Toddler swimming lessons or not?

[frazzled09]

Hi
Apologies if this has been done before, I struggle to find my way around here and did try to search!

We're doing Parent & child swimming lessons at Parkside, but I am getting very bored with them and my son (21 months) isn't really getting anywhere. The format of the lessons is identical each week, there's very little personal involvement from the teacher so there's no adaptation to suit children (e.g. teething children who won't lie on their backs: no suggestions of alternatives to those bits of the lesson) and from about 10 minutes in he doesn't want to participate in the activities.

He really enjoys himself when we just go to the pool and mess about though.

I like the idea of him being taught, and as yet he's not ready to be in the pool without me. Can anyone recommend any other lessons in or near to Cambridge at less than £5 per time that might be fun and don't stop for the school holidays? We did go to Aquatots for a while which was great, but we can't afford it now and it's term-time only.

Thanks!

Just realised my title doesn't make sense: I also meant to ask whether you bother with lessons at all or just go to general swimming sessions with your children and teach them yourselves?

I didn't take my son to swimming lessons (or do anything other than play about in the shallow end) till he was four, and now, three years later, he's really confident. So don't feel that your son will miss out/get behind (!) if you don't take him to formal lessons yet. I think there's far too much pressure to get everything started 'properly' when they're still tiny, and that it's more important to keep it fun at this age. But good luck with whatever you decide.

I'd say just go to the pool and have fun - forget the lessons at the moment.
Even better - find a friend with a similar aged child to go with.

Dd 3.6, goes to lessons at Kings Hedges learner pool. She goes in without us, with the teacher and is probably one of the youngest in the group.

They may well have other types of lessons though where you can go in the water too.

Her lessons have been £38 for 10 and have carried on through the hols.

Thanks for the replies. I've cancelled our Parkside lessons, we'll just go as and when and have fun in the pool for now.
AuntieBulgaria I looked into Kings Hedges but the lessons for DS's age group are on days that I work.

He loves the toddler pool at Parkside though, I'm exhausted after we go, constantly down the slopes, out, dash back to the start, and repeat!

By the way, on the swimming theme: how do you put armbands on? Inflate before or after they're on? He's refusing them point blank at the moment but that'll change if I persevere.

Thanks for your help, I've not posted here before but already I feel happy that I did!

Inflate before, in fact I'm too lazy to deflate them, so they stay inflated in the swimming bag. But at lessons she uses one of those noodle/spaghetti floats instead of armbands so my challenge is to get her to try without her armbands when we're not at her lesson.

I also find parkside knackering, she can get herself over all the walls, by the time I get up to the top pool, she's already half way back down again.

On Fridays/Saturdays Kings hedges is much less crowded than parkside and abbey for a general swim. So don't all start coming .