swimming lessons

[Ivybridgite]

DD is almost 12 months and adores swimming and has absolutely no fear of the water. Having difficulty finding anywhere to take her for swimming lessons. Is she too young to be taught at 12 months? Is it better to give them armbands/bouyancy aids, or nothing. She seems to just want to swim off at the mo but can't for obvious reasons. Any advice or ideas welcome as feeling a bit inadequate.....

It doesn't sound too early to me. Where do you live ? I took ds for lessons at our local pool from 9 months and there were some younger babies. They used armbands and floats but there are other methods where they just use their natural instincts but classes tend to start even younger.

dd has been swimming since 6 months old in special baby swimming classes.

At our pool they have parent and child sessions which are not formal lessons but they have an instructor and various toys and do activities such as pouring water over them with a watering can, activity songs, jumping in songs, learning to blow bubbles etc. DD is 6 months and loves it but unfortunately I have to take DS (3.8) along and he's getting a bit old for it. Don't think the council would offer formal swimming lessons at this age TBH - the youngest they do them round us is aged 3 and I've only just got DS in now.

Sounds similar to ours Bozza. There was a basic structure to it but more about water confidence and having fun than really swimming iyswim. However there are some courses which do the babies swimming, based upon their natural survival instincts like this one for example

In our area, independent swimming lessons dont start until the child is 3yrs, and they use either arm bands or waist float-belts. Before that its all about water confidence, mums and babes together. Ds1 did Little Dippers from 4mo til 18mo (the underwater stuff), and is swimming well at 4, and doing lessons on his own. ds2 didnt do anything more than splash around with me in an informal situation and swims with armbands independently (since 22mo). He started lessons with me this last term, but I'm not sure what he'll get from it until he goes into his brother's class on his own at 3.

have been to a couple of parent child sessions and she enjoyed them, but seems to want to do more. We don't have any kind of floation device, as were told by someone it was better if they didn't have one, but she just wants to swim off on her own and do her own thing. Its like holding on to a slippery eel at times.
We live in Swindon, LIZS.
advocateofthedevil, what is the class called that you go to?
It looks like we might have to go down the route of private 1-2-1 lessons.......