Are swimming lessons pointless for under 3's?

[littleoranges]

I have just come back from a holiday with my 13 month old, who last year, was absolutely fine in the water, didn't even flinch in an unheated pool. However, this year he was totally different and did NOT like the water. Heated too. I have taken him a few times to the local pool and he has been fine, arguably, not for a little while now. Just wanted to know if swimming lessons for under 3/4 year olds are pointless/ waste of money? Should I just make the effort and take him myself in the hope he builds up his confidence with the water again, and then start lesson when he is a little older?

Absolutely not a waste of money. My child was jumping in (with armbands on) at 18 months old due to confidence from swimming lessons. My girls both started as babies. DD1 had over a year off due to Covid, and was terrified when she restarted at age 2 and a half. It confirmed to me how vital the lessons had been in instilling water confidence. Both DDs are 7 (nearly 8) and 5, and are confident swimmers. The lessons are worth every penny.

It’s not linear.

I agree they should be take. To a pool from a young age to learn not to be afraid and also basics around the safety of water.

we lived abroad when ds was born with a pool in the complex. Ds first went in at 6 weeks!

we returned to the UK and he started lessons at 4. He was always behind others and took much longer to get the confidence to go to the shallow end of the big pool which was exactly the same depth as the teaching pool! (In hindsight I think it’s because he’s autistic and was taking the water safety aspect literally!).

But he loved swimming. Struggled to grasp it at the same speed as his peers but at 12 decided to join a club because he loved it. Again lived up through squads as one of the oldest in each stage.

won his first British title in 2022 and this year his first international medal.

So my advice is to focus on the water safety and being able to keep themselves safe aspect but look to the formal lessons when they are ready.

But also to consider not everyone will love swimming. Some can be safe and that’s enough to keep themselves safe - others will love it and take it up as a sport.

Personally think swimming lessons are a total waste of time until about 4.

Under 1 and they can become water confident via the bath. We always tipped water over their heads while hair washing etc from tiny. Age 1-3 take them swimming sure but no need to go every week.

Both of my kids learned quickly via lessons at 4 without any prior lessons and only going to the pool recreationally.

Obviously people who have paid out will think it’s worth it - but they’ll never know whether their child would have learned just as quick without them. (And comparing to a sibling is pointless as obviously each child is different - one of mine is more cautious than the other, and was a bit slower but still swimming within 6 months).

I think taking them swimming regularly is good, for all the reasons people have already stated above.

Whether that needs to be a structured lesson or just a splash about with a parent in the local pool is debatable - we've done both and really I think just being in the water at that age is the important thing.

I don't think the structured lessons add a lot for babies other than a social context and seeing other babies/ toddlers, which is always nice, but you can do that in other places too.

When they are older it will be more useful as they will actually learn more but I think when they're so tiny it's just about getting used to the water.

Our local baby/toddler/preschool swimming class took from 3 months. My eldest started at 3 months. My youngest due to the fact it was term time only (and the time of year she was born) had to wait till she was 5 months. I absolutely loved the classes. We were lucky to have a brilliant teacher. Honestly the classes kept me sane in those early years and I really looked forward to the classes each week.

My eldest took the classes till 4 years (when COVID struck). She has a mild physical disability, but despite this had learnt to swim short distances by this point. When she was able to start Stage 1 lessons post COVID at 5 years she could already swim so it made progression much quicker. She is now 10 and a competitive swimmer with near county times. It's such an amazing sport for her as she gets too much pain doing other sport.

My youngest unfortunately had to stop lessons before her 2nd birthday due to COVID. We sadly never got the chance to go back due to a house move. Unfortunately where we moved to didn't have availability in there toddler lessons once they reopened due to a massive backlog. I took her swimming once or twice a week though. Due to years of lessons with my oldest I also knew what to do with her. She was swimming short distances independently by 2 and a half and by 3 could swim the full width of the pool (12 and a half metres). She is now 8 and is a really strong swimmer for her age. Speed isn't her strong point. Whenever they do personal survival or life saving aspect in her lessons she really shines though.

I see so many kids start lessons who are terrified of the water. I'd definitely say lessons aren't essential earlier, taking them every week though is. Consistency is definitely key. I also think lessons teach you as an adult how to teach your child to swim which is definitely a great thing. Kids that start group lessons at 4 or 5 without a swimming background often take a long time to learn to swim. There is one lad who started lessons at 4 and is only now at 8 able to swim short distances.

My child could swim well at 18 months. Went for swim lessons from 6 months (may have been earlier). No regrets.

Ha ha no they couldn’t.

Unless your definition of “swim well”
means a few seconds of doggy paddle (aka not swimming well).

Kids develop the physical coordination necessary for actual swimming at about 4.

It builds confidence which helps the transition into proper swimming lessons.

As PPs have said, the pre school lessons are more about building confidence rather than learning to swim. So they are beneficial as confidence is half the battle when they start proper lessons but just taking them regularly yourself and making sure they are happy jumping to you, going under, being splashed and trying to kick around without you holding them would be just as beneficial.

My biggest regret is not having the kids learn from an extremely young age, all the kids I know who did this have an ease in the water, plus you think you’ll start them at the right age but it’s something that’s easy to put off

My DD has been going to lessons since she was 4 months. At the start it's just to get them used to the water and I was in with her, but since 3 she's been in by herself and can now swim. She's not brilliant yet but she can do a width etc by herself. They're learning how to deal with getting into trouble in the water too, to get them to float on their back or climb out if they can.
It's definitely worth doing, she does love it though and always has, so can see it might be tricky if they're not keen.