Toddlers: 24 Months+
blushingbride_08
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Swim lessons
blushingbride_08
member
I'm hopping over from the other board. My LO is 14 months old. What is a good age for starting swim lessons? I personally feel like he is too young to understand if I tell him to blow bubbles or kick his legs. Classes are a bit expensive so I would like to take him when he will learn the most. Right now he is content playing in the bathtub lol. What is the ideal age to start swim lessons when it will not to a waste of money since I'm on a tight budget?
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Re: Swim lessons
As a swim instructor turned swim coach I agree with the PPs; the sooner you get him in the water the better. It might only be about exposure and he may only develop a comfort level with the water, or he may really take to it and develop skills much early than you think he's capable of.
I lived in South FL as a young child and could swim independently before I could walk. DD has been in the water since her stump fell off, but for her it's a slower process and about gaining comfort and confidence. She's been behind in every gross motor skill and is a very careful child, so it fits her personality. If I waited until she was older to start lessons I don't doubt it would just delay independent swimming that much longer. Anyway, my point is that it's different for every kid.
DD2 8.22.13
MMC 1.4.17 at 16w
Expecting #3, EDD 1.29.18
We paid $50 for Saturday swim lessons when he was 15 months when we started. It was the 6 to 18 month class. This got him more in love with the water. We go swimming when we can and my MIL watches him during the week so during the summer we know he will be at the pool a lot. MW and I also love water so we needed to make sure he could handle himself in water.
If you will not be taking him to the pool a lot, I would wait until he is closer to 3 years old so that he gets the intro to water and the initial swim classes at the same time.
We just did a swim class with DD who just turned 3. It is through our local swim club and they actually do a really good job. For DD it didn't work so well though. She loves the water and we go to the pool almost every day in the summer.mshe just HATES getting her face wet and will not do anything if there is even the slightest chance of getting her face wet. She basically had one girl that was her teacher, so one on one attention. She finally got over the the being separated from momma part but just didn't want to do anything besides blowing bubbles, kicking and floating. She loves jumping with me because she trust that I will catch her. So for her it was sort of a bust even though it was a small victory that she at east went in the water with someone else. I won't be putting her in swimming lessons probably for another year. She a a very stubborn child so forcing it is going to back fire. I figure I just do lots of pool time with her and hopefully get her over the fear of getting her face wet (she hates having her hair washed too). In the mean time she is having a blast in the pool.
The non mommy and me classes here seem to start at 3 and for a lot of kids that works fine. In the class before DD were kids about 3-4 and they were all having a good time, dunking their head under water etc,.
Hopefully DD will get past this sometimes in the next year because I feel that it is very important for her to be ale to swim.