Do you take your kids to swimming lessons?

[Hollywood]

Poll....

I have enrolled DS to start next Thursday, and I feel really guilty that I didn't start him at 6 months.

For those who started their kids after 2 years old, were there any problems at the start? Do they catch up pretty quickly? DS loves the pool but is still pretty clingy. I guess the more often we go the better he'll get.

[Benji]

I started DS at two and for the first 5-6 weeks it was just downright embarrassing. He would whinge, scream, shout, refuse to do anything he was asked.

After the first few weeks, he LOVED IT!!!

I almost pulled him out in those first few weeks, I'm so glad I didn't though because he learned a lot.

Can't take him any more due to money I'd love to be able to take him still. He went for just under a year, weekly.

[Hollywood]

Thanks Ang, that's good to know. I'll keep that in mind and just keep persisting if DS kicks up a fuss.

[Ffrenchknickers]

My 3 eldest go to swimming lessons once a week plus the 2 who are at school do it there also, plus swimming club 5 x a week for DS1. He did not learn to swim until after he was 4 and he is a great little swimmer now.

DS2 was hesitant at first but after we persisted he 'got it.' That was not until he was 3 or 4 though.

DD was great at 6 - 18 months - would put her head under and everything but now, at 2 she hates it!!

I will start DS3 in September and I am also starting as a swimming teacher myself

[~Temet Nosce~]

I take dd swimming (in summer) but not to swimming lessons, can't afford them. We really aren't around water enough anyway, nowhere near a beach, and there is only 3-4 months in the year where it gets warm enough to swim here, rest of the time its freezing, too cold for indoors even.

[ealing]

hi,

Don't worry if you didn't take your child at 6 months. I think that they only say it is good for them so that they don't develop that "fear" of water in the pool with other people. We took DD at 8 months and with each class that she advances to, each term with the change of teacher etc..she still kicks up a bit of a fuss for the first lesson or two and she is now 3 yrs 8 mths.

I come from a long swimming background and started when I was 4 years old. I did the whole swimming club thing, training 6x a week at 5am to 7am twice a day for 5 days a week during high school and then went on to become a swim teacher and level 1 coach. It was the biggest thing that consumed my childhood which kept me fit and healthy and I loved it. We hope to pass that same enjoyment in a sport onto DD and swimming is a skill that you never forget and can use anywhere you go.

[A Party of Five]

I take all five kidlets in summer time as this is the only time of the year that our swimming poll offer them

[becster05]

I picked other as we are just about to start swimming classes next week! My daughter is 4.5 months old and just LOVES the bath, kicking and splashing about is her favourite part of the day I think!! She sometimes cries when we take her out, the poor little button so as you can see I am excited to get her started. It will be good exercise and I am keen for her to be confident in water when she gets older. I didnt learn till I was a lot older and am not particularly confident so didnt want this for my little girl.

[HugsBunny]

I started DS at about 2.5yo and he did REALLY well. Starting them young I think is just about getting their confidence up in the water. I won't be starting any other kids until around 2yo either because swimming lessons are expensive and I don't want to pay $110 a term just to splash water and move bub through the water in a group when I can do it myself for a fraction of the price IYKWIM?

[cja]

DS went to his first 2 week block of daily swimming lessons last January. He had just turned 2. I choose a swim school that doesn't have parents in the water once kids turn 2. I did this for 2 reasons, because I have a younger DD to look after and because I really wanted it to be about DS learning to swim and be safe in the water.

I used to teach swimming and the lessons we used to do for under 2s with parents in the water were all about water familiarisation and fun in the water....we sang lots of songs....sprinkled water etc... I did all this stuff with both my kids myself when they were babies...perhaps I would have gone to lessons if some were available at a pool near me....but really you can do all this stuff yourself for kids under 2.

Lesson 2 and Lesson 3 DS screamed almost the whole time, but we persisted and we had a great instructor and by the fourth day he was fine. At the end of the 2 wks he was kicking, blowing bubbles, responding to the commands 'reach for the side' and 'pull yourself up', I was really happy with it all. Recently did another 2 week block in the April school holidays, it was at our local country pool though....and unfortunately the lessons were not nearly the same standard as the city swim school we went to....but I was happy for DS just to practice all his skills again.

Good Luck