crying 7mnth baby and swimming lessons - any advice ?

[fififlores]

hello, my ds is nearly 8 months old and i take him to a weekly swimming class (just wears swim nappy). we started when he was 6 months, 2x week, and he never cried at all, loved it and seemed to be doing fine. then we took a week's hol and used a floating seat thing in a little baby pool, which he loved cos could 'walk' on bottom of pool while feeling totally safe and independent.
then when we came back and started lessons again (1x wk, 2 was too much!) he has cried almost every time - last week we missed cos poured with rain. today he clung on and when i tried to put him on his back in pool, he screamed and thrashed about.
he;s teething at the mo and so is grizzly and sicky - but i feel rather despondent that he;s lost his nerve. not sure now whether to carry on. did i mess up by putting him in inflatable seat and not practising stuff from lesson enough?
can anyone suggest anything to help me and ds? sounds very silly i know but it really upset me having a clingy, screaming baby who is normally happy and adventurous, when all other babes were doing great! the experience was so crap we left the class early (plus was only 1 teacher for 11 kids, which pissed me off but that's another matter).

It is probably down to his teething. I'd suggest sticking with it and don't stress, Just let hi feel safe and not pick up on any of your concerns. Let him feel he's in control and not being forced into anything and just be gentle and patient. He'll be fine.

agree with thomcat. Don't worry if he doesn't like a particular manoevre in the pool. If he cries, just cuddle him and reassure him. At this age, it's all about creating confidence in the water. sounds like he's scared, and it might take a few weeks for him to be comfortable again, esp if he's teething.

Also babies of 8/9 months are developing really really fast, often becoming mobile, wanting to move around a lot more, and sometimes ime, they get a bit of separation anxiety as their development at this age is so rapid. Be gentle with him, and try not to compare to the other babies. I'm sure the teacher won't mind if you spend some time at the next class in the corner just getting your DS relaxed and comfy in the water. Take it at your pace.

Another thought, alternatively, was the water v. cold, colder than normal? that can make my 8 month old cry too.

sounds like he is trying to tell you that he doesn't enjoy it

stop going. Try again when he is older and don't listen to anyone that tells you that he will be put off for life.

dd1 hated it when tiny, started again when she was 2.5 and now swims competitively () at 7.

I don't think you should stop altogehter, but just don't worry if all he wants to do is cling to you. HH is right, it's about confidence building. fwiw my Dd loves being in the pool and throws herself in and ducks her own head, but hates it when I try and put her onto her back. My DD1 also lost her confidence in the pool and I just kept taking her and cudled her the whole time while whispering soothing 'it's ok' it';s ok' in her ear and she's fine again now.

put his heart o your heart and hold him close and bob up and down gently while letting him hear your calm reassuring tones.

maybe you could also take him on your own, not in a class situation, which might be v. noisy a couple of times before your next class. I'm with Enid a bit, in that if he still hates it in a month's time, maybe take a break. After all, it doesn't really matter whether he goes in a pool once a week or not!

thanks guys, feel a lot better now. needed to hear that encouragement! will stick with it for a month or so (coming back to UK in july anyway). don;t want to give up as summer coming so would love him to be more confident for pool action!
I agree with miss hippo that noise may have been a factor - but re going just with him, unfortunately the small minded idiots here (Spain) don;t let you take babes into pools except in class times. however we have a little pool in our garden so will try and have a wee session with him and dh this weekend (very hot here now, 35 deg!).
I cuddled him loads in the class today, sung and talked to him - baa baa black sheep usually does the trick, for a few minutes at least. the teacher told me to 'calm him down' before she did anything with him (which he didn;t, so she didn't, and I left early in a huff!), and 'try things with him', ie was disapproving of his screaming and me just holding him - but what else can you do when your ds or dd is bellyaching and digging their little nails into you??!!

she sounds lovely... if you've got a pool in your back garden, however small, why don't you just use that so he's used to water and gains his confidence back. From your last post it doesn't sound like the teacher is too encouraging...

My DS1 is 3 now, and has never had an official swimming lesson, but can swim with arm bands on, loves jumping in (much more so than his little mate who has lessons), begs to be chucked in the air so that he splashes in a somersault, and has no worries about going under, getting his face wet etc. If you and he enjoy the little pool out back, just go there.