Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Other subjects
Original poster

What age is best to start swimming lessons

54 replies

karen99 · 10/01/2005 15:41

My ds is 18 months old and several friends have enrolled their children to start swimming lessons this term (same age +- a month). DS loves swimming but I don't think he has the coordination yet to actually 'learn' how to swim.

Money is an issue so I don't want to enrol him too early yet it is something we want him to learn as soon as he can iyswim.

Any suggestions welcome!

OP posts:
Hulababy · 10/01/2005 16:50

We are off swimming later when DH gets home from work, so I may ask him to have a go at doing this with DD gradually over next few sessins there. I don't think I have the water confidence to do it, and besides my lenses would come out under the water! Thanks

MrsBigD · 10/01/2005 16:50

just the thread I was looking for!

DD loves going 'swim' but hates armbands, which is fine by me as I don't think they aid the 'learning to swim'. However, what she does now is hijack ds's floating seat! Since she's a lightweight she actually fits into it better at 3 years than he does at 4 months

Has anybody got experience with/at the Brentford Leisure centre?

SDragon · 10/01/2005 16:50

You really need to ditch the armbands if you want your DD to swim underwater Hula. They make the arm movements tricky and, obviously, keep her on top of the water

Slinky · 10/01/2005 16:50

Hula

Another alternative to armbands are the jackets. I have used these in the past, they are really good - allow their arms to be free, plus you can remove the polystyrene inserts as they become more confident.

Slinky · 10/01/2005 16:51

LOL Hula

I have to wear goggles as I wear contacts

Hulababy · 10/01/2005 16:51

Need a login SDragon!

Think I have seen similar photo under water before They look fab! Guess I could just get an underwater camera of my own next time we go on holiday for a similar thing! Bet it wouldn't come out as well though.

roisin · 10/01/2005 16:51

In countries where children commonly have access to private pools (eg Australia), generally children are more proficient swimmers, earlier. But I'm not sure once a week swimming lessons make a big difference.

Until the age of 4 DS2 went swimming a lot more than ds1 did. He could 'swim' 10m at the age of 3.5 - i.e. feet off the floor, propelling self without flotation aids, and not drowning! BUT neither of my two are particularly athletic or well co-ordinated, or good at copying movements. DS2 has not made a great deal of progress in his water skills in the two years since then!! (Despite having weekly lessons, usually going weekly with me, and having occasional lessons with school too!) I'm sure he will soon learn to kick properly, and do real strokes, but he still seems to have a hurdle to overcome before he can progress. For ds1 the hurdle was taking his feet off the bottom. In his case he was over 6 yrs old before he did this, but once he did so he took off completely, and is now quite proficient (for an unsporty child I mean!)

Hulababy · 10/01/2005 16:52

We used jackets on holiday n Florida. I did look at them at the time but we weren't swimming so much. They are quite expensive though arenb't they?

Hulababy · 10/01/2005 16:53

Ooh, actually. I remember Gingerbear gave me an all in one costume that has inflatable bits around it. I guess this would be smilar to use. Remeber using it on holiday.

But would she be able to keep herself afloat with this, without armbands - as the floats are round the chect/middle? Or would her head be more of an issue?

Slinky · 10/01/2005 16:53

Mothercare used to do them years ago - can't remember how much they were, but I think you can pick them up in sports shops (again not sure how much they are)

Slinky · 10/01/2005 16:54

Hula

The costume would be fine - she would be able to keep her head up.

LIZS · 10/01/2005 16:54

Over here all swimming lessons seem conducted without armbands or buoyancy aids apart from floats and tubes. They are taught to swim underwater, having taken a big breath , so that they can feel the resistance and natural buoyancy of the water, then they graduate to strokes. Lessons tend to start at around 4. initally it is lots of blowing bubbles, picking things up from the bottom of the pool and swimming through low hoops etc.

Hulababy · 10/01/2005 16:55

Right - going to go and hunt it out now. She can try it this evening

JanH · 10/01/2005 16:58

Awwwww, Hula, I thought you meant for you!

Hulababy · 10/01/2005 17:00

LOL Jan - I think I need them more than DD!!!

Darn, find the suit but can't remember where I put all the inflatable bits. Took out to wash suit, but where are they????

PS. I know you guys can't really answer that!

JanH · 10/01/2005 17:04

In knicker drawer?

Hulababy · 10/01/2005 17:11

Nope, tried there. Even tried DH's drawer too - incase! Argh!Wonmder if they might still be in the case? Will ask DH when home.

chocfreeclary · 10/01/2005 17:17

lessons at 18mo, good grief!!!
4 yrs is min here and i think that's about right. Don't think any of mine wd obey rules (eg hold on to the bar) which are crucial in water, any earlier than that.
Tho reading the thread I see that we are talking about different things.
still think 18mo is too early tho. DD is 3.5 and last week had a mini-lesson as part of a session we go to (all of us in the pool), she swam across on front and back really wel (and enjoyed it) but IMO is only just ready for that.

SDragon · 10/01/2005 17:36

Funnily enough, I know where the inserts are for one we had for DS1 (and used once) but not the suit

Have made the photo in that link public BTW. There's nothing in that album bar a bat and the swimming one anyway

Original poster
karen99 · 10/01/2005 19:51

Hi everyone, thanks so much for the advice. There's alot on here that you can start doing yourself with your babe in the pool. I hadn't thought about the 'pool safety' stuff, which in part we were doing absentmindedly, but not all. I think we will give the lessons a miss for another 6 months or so and concentrate on the fun side of blowing bubbles and splashing!

Hope you found the 'complete' suit hula.

OP posts:
JanH · 10/01/2005 20:18

I agree 18 months is a bit early for actual swimming but for confidence and safety I think it's an excellent idea.

Found those inserts yet, Hula?

Maisiemog · 27/04/2005 16:20

I am researching swimming for my 6 month old at the moment. I remember that I actually learnt to swim, as opposed to splash, when I was 6 and we did use armbands - which worked for me and my brother. I think we used them to get used to the propulsion part of swimming and they were gradually deflated. Then we used a float. However, I can't imagine Pog getting the hang of a float (although I stand to be surprised).
Can anyone tell me about using/not using armbands - what are the pros and cons?
Thanks everyone - mumsnet rocks!!

Enid · 27/04/2005 16:23

swimming lessons not worth it until they are at least 3 IMO - then the most important things are to teach them not to run round the pool and how to get in and out properly rather than actual strokes.

Before then its just splashing and confidence. Dd1 hated swimming until she was about 3 and is now the most fantastic swimmer at 5 ().

We don't do armbands, dd1 had a float suit (that dd2 now has - she is 2.5), it was brill as you could take floats out until she was swimming alone.

Enid · 27/04/2005 16:24

can't see how you can get the hang of even basic strokes with armbands.

floats and woggles are surprisingly difficult to use properly - dd1 finds it easier to swim without them than to use them.

Maisiemog · 27/04/2005 16:45

I asked my mum about what I did with armbands and she reckons we did a doggy paddle. Then later when we had floats we started to learn the front crawl - which is the stroke I use now for the most part. I'm rubbish at froggy stroke - don't seem to move very far. (yawn!)