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Speedo event day feedback: non attendees: all your comment about swimming to win a Speedo goodie bag! NOW CLOSED

108 replies

MichelleMumsnet · 29/10/2013 16:18

This thread is for the Mumsnetters who attended the Speedo 'Underwater World' VIP event on Tuesday 29thOctober.

Here's what Speedo have to say, "After new research revealed that 81% of kids wished they could go swimming more often and that a third would rather get a new badge for swimming than be able to ride a bike without stabilisers, Speedo wanted to celebrate this by hosting a unique Underwater World event for kids and parents."

Non-attendees: Is swimming something you do with the whole family? Have you got any tips to share on how to introduce your children to swimming? Everyone who adds their comments or tips about getting kids in the water will be entered into a prize draw to win a Speedo goodie bag.

Attendees: Below are a few questions for you to answer but please feel free to add any other comments you may have.

  • What was your and your DCs overall experience of the Speedo VIP day? Could you describe the day to non attenders?
  • Did you find the swimming lessons and Q&A with the Speedo ambassador helpful and informative, or not? If so, why? If not, why not? What questions did you ask and what response did you get?
  • What did you think about the Speedo products shown to you on the day? Did you like them, or not? Do you think you'd be likely to purchase any in the future? If so, why? If not, why not?
  • What was your DCs highlight of the day?
  • Do you think the day overall helped encourage your children, and yourself perhaps, to go swimming more often and / or to learn to swim?

If you took any pictures on the day feel free to upload them onto this thread. Remember, however, only to take and upload pictures of your own children.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

OP posts:
hench · 03/11/2013 00:30

Non-attendees: Is swimming something you do with the whole family? Have you got any tips to share on how to introduce your children to swimming? Everyone who adds their comments or tips about getting kids in the water will be entered into a prize draw to win a Speedo goodie bag.

We usually go swimming over christmas as a family either on xmas eve or between xmas and NY which seems to have become a nice family tradition. Apart from that we dont usually swim together as a family although most of us enjoy water sports of one sort or another. I think having swum together fairly often when the dc were quite small in a relaxed environment (fun pool, rather than competition pool) was probably key to our continued enjoyment of water.

IceNoSlice · 03/11/2013 06:53

(Non attendee)

My DS loves swimming and it is now something we plan our holidays around as we know he'll be happy so long as he has a good splash every day. We also take him to the local pool weekly.

My tips for taking a baby swimming is to take a change mat as you don't know if the family room or change tables will be busy and this way you can get the baby sorted anywhere. Also take a snack and drink for them for afterwards as they are tired and hungry when they get out.

wonkylegs · 03/11/2013 11:43

(Non Attendee)
DS loves swimming. We do occasionally do it as a family but more-often DH takes DS nowadays as I find most pools too cold (I have joint problems & stiffen up)
I took DS as a baby every week so that he got used to being in the water. We also try to have holidays with access to a pool either on site or a nearby leisure centre.
DS(5) now has swimming lessons which he adores. We did try teaching him ourselves but actually stuff he refused to do for us (lie on his back) he will do for a teacher & to show off in front of his swim class.
DS loves to just be in the water, mucking about his cousins we love those things that you chuck in the water and dive down & retrieve from the bottom.
Goggles have really helped DS come on leaps & bounds in confidence as he hates water in his eyes.

thingsgonnachange · 03/11/2013 12:21

Non-attendee

I love swimming and have made it a priority for my dcs to learn from an early age. One tip is to try to include fun swimming sessions as well as their weekly lessons so that swimming doesn't just have to be about swimming lengths. It's great to be able to see them benefit from their lessons when they can confidently play and dive into the pool safely. And bringing toys is worthwhile when they are starting to learn to swim, looking for a toy underwater is a great way to distract while they are learning to hold their breath underwater and submerge their faces at the same time.

SweepTheHalls · 03/11/2013 13:36

Is swimming something you do with the whole family?
We try to swim as a family ever weekend
Have you got any tips to share on how to introduce your children to swimming?
We have taken the children swimming since they were 3 months old, trying to make it fun, as well as introducing lessons at about age 3 - with 'fun' sessions at the leisure center on weekends as a family so they can see the point of the lessons.

sealight123 · 03/11/2013 17:30

My daughter absolutely adddooooores swimming, so much so that sometimes we catch her putting on her swim vest and armbands to go to the park lol

We tend to do swimming as a family thing, but , unfortunately don't go as often as we'd like :(

When we go on holiday we spend the entire time in the pool :)

One tip I would say is don't rush them..let them dip their feet in the pool first and go at their pace. Truthfully, I didn't have this issue with Livvy as she has always loved the water :)

littlestressy · 03/11/2013 21:30

Non attendee:
I enjoy swimming and go regularly, I take DS swimming for lessons at our pool every week and enjoy taking him for extra sessions in addition to these lessons.
DS has always loved the water and swimming and I think going to structured classes has a lot to do with this. When he was 4 months we tool him to water babies which I found excellent, we stopped this when he was 1 year as it was too expensive and went for lessons at the pool instead.

GetKnitted · 03/11/2013 21:57

non-tester. my family all went swimming together for the first time recently, my only advice for swimming with a baby is to be sure that your costume is not likely to malfunction in a janet jackson superbowl kind of way :)

mydaftlass · 03/11/2013 22:18

Non-attendee
We love swimming as a family. We've taken both girls almost weekly sice they were 6 weeks old. They are totally confident around water and absolutely love our family swims. I let them dunk me, ride me, splash me and jump off me. Swimming is the most fun we ever have together as a family.

Nora2012 · 04/11/2013 09:00

Non-attendee:
DD (10 months) attends waterbabies every week, with either me or my DM, depending who's with her on that day, we've been going since she was 6 weeks old and she loves it. DH and I then take her again every Sunday so he can see how she's progressing and keep her confidence up. It's the highlight of our week and we love splashing around, she's already able to float with armbands and do doggy paddle (or at least a version of). My advice would be to start young and as someone else has said, don't show your worried if the water goes in their mouth/eyes etc. DD loves to dunk her head under or jump in.

ShatnersBassoon · 04/11/2013 10:04

Non-attendee.
We go as a family most Sunday mornings and have a mess around for an hour or so, and the children have a swimming lesson with school and another that we pay for at the local secondary school. They enjoy the messing around on a Sunday morning more now they have some solid swimming skills from the lessons.

I don't really see swimming as an essential skill, but it's a great way for children who aren't sporty to exercise, so we encourage our kids as much as we can. Clumsiness doesn't show in the water Smile

SpookedMackerel · 04/11/2013 10:24

Non attendee.

My children love swimming, but it isn't something we do that often, as I don't like going on my own with two young non-swimmers, even if they wear armbands, I don't like being responsible for both of them. And our local pool doubles its prices at weekends and school holidays, grrr, so it is expensive to go when dh can come too.

So swimming tends to be something we do only when we're away on holiday, which is a real shame.

activekidsyoubet · 04/11/2013 12:19
  • What was your and your DCs overall experience of the Speedo VIP day? Could you describe the day to non attenders?

My children and I had a really positive fun day. My older children already swim a lot. Due to financial reasons we had to give up our membership at a local health club. I'd take the children many times in the holidays and also during the week. They love the water but I'd not got in with them for a while. My little one commented on how much he enjoyed having mummy in the pool which was nice.

Unfortunately due to trains we were a little late arriving but we quickly joined in a swimming lesson whilst the older children went to the other end of the pool. Ratios were excellent. There were lots of pool toys to play with and this certainly had just all enjoying the activities more. The children were engaged :)

  • Did you find the swimming lessons and Q&A with the Speedo ambassador helpful and informative, or not? If so, why? If not, why not? What questions did you ask and what response did you get?

As a previous posted said we weren't so sure there really was a Q/A but the two older children met Steve who was very pleasant and encouraging. I think they would have enjoyed seeing him swim.

  • What did you think about the Speedo products shown to you on the day? Did you like them, or not? Do you think you'd be likely to purchase any in the future? If so, why? If not, why not? The products were good. My children certainly enjoyed playing with them and we are likely to purchase more toys in the future.
  • What was your DCs highlight of the day?

DC1 Meeting Steve Parry, having a fun pool to play in and remembering what play time in the pool felt like (competitive swimmer)
DC2 Asking Steve to watch his fly and playing with the toys
DC3 Having mummy back in the pool with him,

  • Do you think the day overall helped encourage your children, and yourself perhaps, to go swimming more often and / or to learn to swim?

It definitely reminded us about how much fun we have as a family in the water and I'd say we will try and go more often as a result. I think we had simply forgotten.

Thank you to Mumsnet for the opportunity and thank you to Speedo for creating a fun experience in the water.

NettleTea · 04/11/2013 16:33

Non Atendee
My little boy was always anxious in group lessons and frightened when he had to swim at school. I think the best thing I did was to find him a place where the water was nice and warm and found an instructor who specialised in SEN and was very calm. He also shared the lessons with his best friend who was also nervous.
its great to see how his confidence has improved. He isnt learning particularly fast, but he is getting happier and happier, so to me thats a huge step forward and I am confident he will carry on.

runnervt · 04/11/2013 20:01

Non attendee
I have three kids and since moving the two eldest's lessons from midweek to a Saturday morning swimming has become a real family activity. We now all go swimming every week and the youngest is really confident in the water. When the lessons were midweek after school only the kids went in and then we would try and fit in a family swim at the weekend which often didn't happen.

stephgr · 04/11/2013 20:05

Non-attendee. My children love swimming and I have been taking them to our local pool once every couple of weeks since they were babies. They have always loved the water but my daughter has been really resisting learning to swim without armbands so she is now having proper swimming lessons. I think swimming lessons would be the best tip for getting children into swimming.

MrsSpa · 04/11/2013 21:01

I think the key is to get them in the habit of swimming regularly and finding a fun session. We took DD every week to a baby class then to a toddler class from age 4 months. They were really fun, lots of singing and splashing as well as practising arm and leg movements and floating. Once she could walk she had one of the costumes with floats in and the floats were taken out by the teachers gradually. She could swim unaided at 2.5 years! We are about to start regular swimming with DS (4 months tomorrow).

manfalou · 06/11/2013 11:24

Non-Attendee.

Myself and OH met because of swimming... he was my scuba diving teacher so we both want our kids to love the water too. Ds1 loves the pool but we don't go half as often as we would like. I use to take Ds1 during the week when it was quiet but since having ds2 I can't take 2 kids by myself and at the weekend its too busy to take a baby in the pool.

We use the bath as fun water time...yes not quite as fun as the pool but until a time comes when swimming is made more accessible for us this will hopefully keep the fun of water alive

IncaAztec · 06/11/2013 13:08

Non-attendees: Is swimming something you do with the whole family? Have you got any tips to share on how to introduce your children to swimming?

I love swimming and we do this as a family due to adult:child ratios at the pool. My main tip is to introduce swimming from as early as possible. Even if you just go once a week, it improves water confidence and is an easy to do exercise in bad weather!. I would also suggest choosing a pool that is reasonably warm for little ones, otherwise you can't stay in very long as they start to shiver!

Littlemissexpecting · 07/11/2013 10:06

Not attendee

I introduced ds at 5 weeks. Hopefully he will grow up to have no fear of water. I'm not very confident in the water so i hope he will be. I chose puddleducks to begin with to help my confidence and the pool is 32degrees!!
I hope to start going as a family too.

BigGapMum · 07/11/2013 10:45

Non-attendee.
I'm not a massive fan of swimming, but I understand it's importance and I can swim myself, but not brilliantly well.

I took DS to swimming lessons from 5 months, until he started preschool at 3. It gave him confidence in the water and taught him the basics of how to swim. The lessons we had were also quite focused on safety and helping him to preserve his life in water, by teaching him to turn around in the water and find the side of the pool and hold onto it. Later this advanced into jumping in first before finding and holding the side. Before I took DS to the lessons I hadn't considered things like that, but it really is an important skill for him.

We have a fantastic photo on the wall showing DS swimming underwater at 11 months, just like the Nirvana cover. Everyone comments on it.

After DS started preschool we stopped taking him to regular lessons, partly because he was too tired, and partly because there weren't any suitable lesson times available. After taking him weekly I stepped back, and let DH take him to swimming fun sessions when it fits in around the other things we do. They go about once every 2-3 weeks.

Also DS's school has an outside pool attached to it and they go swimming twice a week in the summer term.

VerySmallSqueak · 08/11/2013 16:56

Non attendee.

We rarely swim as a whole family but swim mainly on a weekly basis as 'part-family' (always including DC's).

I see swimming as a non-negotiable essential skill.To make the learning process as smooth as possible and make the introduction to water as easy as possible the DC's have been swimming regularly from babies. The main focus has been fun.
Teaching came after they had got the swimming 'bug'.

BikeRunSki · 08/11/2013 17:50

Non attendee

I love swimming, always have and can't remember not being able to swim. Apparently I taught my sister to swim when I was 8 and she was 4.

When I was expecting my first child was really looking forward to baby swimming classes, and took him to our local baths "Little Nippers" when he was 7 weeks old. There is am absolutely fabulous children's instructor there, and ds went until he started school in September this year. Unfortunately amazing instructor only teaches during school hours, so ds has changed pools to fit in better with school. 2 year old DD goes to amazing instructor's classes now though! I didn't ever really get her going regularly before because I always had DS too, and I wasn't allowed to take both of them in the pool at once.

DS's new lessons are at a private gym, with a fairly large teaching pool. They let me take both children by myself, which is brilliant because DH can't swim and us uncomfortable in a pool. Since we've joined the private pool the children and I pop in quite a lot, or spend hours on a week end afternoon. DS would like DH to come too, but DH is adamant that he has no desire to be in a swimming pool.

Basically, I love swimming and do do both children. I take my children to a lesson each and a fun swim at least once a week. I'd love DH to join us, but no one has been able to persuade him in 40 years !

Swimming is the only thing I am vaguely pushy about. It is a life saving skill, but also an accessible sport for life. I do, or have done, many sports, but swimming is the one I always come back to. I swam a mile the day before DS was born and was back in the water the day I had my 6 week check. I love that swimming can be as gentle or vigorous as you want, so can always fit in with your fitness.

Spirael · 08/11/2013 20:39

Non-attendee here. We try and go swimming every week with DD and have done since she was about a year old. As a result she now absolutely adores the water and seemingly has no fear of jumping in or going under the water.

We make it a really fun family and friends activity, inviting various people to come along with us. It's good fitness too, as while someone stays in the shallow end with DD, the other adults usually end up swimming a few lengths.

They don't start swimming lessons around here until children are 4 years old, which is a bit of a shame because she'd love to start them already! She's 3 at the moment. She can already do most of what is required for the early stages.

So, my suggestions would be to start early and swim regularly!

sharond101 · 08/11/2013 21:17

non-attendee. My 18mo DS wasn't keen on the water until a few months ago when I took him to a Mother and Toddler swim class. They showed me things to do with him in the water I would never have thought of. I now take him weekly when it is quiet and we take a ball from his ballpit with us as it's light enough to float he throws it and jumps in with me to go and fetch it. He loves this and also has learned in the few weeks we have been going to kick his legs which I am most proud of. We time it so lunch is eaten as I get dried and dressed then straight home for a well earned nap.