Do toddlers need arm bands for swimming?

[rubbishmum33]

Taking my 2.5 year old swimming for the first time next week. Do I need to take any equipment, like arm bands, to help him float? Unsure what’s best.

*by not buy

At 2.5yo, I’d say no armbands but obviously you need to stay at arm length.

It depends if you are taking him as a one off for some fun or if its going to be regular with a view to teaching him to swim.

There are things much sadder than that tbh.

Like nit having enough food in the house - do you remember the stories about free school meals in the hols because otherwise children wouldn’t be able to eat? Now that’s sad (and still not the ‘fault’ of the parents)

Arm bands are great for a fun trip to the pool! Maybe they're not perfect for swimming position but my daughter happily moves about in them during fun swim (and has since she was 2, now almost 3). I'll definitely be looking up some of these other options for swim class, though, to help with learning correct position etc.

You've never been swimming before at all?

I've never managed to get armbands on before they can understand the instruction to hold their arms out rigid - they just let the arm go limp and noodly and the armband doesn't work (would love tips if anyone has them)

To be honest I find the best thing is just to hold them. We have one of the little jackets with floats in for DS2 and I like that too, but holding them is fine when they don't have water confidence. And stick to the kids' pool where they may even be able to touch the floor.

It's really not THAT weird to not go swimming - we only end up going about twice a year because of all the faff. I would like to go more often but never seem to get around to it.

@BertieBotts top tip for armbands. partially inflate so there is still a whole in the middle big enough for your wrist put the armband round your wrist like a bracelet, hold wriggly kids hand and push armband from your wrist onto their arm. Finish inflating whilst it is already in place.

Or sod it and get them a pool noodle instead.

I like the arm bands

For dc1 we did the whole no arm bands thing and toddler swimming lessons. Problem was she was terrified.

For dc2 we then had two non swimmers as dc1 still can't swim independently, so gave them both arm bands and they discovered the joy of jumping in and playing in the water.

It may slow their progress to Olympic glory but they love going swimming now they are able to move around without being held or sinking

My son has swimming lessons and as others have said the instructor advised against armbands as a general rule as it doesn’t get them to kick properly or use their arms. In the classes we use noodles mainly and have used the shark fin occasionally which I personally wasn’t a fan of. we were recommended the disc style armbands and they are amazing! They start off as a set of 3 and then you can detach a disc at a time as they grow more confident in the water. They are perfect at not letting them go underwater and they are so easy to get on and off! Normal armbands are an absolute nightmare!

if your going with the view to teaching swimming etc then maybe just a noodle or you can just support with your arms but if it’s for some fun then armbands or a life jacket/vest. We take the armbands on holiday with us as we have the confidence in the water with him then.

also ignore comments about not taking them swimming sooner. It is a fair bit of hard work to get them there etc we only do it weekly because of the lessons. If he didn’t have lessons he would only go to a pool on holiday etc. I’m sure his childhood hasn’t been that awful because of it

Most places in the UK have a council run pool at least in a nearby town. I get that it's not free but swimming is a life saving skill.

I wouldn’t use arm bands. Just get in the water at his own pace and get his to start kicking whilst you hold his hands. Let him play with goggles beforehand at home so he’s excited to put them on. Let him use them in the bath too!

Get some really good goggles - they make all the difference. Enjoy your swim!

Probably a lot of pools had not opened when this 2.5 year old was born and covid was about so doesn’t surprise me this is the first time, take a noodle flotation devices give a false sense of confidence, stay within arms reach and have fun 🤩

Thank you, I think I tried this and it seemed to freak them out me trying to blow up something on their arm Maybe I have skittish children. Oh well, I have just thought, I could always put the armbands on DS2 who is now 4 and can follow instructions, and put the vest on DS3.

Goggles in the bath is a great idea - that’s how we got DS to wear them (he now insists on wearing the every Bath time, which is less great 🙄)

Don't do what I did and carry your 3rd children around the pool like a baby monkey attached to your hip - he was very happy and safe while I closely monitored his swimming but still young siblings, and I thought he loved the water - he freaked out when he had swimming lessons and didn't have full body contact with someone carrying him about! He took longer than his siblings to learn to swim despite going to the pool loads as a baby and small toddler (he swims fine now, but it was a bit of a setback!).

@Perfect28 it may be a lifesaving skill but they're hardly likely to be proficient swimmers by the age of 2.5 whether they'd be been going regularly or not at all by that age.

Other important life skills: not being a smug dick. One for you and for @Hoghedge90 to work on.

For OP- I hardly took my eldest to a pool until she was almost 5, but within a year she was a cracking little swimmer and she would swim all day ever day now. We used a noodle and played a lot. Try not to feel pressured and just have a lovely time.

Like most other things in life, there is no perfect one size fits all way of doing this.
What I did with mine, depended on which of the local, council run pools we were going to, whether DH was with me, which DC I had (and whether I had both) and how old they were. Over the years, we mainly used a combo of noodles and traditional arm bands. We tried those fin things, swim suits with in built buoyancy and the arm bands with different rings on the arm but never quite got on with any of them. Noodles are clearly better than arm bands in terms of swim position but you have to have confidence that your child won't let go of the noodle and be able to intervene if they do let go.
If they haven't been before, go & have fun... try and get them used to having water splashed in their face (even if only a drop or two at first) ... and, most importantly, make sure you've got a way of getting them warm & dry as soon as they are out of the water.
Are they potty trained? If not, take a swim nappy (plus spares). Most pools sell them but at a vastly inflated cost.

Lol - hi troll! 👋 I didn’t start swimming until I was 5 and am a very competent swimmer. So I don’t feel my child (at the very tender age of 2.5!) has missed out at all!

Thanks to everyone else for the constructive advice.

Quite - to put it bluntly, if any 2.5 year old got chucked in the deep end or swept out to sea they’d be unable to survive anyway sadly, swimming lessons or not. I was also someone who didn’t start swimming until the age of 4/5 and am now an extremely strong swimmer. So the smug comments on this thread are totally uncalled for.

Oh, and when I see those mums taking their three month old babies “swimming” at my local pool, I just feel a bit sorry for them TBH. The mums and the babies.

I also find it funny how people put so much emphasis on children (or rather babies!) learning to swim at such a young age. Like others, I didn’t start swimming till I was at school and would describe myself as a good swimmer now. I’m never going to be competitive level but I’m not a sporty person in general. I love swimming for leisure purposes!

Agree with the above poster.
questions to ask yourself are, do you enjoy it and does your child enjoy it. If so, go swimming. If not, don't.
Questions not to ask yourself are, will I be judged by other people. Especially ones I never met

DS loved it, wouldn’t have taken him if he didn’t. We were taking him mostly for fun, and secondarily to ensure he wasn’t scared of putting his head underwater etc. we weren’t expecting him to swim lengths aged 3, or become an Olympic swimmer.

He’s five now and still loves water. No fear of being underwater or swimming out of his depth. I always think parents who don’t take their children swimming (lessons or otherwise) are missing out on a lot of fun, but obviously the parents have to want to go themselves.