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?

Complete waste of time and money, from the baby's pov.
I can see that some people who are a bit lonely at home might use them as a reason to meet up with other parents with similar age dc, although I can thing of far nicer places to meet.

I think it is great to get a baby used to the sights and smells and feel of being in the pool - but you can do that by just taking them yourselves, or with a pal if you want to.

Even at 2 or 3, they are too young to be able to process a teacher's instruction. No point in lessons before they are about 4.

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.

Of course, but as a small baby there’s no way my DS could understand that. When he’s three or four then sure, but trying to teach that to a 5 month old is a bit pointless IMO!

It's literally all for "fun" at that age. Dear God don't go if you both hate it!

@cherrytree975

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.

Of course, but as a small baby there’s no way my DS could understand that. When he’s three or four then sure, but trying to teach that to a 5 month old is a bit pointless IMO!

Some babies love it. If not then I agree and can teach the opposite feeling.

I think baby baby lessons are a complete waste of time if you are a confident swimmer, but taking them yourself is really valuable so that they learn to be relaxed and confident around the water.

We put DS in ducklings from 18 months having taken him at least once a week to splash around and play and he was away. He was in stage 2 at age three and much more confident than many much older kids in the class. He will jump in confidently, doesn’t mind his face getting wet etc.

Unless you have a pool at home baby lessons are just another way for parents to meet and have fun.

I took Dd swimming once a week until she was 7., she could Doggy paddle and jump in the deepend and swim back to the side. Then she started group lessons, by 8 she'd swam a mile during their distance week and at 9 joined our local swimming club and was competing in galas.
I think she took to learning the technique so quickly because she was older and her gross motor skills were better developed.

Group swimming lessons are expensive (£7 for half hour here) and they get very little swimming time. When they are older you are better off asking you local competitive swimming club if they do learn to swim classes they surely to be cheaper and better at teaching technique.

Starting taking mine at 8weeks and she is so so confident in water now at nearly a year . I stopped the lessons now and we have a membership at a local pool instead but she holds on to the side, kicks legs, will lay completely flat on her back no panic personally I think taking them swimming the younger the better but doesn't necessarily have to be lessons

@cherrytree975 our local pool did informal baby sessions which weren't actual lessons just a time when the warmer pool was available to babies and toddlers with extra lifeguards bath toys/floats and music which allowed kids to get used to being in the water with their parents in a non stressful environment. They were great sessions and really helped with confidence when our youngest did start lessons at 3.
I think it's important to get them used to water early on but formal lessons are necessary in my opinion. I took our youngest in the pool for a splash every week from when he was tiny as we waited for his big brother to do his swimming lesson. Our weekly splash about has been something we've really missed this past year.
My eldest didn't start lessons until he was 7 (circumstance of where we lived) although he'd been in the pool loads but came on leaps and bounds once he started and wizzed through the grades to become a strong and confident swimmer he could easily swim 2miles by the time he was 10.

@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

Ours has a bar, so my daughter could hold onto that and keep herself above the water at that age. It’s a purpose built pool for baby lessons though - I wouldn’t have been keen on taking her in a normal pool (they’re usually too cold for me, let alone a baby, but this one is more like bath temperature.)

Baffled by pp’s suggestion that only people who are ‘lonely at home’ would want to go to swimming lessons

The point being, breadbinbaby is that the baby won't learn anything from lessons that they wouldn't get from you taking them to your local pool once a week. The advantage of booking in to a lesson, as opposed to taking them on your own, is that you know you will be there at the same time as a group of other parents with little ones the same age, which, for many parents who are at home, on their own, with a small baby for long hours, day after day, is a real positive thing. Not sure why the idea that some people liking adult company is baffling.

I disagree Backforgood
They kearn to hold their breath going underwater, make for the side as the enter the water . Most parents wouldnt know to teach that or how to teach that.
Also there all sorts of equipment available that is not there where if yiu just take baby by yourself.

Baby swim lessons are an activity for mums/socialising - so if you and your baby aren’t enjoying it don’t bother.

Actual lessons for water safety and skills start at 3-5 years.

They kearn to hold their breath going underwater, make for the side as the enter the water

This is what I don’t get though - how can a 5 month old baby learn to make for the side? A 3 year old sure, but at 5 months mine just didn’t have a clue what was going on!

@cherrytree975

They kearn to hold their breath going underwater, make for the side as the enter the water

This is what I don’t get though - how can a 5 month old baby learn to make for the side? A 3 year old sure, but at 5 months mine just didn’t have a clue what was going on!

Repetative actions. My dcs lessons started at 6 months , they were councils lessons, not the expensive baby ones.

@cherrytree975

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.

Of course, but as a small baby there’s no way my DS could understand that. When he’s three or four then sure, but trying to teach that to a 5 month old is a bit pointless IMO!

It's more that it is an automatic reaction because they've been doing it from so young. Just like a chuld of 3 no longer focuses in how to walk or run, if they have been swimming regularly since they were young it is natural by then rather than them having to start learning it from scratch at that stage.

@BackforGood

The point being, breadbinbaby is that the baby won't learn anything from lessons that they wouldn't get from you taking them to your local pool once a week. The advantage of booking in to a lesson, as opposed to taking them on your own, is that you know you will be there at the same time as a group of other parents with little ones the same age, which, for many parents who are at home, on their own, with a small baby for long hours, day after day, is a real positive thing. Not sure why the idea that some people liking adult company is baffling.

I don't agree. I'd never have known how to teach all of the things about seeking the surface, grabbing the side, breathing out underwater so that becomes automatic etc then it all joining together into actual swimming aged 3, just from splashing about in public pool. Yes that'll get them used to the water but it's not the same.

@bruffin

I disagree Backforgood They kearn to hold their breath going underwater, make for the side as the enter the water . Most parents wouldnt know to teach that or how to teach that. Also there all sorts of equipment available that is not there where if yiu just take baby by yourself.

That's not essential for a baby though. They can be taught all that from age 3. It's great if it's something you want to do with your child but it's not an essential activity.

Nerrserr
Its not essential, but its useful skills and not the same as taking a baby by yourself. My dc loved it and were proper little water babies. I dont regret a penny we spent on swimming lessons over the years.

and that's fine Bruffin if you enjoyed it.
The same as others won't regret taking their dc to concerts or music lessons or baby ballet or toddler groups or baby massage or 1001 other things we can all do with our dc. The point of this thread though is that the OP hasn't been enjoying it, and wants reassurance that her little one isn't missing out.

Just hope the pro baby swimmers aren’t trumpeting these “facts” to make other new mothers feel like shit for not taking their baby swimming 🙄

We started when DS was about six months, and he absolutely loved it. Loved splashing about in the water, loved 30mins of undivided Mummy attention, loved the songs. I also made some good friends there, and it gave my maternity leave a bit of structure/got me out of the house.

I wouldn’t say it had much impact in DS being able to swim, but it did mean he enjoyed sticking his head underwater, and had no fear of water. Which made it easier to teach him once he got a bit older. He has been able to swim around on a noodle since he was about 3. Obviously Covid has scuppered lessons for the past year, but last time we went as a family he was swimming around pretty independently, and he was about 3.5 then.

Mine loved it, it was the only class we did! It's much less about swimming and more about water confidence at such a young age, it meant my DS could swim the width of a pool and confidently swim down to the bottom of a pool before he was 3, because he just wasn't scared. Plenty of onlookers were though😂

I take my DS swimming but just us so he can play in the water, get used to being splashed etc.

Will take him to actual lessons probably age 3ish

Oldest DS had lessons from age 3 till about age 9/10 when he could swim a decent distance, tread water etc

@BackforGood

and that's fine Bruffin if you enjoyed it. The same as others won't regret taking their dc to concerts or music lessons or baby ballet or toddler groups or baby massage or 1001 other things we can all do with our dc. The point of this thread though is that the OP hasn't been enjoying it, and wants reassurance that her little one isn't missing out.

Im trying to make op feel bad, im judt pointing out that those who have never taken their babies to swimming lessons but seem to be an expert on them dont know what they are talking about

Totally pointless. Money making exercise