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

[happyfishcoco]

Is the baby swimming class a "scam" or is it truly beneficial? Can a 6-month-old baby really learn to swim? Some claim that a 6-week-old baby can start joining swimming classes. Moreover, there are a total of seven levels in baby swimming classes, followed by ten levels in toddler swimming classes, amounting to seventeen levels that take around four years to complete. Is it worthwhile to spend £2500 to learn swimming by the age of six? Are the initial seven levels in baby swimming classes of no use? as toddlers can directly join toddler swimming classes.
I'm wondering if anyone has experience with baby swim classes. is it worth anything?

I would say swimming is a life skill, not "value-less activity."
not like other piano, football, drama etc. you won't die for not knowing any of this, but swimming is a must.

cheap toddler fun class
do you mean cheap toddler fun watering class ?(or baby swim class)
I don't have any locally.
just found it, recommended by other pp, still not local, but run by the leisure centre, around £10 per 30mins.

where do you get the number from?
halve it, not even close.

Ours didn't teach this and was just lots of singing and clapping. Even now in advanced toddlers they still don't float. They play the last 5-10 min of the 30 min class and most parents are over there doing core skills in that time. It's a farce we'd quit in a heartbeat if DS, nearly 3, didn't love it so much. That said he does love going underwater.

You are misreading that post. It is a response to you saying that you hadn’t considered that baby swimming might be for the mother and you only do activities for your children. That poster is saying that you do not need to do baby swimming in order for a child to swim when older, but many babies do enjoy it and there is value beyond it being an activity for the mother to enjoy.

Same as baby yoga.
No benefit to the child.
Sole purpose is to improve the health of the instructor.

There is a benefit to the child in spending time with a mother who is enjoying a shared activity. That doesn’t have to be through baby swimming or baby yoga, but if it is, then so what?

My baby "swam" from a few months old. He loves the water, still swims predominantly underwater aged 20! As learnt in class. Plus so confident in the water. So worth it . And yes something to do at the time!!

No I don't think it's a scam and teaches extremely important skills. I've done it with both my child and both by 10 months could hold themselves on the side of a pool without my assistance. By the age of 2 DS1 could 'monkey monkey' around a entire pool - get to the side himself and safe moving along a side until reach a way out.
DS1 can swim independently including underwater by 3 (no arm bands etc) he now does different classes but is happy in the water.
DS2 is 17 months can pull himself out of a pool, kicks his legs and is learning to float on his back.

For me swimming is a life skill so it's important to start them young

We did this and it was the best money I've ever spent!

My daughter made her best friends there and she's now starting school able to swim.

I take my baby and toddler. They love it, and it's a nice thing to do. I can take both of them, which I wouldn't be allowed to do in the council pool. The toddler has got some swimming skills from it, but isn't swimming. She has however learnt things like not to jump straight in the water but to wait till I'm there to help her in, and how to hold on to the edge if she does fall in.

All that said, I didn't go to a pool much as a child at all until I was about 8, when I started swimming lessons. I'm a keen and reasonably good swimmer now, so I know perfectly well that baby and toddler swimming isn't a necessity.

What's the point when children who start later, still reach the same level in the ene?

Them not drowning before they reach the age other people start lessons?

I can't see the point of spending vast amounts of money on baby swimming classes.

Yes, it's important for them to be confident in the water. I just took my children myself from when they were a few months old. They loved the water and were always happy playing in it.

They started formal lessons at 3. I've just checked my daughter's old certificates and she got her 5m badge at the age of 3, her 15m badge at 4 and her 25m badge at 5.

What’s the point of doing anything with your baby? What’s the point of tumble tots if they aren’t going to be Olympic gymnasts? What’s the point of Little Kickers if they aren’t going to be selected for Chelsea? Why read them stories and sing to them if they’ll end up with the same reading age/singing ability in their teens anyway?

It is a fun thing to do with your baby/toddler. If you don’t find it fun, don’t go. If you find going by yourself every week just as fun, do that instead 🤷‍♀️

I wonder how much of this is some sort of jealousy that some people can afford to go to baby swimming with their babies - and decide they are happy spending money on that.

I can’t afford a holiday but loads of people go abroad with their toddlers. That’s equally ‘pointless’ and largely for the parents’ benefit too. They won’t remember it and you can spend time with them in your local park for free, you know.

Sure I could save the £40 a month I spend on baby swimming up and take him away in several years time. But I’d rather do my Saturday morning activity with him. Other people make different choices. And that’s fine.

I think it depends on what you do as a family and where you live.
For us swimming and being around water is a big part of activities we do and we live near 2 rivers not far from the sea. Our 4 year old comes out paddle boarding with us (flat water and his dad and I both have water rescue qualifications before I get flamed!) and although wearing a life jacket it's important he has confidence in water and ability to swim back to the board and hold on if needed. All these things he has learnt since swimming lessons from a baby.

Sadly there is a number of toddlers which drown each year on holidays around pools as they accidentally fall in.

True. For me baby swimming was important and it helped my dc love the water. But imo extracurricular activities ARE important. DS at 3.5 has 3 classes a week we send him to as non-negotiable. DD is older so she gets to choose but she usually has 2-3 afterschool clubs a day plus sporta on weekends.

I found it totally beneficial. All 3 of mine could swim 5m before they turned 3 - enough to get them out of trouble in an emergency or at least give them a chance.

I did it because, despite being a competent swimmer, I am not happy in the water and hate being splashed etc. I wanted them to be confident in the water and I could not teach them that myself.

No not at all jealousy fgs! Mine were both in a competitive swimming club by ages of 7 and 9 each. The 7 year old started proper lessons at 4 and by 6 was happy doing lengths in the swimming club! I was in a swimming club and swimming is something I value. But that doesn't at all equate to spending lots on baby swimming/senory/what have you.

It's countering that baby swimming is somehow necessary or makes you a person who values swimming lessons/clubs as suggested above. It doesn't- it makes you someone willing to go and have a fun session with your baby and at times pay quite a bit for it. Which is great if you enjoy it!

But no need to persevere if baby isn't enjoying it/doesn't like it for some fear they won't learn to swim at 4/5! Having fun is absolutely the main thing.

It's countering that baby swimming is somehow necessary or makes you a person who values swimming lessons/clubs as suggested above.

You seem to be about the only poster saying anything of the sort on the thread.

Almost everyone else is saying that the ‘value’ isn’t necessarily in accelerating swimming or whatever. It’s not a requirement but, if people want to, it can be a nice thing for them and their baby.

The competitive swimming point is irrelevant. The aim of swimming lessons for the vast majority of people is not their child joining a competitive swimming club. It’s certainly not the top priority when most people decide they’re going to baby swimming.

I sincerely hope that none of my children end up doing competitive swimming! I mean, I would be enormously proud of their achievements and supportive and do everything they needed me to in that respect but fuck me I could do without spending that much time hanging around swimming pools