 and a bit (I was pg with dd2 at the time)

then I took it really slowly, said we would definitely go if she didnt like it and gradually she took to it

(she is now 6 and the fastest swimmer in her class )

I meant to say of course I had taken her when a baby