Toddler swimming schedule advice

[ChilliconBluey]

Looking for some advice around swimming with my 2 year old who has a very strong gag reflex and often ends up throwing up when crying/too much food in mouth/faced with an offensive smell/coughing (this is relevant).

Our non-swim days are breakfast at 7, snack at 9.30, lunch at 11, nap at 12. Swimming is at 11.30, and we’re home for 12.35. Last week, after a long break from swimming (illnesses over Nov and then Christmas), we were to retiurn to the pool. I gave him a big snack at 10, hoping it would hold him till the car journey back where he could drink some water, eat a snack and then some milk before nap and lunch at 2 when he woke up. He ended up swallowing loads of water and throwing up 😭😭😭

Thankfully I made it to the side and none went into the pool (just both of us). The instructor was lovely and told us to wash up, and I later found out expected us to return. We cleaned up and left, the instructor with her back to us, teaching the rest of the class. I was beyond mortified and sent an apology message, and she was understanding and grateful for not having to close the pool to clean it. DS went to sleep fairly quickly and nothing else came up.

My questions are, what and when can I feed DS to keep him from getting hangry at 11.30 and the lesson being pleasant? Does anyone else have experience of children with a strong gag reflex? Should I delay swimming until he’s a bit older and out of napping? Anything else I haven’t considered? Alas a change in swim time is not on the cards as the way this company operates is each subsequent level is half an hour later than the previous one.

Thank you for making it this far and grateful for any advice 🙏🏽

I don't think the snack is particularly relevant here, kids inhale pool water and gag all the time!

This wasn’t a gag. This was vomit. Chunks of food, mercifully just over both of us.

Keep any pre-swimming snack very simple and plain. Rice cakes?

I always took a non'-messy snack, tiny cheese sandwiches, fruit slices etc in a little tupperware box in the swim bag. Get the toddler dressed straight away, then they sit and eat the snack in the cubicle while you change. Or you dress first,while they sit in a towel robe with their snack, whichever you prefer.

Thank you! I should have asked for advice sooner - we had swimming today and despite a snack at 10, he was zonked and starving by the end. Screamed home and screamed himself to sleep without anything to eat (though I offered in the car and not in the changing room…☹️). No vomiting though!

Hopefully will have my proverbial together for next week!

If the swimming lessons are causing stress around food timings, naps and being sick then honestly I’d just give them up for a while. For the most part kids aren’t really capable of learning to swim properly until 3-4 years old both in terms of physicality and ability to follow instructions! And when they start proper lessons at around 4 you really can’t tell who did baby/toddler lessons and who didn’t.

OP I would try what @Wherehavetheyallgone has suggested but honestly if you really want to stick to a rigid routine and if swimming is causing you stress then honestly I wouldn't bother. I'd just take him myself to enjoy playing in the water at a time that suits you without doing lessons and you'll all enjoy it so much more. Otherwise it will become this big event that stresses you out. I remember doing baby swimming with DC1 and she'd always fall asleep in the car on the way and was often like a bag of cats during the session. With DC2 and 3 I didn't bother with lessons and just brought them to the pool

I’d sack the swimming off unless you both absolutely love it. I just took mine for fun at times convenient to us and then they started lessons aged nearly 5. I just saw swimming lessons at that age an expensive toddler class that we didn’t need!

I'd just stop swimming until older.

I agree with @Onemorespoon about toddler lessons.

Thank you everyone - sensible advice. I am a non-swimmer and have (until reading your advice) been adamant that both DCs will be water babies as soon as humanly possible. Though if there’s no discernible difference at 4 between those who did toddler classes and those who didn’t, perhaps just having a play in the pool will help with being comfortable when he can follow instructions and naps are off the table. And it will definitely reduce stress levels.

Grateful for the input all! 🙏🏽

I have three kids, and of course, the last one has so many less opportunities, because trailing two kids along for baby swimming and toddler classes was just too hard.
Guess what, the last one became a competitive swimmer representing NSW for butterfly and an absolute beauty to watch.
Don't over stress about this. Give swimming classes a break, do stuff at home, and for swimming classes later , the ability to sit still, listen, wait for turn and follow instructions, is far more important than having started swimming very early.
You can work on those skills in the comfort of your home, go to the pool with him for play time when it suits, and join again a swimming class in a year or two.

Just to offer some additional advice as my child also had a really intense gag reflex and would vom if water splashed her face for years (even though she LOVED swimming) I would say that for us, keeping that face out of the water was the only way to enjoy and progress with swimming. So we would use swim aids that held the face well clear of the water - no it's not going to be as effective for learning to swim but needs must.

Neither of mine did formal baby/toddler swimming lessons but they're brilliant swimmers now.
Just take him swimming at a time that suits you both so he can have fun splashing around, doesn't have to be proper lessons

This, bring the snack earlier also. Peanut butter sandwiches and bannana chips were our post swimming go to. DS is 21 he still talks about found memories of eating this in the changing room.

I’d quit the lessons. You might actually make it worse for them as they’ll start to associate vomit and upset with swimming. Just go have a play now and again and go back to it when you’re done with naps

My children are strong swimmers and we started young. I don’t think it’s where we went so going to the council pool just us would have been as beneficial as expensive toddler lessons, it’s more keeping up with it and keeping them swimming.