Baby swimming lessons versus just going to the pool?

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We have been doing some baby swimming lessons (around £45 per month at a local pool) mostly as I wanted to gain some confidence about how to handle her in the pool. After going for a few weeks I don't feel we are getting too much out of it - it's just the same singing songs and moving baby through the water which I could easily do by myself without the class. I don't know if the more expensive options like water babies are any better. Will we lose much by stopping the lessons and just trying to go swimming once a week? What age is good for restarting paid lessons? My baby is currently almost 1.

This. Baby swimming lessons are good for getting to know other MC parents that you won't stay in touch with when your dc go to school.

Do you have a friend who will go to the pool with you?

I just went to my leisure centre baby splash from time to time.

It's so pointless. A little baby can get used to water in a bath.

My personal opinion is that they are a waste of money but as others said the commitment can be useful. I suppose in a similar way to play groups & classes it gives you structure and a reason to get out and mix with other parents.
We go swimming as a family and have a few LA pools nearby to choose from. Both kids can swim (4 & 6) and are confident/ relaxed in the pool. Its around £12 for a family ticket and we all enjoy it. I suppose it helps that me and DH are strong swimmer and enjoy it.

That's a good point, I suppose it's the techniques they use and the equipment. They sing songs and play games and it's also watching how the other babies do things, some of the children are slightly advanced so I believe my baby is learning from them too. The teacher explains what they are doing and why, which are all things I wouldn't have known (I'm an ok swimmer myself). I initially just went for fun, but I'm amazed at what they've all learnt. My baby can swim through a tiny hole underwater at about 1.5, do a dolphin dive etc. At the moment he is learning to dive under to pick up a weight at the bottom. It honestly blows my mind. The teacher definitely makes a difference, the first one I had was useless and I was almost going to stop lessons but then I came upon the current one by chance. She is absolute amazing. I'm really shocked that most people on here, including a swimming teacher think they're a waste of time! The 3 year olds in the class are almost swimming now.

I'm really shocked that most people on here, including a swimming teacher think they're a waste of time! The 3 year olds in the class are almost swimming now.

It isn't a waste of time but it is a waste of money. Most pools have sessions with floats etc that you can attend with your children and as you've outlined nothing your sessions do is not something you couldn't replicate yourself. You enjoy it and that's fine but it's silly to think your child couldn't have achieved the same results by just being taken to the pool by a parent.

I don't do lessons with my 1 year old, at this stage I think it's more about preventing any fear of the water and having fun, exposing him to it not being scary to go underneath etc. His older sister is 4 and just started lessons and I agree with PP it is more the commitment of lessons so I take my 1 year old in the other side of the pool while DD is in her lesson and I've also got a membership for a local leisure centre which gives me a kick up the bum to go at least once a week to get our moneys worth. The benefit of that instead is all the family can use it for any of the facilities and it has a soft play/gym etc all included so definitely money better spent.

I did baby swim lessons with DC1 but more because I was lonely and I love water. The teacher actually said at the time that if you as the parent were confident around water and you spent time messing around with your baby at the pool then the lessons were pointless. I was lucky that with our subsequent children I had friends to go and hang out with at the pool so we just did that.

I've been taking my DD 6 months to baby swimming for 3 months. Not gonna lie, it's expensive (£15/lesson).

However, classes are age appropriate and it's been amazing for her to be used to getting water in her eyes, spit water out if it goes in her mouth and floating. The lessons are structured to help the babies learn by triggers eg Mummy says splash splash and baby and Mummy splash together.

I wouldn't have known how to do any of it in the pool alone, and it's given me a lot of confidence with baby so when we do go to the pool on holiday she will be happy.

I'd love to know how many other 2 and 3 year olds can do the same as what the kids are learning in the class I'm in now.
We live near the beach and go on lots of holidays so I was keen for my child to be comfortable in the water, I did think like many it was more just playing but I have been amazed at just how quickly they learn.
Yes I could teach them, but I don't really want to be showing my baby to get weights from the bottom of the pool and maybe force them under longer than necessary, I'd rather pay an experienced professional to do that.
Long term it possibly won't matter anyway as I assume they all catch up, but obviously like anything some will be better than others, like anything, reading, writing, language, maths, music etc
I'd recommend lessons to anyone, to me it's money well worth it.

When DS was little me and DH would take it in terms taking him at the weekend (whilst the other one relaxed)- worked well especially as under 5s swam for free at the leisure centre we went to so just had to pay a few £s for us. He started lessons when he started school and seemed to work well, as long as you're confident enough in the water I wouldn't bother with baby lessons to be honest.

I'd love to know how many other 2 and 3 year olds can do the same as what the kids are learning in the class I'm in now.

Tens of Thousands of them probably more mine included. Like I said it's lovely it's made your child so confident and that you now have confidence to enjoy being in the water with them but what your child learnt at baby swimming is absolutely something you could have taught them. You didn't want to and that's ok but it's not wrong to say it's a waste of money for most people and everything they do can indeed be replicated easily without an expensive class.

I'd rather pay an experienced professional to do that.

This depends on the swim school to be honest, my friend works for one and the training was not overly extensive (she had no experience with children, teaching or swimming either). Interestingly they were taught that a lot is actually building confidence for parents to take their child into the water. Realistically a lot of the techniques are fine in a heated pool but god forbid a young child falls into a cold body or water especially one with currents then at that age it won't make much difference.

End of the day its subjective, if its worth it to one person that's all that matters.

Personally I think the swimming lessons I’ve paid for and been to for my son have been worth every Penny. We’ve been going since he was 13 weeks old, and he’s now 20 months, and so brave in the water, he’s almost(!) swimming independently now and is confident with jumping in, going under etc, but they also teach pool safety, sensible practice around water and all that. I’ve always been adamant that I will do lessons with DS (and any future children) as we live on a farm, he’s often with us on other farms etc and you just never know with streams, rivers, tanks, troughs etc. We also live by the sea. Obviously I’d never purposely let him out of my sight, but you just can’t be too careful imo. My cousin drowned at 3yo so admittedly it’s something I’m particularly cautious about.
That all being said, several of my friends ‘just’ take their little ones to the pool themselves and they get a great deal of enjoyment and experience out of that too.

Yes agree, I'm going to an actual swimming training school rather than lessons at the local pool (not really intentional, just recommended by a friend and we stayed because we liked it). The kids have to wear goggles and swimming caps when they turn 3 so it's quite serious, not just splashing around (and nothing wrong with that either, it's whatever the kids enjoy). Water confidence is the key thing. One of the things they've taught early on (which is what teacher explained and what I wouldnt have thought of) is how to find something when they fall in to grab on to, how to grab onto the side of the pool (my DC child do this easily at about 7m and can stay doing this for a long time) and now they're learning to float on their back. These are under 2's.
I agree you'd never know in a urgent situation, but they he is much more equipped than not having learnt this. And obviously that will only last so long as a baby isn't going to be able to properly swim in deep water.
I'm a good swimmer (aunt taught me) and my husband is an excellent swimmer, I come from a family of people who can't swim so was keen to get my DC started early. My mum started lessons at 70!

I think the same can be said for all baby classes. I like the baby swimming lessons, with both my kids i've done the more expensive ones for 6 months or so then moved to taking them myself then cheaper leisure centre lessons. I prefer the lessons as it makes me go and is something 1 on 1 for me and baby. My friends who haven't done swimming lessons now have 5/6 year olds who cannt swim and are nervous in water as although they took them occasionally they never did underwater/getting sinkera off the pool floor etc. They use arm bands and then wonder why their kids aren't progressing

I personally see 0 benefit to baby sensory, but all of my mum friends rave about it. Can easily be replicated at home as posters have said on here for swimming.

I think a few baby swimming sessions are useful to give you confidence to handle them safely in the water but thereafter, you can do this yourself. Going regularly is useful to keep them confident in the water. Kids who only go once a month often develop a fear between sessions.
Structured lessons before age 3-4 when they are capable of listening to instructions and waiting their turn are pointless and to be honest, by age 7, there is little difference in average swimming ability of the kids that started lessons at preschool age and those who only learnt to swim the summer before. Save your money until they're older!

I teach ducklings so I've had 3 year olds swimming it's rare they are able to swim a long distance. I don't class children swimming doggy paddle as actual swimming, its scary how many people do class this as proper swimming where they are sinking down and clearly struggling. Alot of what is taught in baby sessions has to be corrected in learn 2 swim, such as body position, Aquatic breathing, arm pull and leg kick. They are happy to go under the water and kick but it's getting their buoyancy correct so they are flat on the surface to enable correct body position to swim properly. Hence why as a teacher I don't rate them.

Baby lessons are mostly to provide structure for the parents.

Baby will get as much from the experience of just going with you.

We take our lo swimming (no swimming lessons) to be fair she understands that she needs to move her arms & kick her legs (she isn't a swimmer by any means) but pop her on her tummy and she kicks away 😁 she has grown so much confidence from just being in the water with us, she loves jumping in the pool (although i stand back & let me husband do the catching 🤣)

She is 2.5yo now and I will probably start doing swimming lessons next year sometime.
We just wanted to teach her not to be afraid of water and be confident which she, its a fun thing to do together as a family.

Your lo is still really little, its just about enjoying the water and being together for now.