Page 2 | Is the baby swimming class a "scam" or is it truly beneficial?

mynameiscalypso · 09/07/2023 22:53

Tinybrother · 09/07/2023 22:51

Oh god the underwater photo shoot was the bit I thought was a ridiculous waste of time (I was never going to buy them)!

Same! Covid meant we never got one but I'd already planned to be tactically unwell that week as it seemed so ridiculous

IncomingTraffic · 09/07/2023 22:54

I’ve taken DS3 to baby swimming since lockdown allowed it. It’s a nice activity to do with him. I kept it up and switched to a Saturday when maternity leave ended because we both enjoy it.

I’m not sure it was ever about him learning to swim really. Any more than rugby tots is about preparing him for a rugby career.

Original poster

happyfishcoco · 09/07/2023 22:57

QueenOfWeeds · 09/07/2023 22:24

Our baby swimming lessons say they focus on developing instinctive water safety, ie roll onto back/hold onto the side etc.

I hope we never have to find out if it works or if it’s a “scam”, but I feel better for trying.

your lessons sound like Baby self rescue course, and I see the video, they are amazing! but they are in US, and 1v1. For that, I think is worth it. as I can see the result is very good.

OP posts:

Bubbles100 · 09/07/2023 22:59

I think it’s worth it because it gets your baby used to being in the water, teaches the parents how to handle babies in the water, and I think swimming together is a good opportunity for bonding.

I am not convinced the safety / survival skills they teach babies would have any impact if they fell in, not something I’d ever want to try! As they get older and become toddlers you can at least know that you’ve practiced them splashing in, turning round and holding on and pulling themselves out so they’re aware that’s something they can do. Whether they would in an accident who knows but as a parent I’d rather have given them that opportunity to learn how to save themselves than not.

Original poster

happyfishcoco · 09/07/2023 23:02

Littlemissprosecco · 09/07/2023 22:25

All three of mine did baby swimming, as soon as they were safe with vaccinations, 3 months old I seem to remember. They use their natural ability to hold their breath underwater, teach them to kick, swim to the edge and hold, within weeks.It’s life saving stuff. Truly amazing. They’ve never feared the water and always been strong natural swimmers because of this ( I’m really not good in the water!)

😍yes, that is what I looking for, (and what the AD saying)
I would love to do it if so.
May I ask How long did your DCs attend the classes to become strong natural swimmers?

OP posts:

HappiDaze · 09/07/2023 23:04

It's not a scam as such it's just something to do to meet other mums and get you out of the house

Abouttimemum · 09/07/2023 23:07

I took DS from the age of 4 months mainly because I enjoyed it and it was fun, and also it was something Dad could do on a weekend to give me a break.

DS still goes now at just turned 4 and is swimming independently, jumping, turning and diving underwater and is full of confidence. I have literally no clue if he would have been the same if we started later, probably though.

We’ve always taken him for ‘fun’ swims and waterparks as well as lessons though, and much of his confidence has probably come from just playing with us in the water.

Goldencup · 09/07/2023 23:09

I did it with both of them. As others said knackered them out. Both were swimming independently with bands or a woggle by 3 (DS) and 2 (DD) then without aids (25m) by 5. Both very strong swimmers now. I think it helped, we did go swimming outside the lessons too most weeks.

Original poster

happyfishcoco · 09/07/2023 23:13

Tinybrother · 09/07/2023 22:51

Oh god the underwater photo shoot was the bit I thought was a ridiculous waste of time (I was never going to buy them)!

how come!? I love it soooooo much!
this is something I would recommend to everyone.

OP posts:

UsingChangeofName · 09/07/2023 23:14

I'm not sure if 'scam' is the right word, as others have said.

I mean, it is of no benefit to the babies, but for many Mums, it is a 'commitment' so they will go regularly rather than perhaps not getting round to it without that commitment.
It is a way for new Mums to meet other Mums with babies of a similar age.
It is something to get new Mums out of the house - like all of these classes, it provides a bit of structure to the week now maternity leave is so long, and provides a framework to meet other parents of babies.
There is nothing the babies will learn that they wouldn't get from you taking them yourself.
No point in taking them to lessons before they are 4, when they might be able to follow instructions.

LoisPrice · 09/07/2023 23:16

No need to have “lessons”

just take baby swimming yourself every week and get them playing in the water.

Tinybrother · 09/07/2023 23:16

Abouttimemum · 09/07/2023 23:07

I took DS from the age of 4 months mainly because I enjoyed it and it was fun, and also it was something Dad could do on a weekend to give me a break.

DS still goes now at just turned 4 and is swimming independently, jumping, turning and diving underwater and is full of confidence. I have literally no clue if he would have been the same if we started later, probably though.

We’ve always taken him for ‘fun’ swims and waterparks as well as lessons though, and much of his confidence has probably come from just playing with us in the water.

I think this is true, we swim once a week as a family in top of lessons and my two who didn’t do baby swimming are just as enthusiastic and confident as the one that did. It’s just generally lots of exposure to the water as well as children with temperaments that suit it (I know a few children who just hated going into water when they were small and needed time to be old enough to get over that).

captainsandyscrew · 09/07/2023 23:19

QueenOfWeeds · 09/07/2023 22:24

Our baby swimming lessons say they focus on developing instinctive water safety, ie roll onto back/hold onto the side etc.

I hope we never have to find out if it works or if it’s a “scam”, but I feel better for trying.

Our baby swimming lessons focus on this too.

I've been going since baby was 2 months old - safety aspects aside it's definitely a social/fun thing for us to do together (we have a lesson with 4 NCT friends and always have a coffee after). It's really helped my confidence taking my baby swimming solo after too

Businessflake · 09/07/2023 23:21

happyfishcoco · 09/07/2023 23:13

how come!? I love it soooooo much!
this is something I would recommend to everyone.

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You think swim lessons are a scam but you love the photo session?

Littlemissprosecco · 09/07/2023 23:23

happyfishcoco · 09/07/2023 23:02

😍yes, that is what I looking for, (and what the AD saying)
I would love to do it if so.
May I ask How long did your DCs attend the classes to become strong natural swimmers?

Show quote history

I think it was true underwater swimming ( called Water Babies) to begin with, by the time they were one they could swim a width under water to the edge and crawl out. I remember going on holiday when my eldest was six months old and hubby just throwing her away from him in the pool, she’d turn under water and swim towards him ( reaching for him, or the pool edge if he moved away), people were amazed!
As they get older, they lose the reflex of holding their breath under water, but if they’ve started early enough it becomes something they’ve learned. So then they naturally start to come up to take breaths and go back under, then they stay above water more and more. It’s a very clever natural process. Because they’ve learnt to kick legs and pull arms to you or the edge from three months old, as they get older, all they do is just modify that into proper ‘strokes’ , it makes it quite easy.

TheaBrandt · 09/07/2023 23:35

If you enjoy it as a parent and can easily afford it then its worth it.

I detested these lessons with a baby so binned them and was made to feel my child was somehow deprived 🙄. She learned to swim properly aged around 6 with proper lessons like most people..

Original poster

happyfishcoco · 09/07/2023 23:38

Businessflake · 09/07/2023 23:21

You think swim lessons are a scam but you love the photo session?

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Why not?
if they cannot teach a baby to swim, yes, that is a scam.
I know what I pay for the photoshoot, baby in the water, and they did give me that.

OP posts:

IncomingTraffic · 10/07/2023 07:19

happyfishcoco · 09/07/2023 22:57

your lessons sound like Baby self rescue course, and I see the video, they are amazing! but they are in US, and 1v1. For that, I think is worth it. as I can see the result is very good.

Show quote history

My lessons have been mostly safety focused in this way.

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 10/07/2023 07:29

I did the parent & baby lessons at our local pool. I could never afford the upfront cost for Swimbabes/Waterbabies etc. The local pool lessons cost £1 more than an adult swim, and included a swim nappy.

I didn't ever think that they'd teach ds to swim. I did think that they'd give me a structured activity for 30 mins, plus journeys into town, opportunity for a coffee out etc.

As it happened, DS was swimming independently without any floats by 3, and was a club swimmer for a few years. I didn't do baby lessons with dd, although I did take her swimming from time to time as a baby. She started lessons at three, but hates swimming. Ironically she is far sportier than ds, just not swimming. Obviously this could be down to many differences between my dc, as much as whether I took them as

IncomingTraffic · 10/07/2023 07:38

UsingChangeofName · 09/07/2023 23:14

I'm not sure if 'scam' is the right word, as others have said.

I mean, it is of no benefit to the babies, but for many Mums, it is a 'commitment' so they will go regularly rather than perhaps not getting round to it without that commitment.
It is a way for new Mums to meet other Mums with babies of a similar age.
It is something to get new Mums out of the house - like all of these classes, it provides a bit of structure to the week now maternity leave is so long, and provides a framework to meet other parents of babies.
There is nothing the babies will learn that they wouldn't get from you taking them yourself.
No point in taking them to lessons before they are 4, when they might be able to follow instructions.

There is plenty of value that babies get out if and learn from these sessions.

Sure they’re not teaching them to produce 50m butterfly stroke with a legal turn, but no one claims that the lessons are going to teach that. They get opportunities to practice different motor skills, to learn to listen for cues and instructions, focused one to one time with a parent doing something just for them.

Unless you think that doing anything with babies is a waste of time, then it’s not a scam.

My 2 year old can swim with aids. He’s very independent with his shark fin on, but he can swim with a woggle too. Has been able to for months. His whole class can now all let go of their parents and swim a bit/do a game with the fins on. Yes, you can build confidence and get them to this point without lessons - but that doesn’t make the lessons a scam.

The pool I go to doesn’t do underwater photo shoots. It’s still very popular, because lots of people do want to do the lessons with their small children.

RNBrie · 10/07/2023 07:45

DC1 - started swimming lessons at 3 and is very proficient swimmer. (Now 11 yrs old)

Dc2 - we had an au pair who just took her to the local pool once or twice a week for fun. She could swim as in "not drown " by 2 but didn't know any of the formal strokes. Started lessons at 3 and is "advanced" in that she's always been the youngest in each level at classes. She's 9 now.

Dc3 - did baby swimming one a week and then lessons at the same place as dc1 and 2 when she turned 3. She's our least natural swimmer and progressing through the levels slowly. Did baby swim help? I don't think so. But it was a fun activity she enjoyed... it was expensive but we would afford it which we couldn't with dc1 and 2.

If money is an issue, I wouldn't bother.

MoserRothOrangeandAlmond · 10/07/2023 07:48

I've took my daughter swimming since she was 8 weeks old ( had to have a break from 9 months due to Covid restrictions)
She loves the water, very confident . Baby classes are very expensive.

YeCannaeChangeTheLawsOfPhysics · 10/07/2023 07:54

It's no more a 'scam' than baby sensory, or baby gymnastics or baby music classes.

Mostly it's to give mum something to do.

I did a bit of each with baby no 1 and didn't bother with baby no 2

ChipsAreLife · 10/07/2023 07:54

I don't think it's a scam as such. We do them at the leisure centre being going since 6 months and he's almost 3. He absolutely loves it. Highlight of his week. He can actually swim with a noodle, but he can also safely get in and out the pool, blow bubbles and does jumping Im where I catch up. Costs us about £25 a month, plus he can swim for free at weekends etc as part of that.

He tends to spend most of the time doing his own thing though. My eldest two didn't do it. They started lessons at about 4 and are both good swimmers.

I would try it and if they enjoy it great, if not don't bother.

LobsterCrab · 10/07/2023 07:56

Hi OP, I took my DC to baby swimming classes and they all swam confidently from a young age. Maybe they'd have been able to anyway, who knows!