To hate baby swimming classes

[cherrytree975]

I took my baby to a few swim classes last year and hated the whole experience. I felt my DC (who was only five months old at the time) was way too young to get anything out it, and the lessons felt rushed and stressful - mainly due to Covid to be fair. I also hated the idea of dunking such a small child underwater.

I do want to try swimming again at some point as it’s an important skill to learn, but probably when he’s a bit older and I won’t be wasting my money. Do kids get more out of it when they’re say two or three years old?

bruffin

As a swimming swimming teacher and parent should a baby and young child be left unattended though near water? There isn't need for baby lessons? Not really that's the point we are discussing here and for many people they don't get anything our of them but do when the children are older.There is a need for children to lessons to be able to swim when are older and can learnt that life key skill and apply it properly.

I took both of mine to swimming lessons when they were babies. For my benefit rather than theirs. Don't think they benefited but they were always exhausted and slept for ages after each lesson and I met other mums and we'd have a coffee and good chat afterwards.

I used to really look forward to my Wednesday mornings!

Don't think mine really benefited from swimming lessons until they were at least 4.

I took my children swimming as a baby but didn't bother with lessons. My eldest started lessons at 3 and loves her lessons still (she's 6). My youngest is nearly 4 and hasn't started yet (due to Covid). He's more reluctant but once his sister is in school full time and the pool is open I'll start taking him more and see if he's happy to start lessons.

Babies don't need swimming lessons, massive rip off

Oh I love my DD’s and can’t wait to get back to them! It’s like Pavlovian response training, so she started learning how to hold her breath and shut her eyes in response to a verbal cue before going underwater when she was three months, and how to hold on to the bar and pull herself up, float on her back etc. I felt they were much better value than some of the classes on offer.

I loved it and so did ds! He was such, and still is such a water baby! I took him from 11 weeks old. He's 9 now and such a strong and confident swimmer.

We all can't wait for the pools to re open!!

YANBU,

I hated them, so did DD. They were insanely expensive too.

Started again age 3 with proper lessons and she's a great and confident swimmer now she she didn't miss anything from the baby lessons.

@DavidsSchitt

Babies don't need swimming lessons, massive rip off

I don't think baby need swimming lessons, like they don't need baby sensory, baby massage and all the other stuff. You can do it all yourself.

I think if the parent and baby enjoys it and the parent gets something from it, whether it be friendship, something to do or just enjoyment then it's worth it.

We didn't do swimming lessons but I spent many a Wednesday morning with a tiny baby on my lap singing songs etc. The babies didn't care but I still have the friends I made from Bounce and Rhyme now.

I went when my baby was tiny, like 10 weeks old. In hindsight it was ridiculous and baby probably gained very little out of it but what it DID do was give me and my partner a reason to get up and dressed and out of the house in those early baby chaos times, and we’d feel good for doing that. Once we were out we’d often go out for lunch afterwards while baby napped in her pram and that was always nice. It filled the days and gave structure to a time when life seemed crazy. Plus I met a lady there and we became good friends, and our toddlers play together to this day!

Mine started at 10m and loves it. He's 2 now and really looking forward to when lessons start again. I'll be signing up my newborn too when he arrives but this is mainly because I'm not confident in the water so I feel it's a nice structured way for me not to pass that fear on. Our teacher doesn't dunk unless ready- DS didn't go under for a long time after he started bit is now a proper little fish.

That being said if you don't like it or see the benefits then don't go. Whose forcing you.

We started at 6 weeks old but that was honestly pointless, and more for me to just get out and see friends. Now she’s 18 months and gets much more out of the classes.

Took DS as a baby but he hated it so we stopped. Started again at age 5-6 and he progressed quickly.

Didn’t bother with baby classes for DD. Took her ourselves but only from about age 2. More frequently as she got older and I taught her some basics. Started lessons age 6 and she loves swimming.

With both, they needed some sessions with me outside their lessons to practice some bits and get confident.

I never did these lessons with mine and it hasn't harmed them.
I took dc1 swimming from being about 18 months, dt were about 3 as I couldn't take 3 children so young on my own. I'd say dt are more confident swimmers. So being older when they first went hasn't been detrimental.
Take dc when your ready and you think dc will benefit from it.

Lots of responses - thanks all.

I didn’t start swimming until I was 4 (I don’t think baby swimming was such a big thing when I was a child!) and am now a confident swimmer. Hopefully DS will be the same.

The worst are the smug ones who somehow insinuate that they are getting ahead by taking a 6 week old swimming and that your child will at 18 be floundering in the shallow end whilst their child (due to the swimming from six weeks) will be the next Michael phelps. They are dicks. If you enjoy it go but it doesn’t make the slightest difference to the kid.

Oh god yes.

I remember taking my DD to water babies when she was only about 10 weeks old. Don’t know what the fuck I was thinking. It was so so stressful, freezing my arse off in the local pool, she had terrible colic and cried most of the time. But I thought I had to be out doing stuff and put so much unnecessary pressure on myself.I cringe when I think of all the water splashing in her face and dunking! Plus I feel sad for putting myself through it.

I quit after one term, to be fair she did get used to it after a few lessons and DH took over they both enjoyed it more, I have a lovely underwater picture but that’s about all I got out of it other than stress and some guilt. I think she’d love swimming now if we could still take her but I wouldn’t bother signing up for ‘lessons’ until she can go in by herself.

Twins are due in July and I won’t be setting foot near baby swimming or probably any other baby groups for that matter.

I found baby swimming classes completely pointless. We then tried again at around 2 and it was a nightmare. DC would not participate in any of the activities and just wanted to run around the pool like a lunatic. Once they turned 4 and could go in the pool without me it was a much more pleasant experience and actually seemed to have some benefit in terms of them learning to swim.

From my experience it is more confidence and fun, bonding for the parent /baby classes also social skills for you and exercise. Personally I wouldn't myself.
For the older kids I have seen 3 yr olds manage to learn and practise swimming skills great for energetic kids.
I have a older child enrolled to swim, it has been excellent for my child's confidence and the skills gained are well worth it.
To me I would rather put a baby in a floatation and paddle around together and go at our pace rather than a group or play at home in the bath to build water confidence.

There's very little benefit to having babies swim young other than tiring them out in my experience.

I didn't have any official lessons until DS1 started walking at a year and only because we live in the tropics surrounded by water and have a pool so it was vital from a safety perspective.

Having babies in pools doesn't mean they will be great swimmers, they will be far more receptive when they're older.

Unless there is a life skill reason they need to be introduced to a pool at a small age, they'll get the same benefits/comfort from being in a deep bath.

My dd has been going to baby lessons since she was 4 months old, and we've always got losds put of it. She is very calm in and around the water, now at 3yo she loves jumping in, splashing, and i love all the lessons about safely getting in, safely getting out etc.

But if you don't enjoy them then its probably worth waiting for lessons where parents don't in as your child will pick up on your feelings.

I hated general baby classes, swimming was the only one i've ever done, everyone is different

But if you don't enjoy them then its probably worth waiting for lessons where parents don't in as your child will pick up on your feelings.

Oh, I was very enthusiastic when in the pool with DS. I doubt he would have known I wasn’t enjoying it.

It’s just the silly things like “encouraging the baby to hold onto the side of the pool” for example. I can see that’s a very good thing to teach a four-year-old, but DS was five months old and the side of the pool was about a foot higher than the water

I have 3 DCs. I did the whole baby - toddler swimming classes with the first two but life was too complicated and pool too far for the last one who didn't;t start to lean to swim properly before he was 5 and now at 15 he swims at state level in Australia and nationals for butterfly.

Life and parenting is about joy, So many things will make you unhappy at one point or another without any control. Stop the swimming !!

My children started swimming very young and are both very confident in the water. It was amazing how all the different individual exercises they'd taught as classes progressed joined together into the technique of actually swimming unaided from a young age. They enjoy going to the lessons so much (they really miss it at the moment) and I am glad they've done it from a safety perspective also. Obviously if the child or parent isn't enjoying it, like for any activity, it would be pointless. But I've found it a really positive experience and my children love it.?

@cherrytree975

But if you don't enjoy them then its probably worth waiting for lessons where parents don't in as your child will pick up on your feelings.

Oh, I was very enthusiastic when in the pool with DS. I doubt he would have known I wasn’t enjoying it.

It’s just the silly things like “encouraging the baby to hold onto the side of the pool” for example. I can see that’s a very good thing to teach a four-year-old, but DS was five months old and the side of the pool was about a foot higher than the water

But they teach that from a young age so that it becomes an automatic reaction, were they to fall in a pool or something when older. Often children panic in that situation so having ingrained safety responses that kick in is really good.

Nobody is suggesting they'll actually swim while still a baby! That said, I have been astonished watching 3 year olds able to swim properly because they've learned the techniques from when they were so young so that it feels nearly as natural to them as walking. Each to their own I guess but definitely the most beneficial regular activity I did with mine when they were very small.