What helped your child feel confident in the water? Win 6 months of swimming lessons!

[MaddyMumsnet]

Every child approaches water differently - some dive straight in, others need more time. If your child has grown in confidence around water, what do you think helped most?

It could be something big or something small:

• a particular moment
• a teacher or class
• starting young (or later!)
• just time and repetition

If you’re happy to share, your experience might really help another parent who’s still figuring it out.

As a thank you for taking part in this discussion, Puddle Ducks are offering one child the chance to win 6 months of swimming lessons (worth £400–£500).
Details here if you’d like to take part:
https://www.puddleducks.com/win-six-months-of-swimming-lessons

Going regularly was the key for us. Lots of water play at the local swimming pool and lots of bath times at home.

Going in with them and making if fun! When a child has sensory issues it's amazing the positive impact buoyancy and freedom to splash around has.

We took our son swimming three times a week on average from age 3 months. One time per week in a swimming lesson (in term time) and the other twice at the gym we were members of - he is free to go at certain times until age 4 and thereafter £20 a month so good value as Swimming is so expensive at our local pool. Regular lessons and perseverance seem to work

Its difficult if you're not confident yourself, I was lucky in that regard and both mine swam by 3.
A key strategy I think is allowing the face and head to go completely under water. So many people cant swim properly because they hold their head up. The first thing I did with my kids and have done with grandson, is to have them slip into the pool from sitting on the side, holding them and supporting them while they go completely under, momentarily. With big smiles, repeat 100 times! Then start the usual floating etc . Works a treat.

I love the water, so didn't expect problems. Took him from an early age and he hated it. Let other people help him, no better. Let it go until he was older.

What eventually worked, when he was about 8, was letting him face the side, in the shallow end, take a pace back, and launch himself at the side. Grab on. Take two paces back, launch himself at the side. Grab on. Repeat, stepping further back each time as he felt safe to do. Eventually found he could swim to the side.

A lot of this was about him being fiercely independent and determined to do everything his way.

Going regularly. Swimming on holiday really helped my youngest confidence (sunshine and a warm pool!)

My child could swim from 18 months. Hard slog, lessons and ignoring when they dont want to go. Tough, it's a life skill that is needed.

Going to a warm pool as a family to start with

For me it was using the pools that have a really shallow area that's fun for toddlers and that gradually turns into deeper water
It meant they could just play in The shallows if they wanted and then gradually get bolder

I also love pools of lots of equipment to play on (fountains and little toys and slides) a d little waterfalls you can go under and areas for jumping off. It makes swimming into a real adventure

We started with lessons very young, a few months old. It really gave them lots of confidence and they see it as part of family life. We are lucky to have a great leisure pool near us with lots of play areas and shallow pools where toddlers can just paddle.

I almost lost the will to live with swimming lessons!! My DDs had them from the moment that they were old enough … but they went on for years and years! Eventually on holiday I said whoever could swim unaided across the pool first could have the newest Barbie doll. DD1 just swam straight across the pool. DD2 looked so pissed and swam straight across the pool right after her! So yeah bribery was what helped both my DDs feel confident in the water, when arm bands, floats and rubber rings failed 😂

Going regularly and no pressure. One of my DC was very nervous in the pool when they were young but it did pass. It helps if the water is warm, our closest swimming pool was absolutely freezing so worth travelling further to a better one.

Goggles in the bath really helped mine with water confidence and getting used to putting their face in the water.

That and going regularly.

We take ds7 swimming for an hour most weekends to supplement the weekly 30 minute lessons - this has made the biggest difference. I can reinforce what his teacher has explained in the previous lesson by showing him what to do - it is so much easier to teach someone in the water rather than demonstrating on the poolside!

With the extra practice ds is improving rapidly and has almost finished stage 5. His best stroke is currently butterfly!

First one i went to mother and baby lessons then he gad lessons on his own, 2nd had lessons at school but both benefitted from my mum having a swimming pool, My youngest though my mum had the pool when he was small was always nervous . The worst thing was a couple of times had gained his confidence then had a couple of incidents in water that lost his confidence again. it was only while on holiday when he was about 9 0r 10 and he was spending time in baby pool when other kids having fun in big pool. I made decision he needed proper lessons ( he had lessons at school too but wouldnt swim without arm bands).
Within 2 lessons he was out of arm bands swimming great but took months for him to get to jumping in. So important for kids to learn to swim i am glad he got the lessons just wish had done sooner as school lessons arent enough for some children.

Practising with family outside of lessons

Going on holiday with a pool really helped my two build confidence initially and then really regular access to the water just for fun

What helped our 3yo was going on holiday and having a pool in constant access and warm weather! The relaxed vibes and ‘any time access’ and the fact we went a couple times a day for a week really helped. He was reluctant at the start of the holiday but jumping in by the end!

We had a warm pool (warm for most of the year) more or less on the doorstep, so I took dd1 almost every day. At just under 2 she decided one day that she wanted to take her armbands off and jump in the deep end (where I already was). So I said OK. She came up swimming in a sort of tadpole wriggle, perfectly at home. Dh worried for a while that she wasn’t coming up for air often enough, but of course she did. She never looked back and by 3 was retrieving e.g. coins from the bottom of the deep end.

Started from 8 weeks and she’s loved it so far (18months)