# age to begin swim lessons?



## ehunter27 (Apr 12, 2007)

My son will turn 4 in a few days. We've had a hectic month w/ the beginning of school and many many family birthdays (9 in one month). Thus, I had decided to put off swim lessons until a sesson that begins early/mid November.

My MIL seems to think otherwise--she basically gave me an earful about how I should be taking him to open swims, etc. I also have a toddler, who is 22 months old, and work 2 days a week. My husband is gone from 6:15-5:30 every day for work, so he isn't available for any open swim times except weekends. Most weekends this summer we spent w/ my in-laws. We did the lake and beach A LOT (not much w/ them--they are NOT active people and usually want to sit on a boat, in a restaurant, etc.). Anyway, I'm sort of irked at my MIL for butting her nose in and would like some info on a good age to start. I figured pre-schoolish, as my DS would be more ready and comfortable in the "lesson" setting.

Any opinions or web links?

Thanks.


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## lifeguard (May 12, 2008)

I taught for many years & most children seemed to be quite ready at somewhere between 3 & 4.

The most important thing I have found is that if you go long periods of time (months) between lessons or time spent in the pool most children will regress. So those people who did swim lessons in the summer were always disappointed to find their child was no longer ready for the next level.


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## leighi123 (Nov 14, 2007)

Ds did full swim lessons last summer before he was 2. By the end of the 6week program he could float on his back for extended periods, climb out of the pool, swim across the whole pool stopping to breath/rest when needed.....

This summer he took a 1week refresher course, and is a fish! He is learning front crawl and diving now, and can dive to the bottom of the pool as well. He turned 3 in July.

I think the sooner the better - a friend of mine waited until her DD was nearly 4, and she just flat out refuses to do it every other class.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Im planning to start tomorrow. DS will be 1 on Thursday.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

As an infant, ideally. A huge part of swimming is comfort in the water. If you start them really young and keep going consistenly they get comfortable and are not afraid. Our swim program starts teaching basic water safety at the infant age too (how to find the wall if you fall in, backfloating, etc).


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## pigpokey (Feb 23, 2006)

Well it's not too late now, and it's not too early. What are the goals? I am aware that people that start as adolescents / adults can have difficulty keeping water out of their noses. I don't know any data on that or whether it is an issue in late childhood.

I always thought swimming was a relatively easy thing to do with my babies year round so we did so. I did not always care for the pack up / unpack but as long as we were in a nice warm pool we always had a good long time of peace and fun. Look for a pool 88-92 degrees if possible. If you can't find it you can try a pool about 85 degrees. With my kids' physiology, as preschoolers they would only make it 20-30 minutes in an 85 degree pool. The problem with that length of swim is it is discouraging for mom (I worked an hour or more for this?) and swim development will take longer than with longer sessions.

It was important to me personally that my kids were independent in the water as soon as possible because I remember what joy swimming was for me as a child and it seemed to me that I'd rather they were having a blast swimming at a younger age rather than waiting until they were 5 or 6.

You may also want to google the Warm Belly Wetsuit product.


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## OkiMom (Nov 21, 2007)

My daughter is 3 1/2 and Im trying to convince DH to take her and teach her to swim. Hes a much better swimmer than I am and he doesn't have another toddler and a pregnant belly to work around. He needs to find the time where he is going to be here to do it.

I was going to sign her up for lessons but 1) morning sickness struck and 2) DH was sent to train in another country. Im kind of glad i didn't though because I found out the "lessons" are like a glorified song time. All they do is have the kids jump into their parents arms and then they stand around and sing for an hour or so. Not something I was to spend 50 per month on.


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## GardenStream (Aug 21, 2007)

We always took the kids to open swims just to make sure they were comfortable in the water. We tried the first lesson without a parent just after DS1 turned 4. He did OK, but not great. We had a pool installed about a month ago and he loves to swim. I'll probably try him in swimming lessons again next spring/summer when I can work with him at home as well.


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## MyFullHouse (Apr 23, 2010)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ehunter27* 
Any opinions or web links?

I'll be the odd man out and say "whenever".

My oldest's first lesson was at age 9. My niece's first lesson was at 11 months. My 8yo has never had a lesson, but *really* improved over the past summer. So much so that we're thinking of signing her up for a beginner's swim team.

My sisters and I grew up in the water. My parents emphasized safety rules, but we learned to *actually swim on our own. I've pretty much done the same with my own kids, but with a little more encouragement on the instruction side. They've all been IN the water since infancy.

That said, most of my kids have never been near an ocean, and our pools and lakes (walk-in lakes, not docks) are private and never crowded. I might feel differently about formal lessons, otherwise.


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## AirMiami (Feb 3, 2009)

My 20 month old just started her swim classes, but our park district classes are very affordable, only $30 for an 8 week session. My dad has been taking her, but as far as I can tell it's more about getting used to the water and having fun rather than learning to swim. I intend to keep her in swim lessons continually for as long as she likes it because I'd like her to be a more capable swimmer than me. I stink so much that I'm going to start swim lessons next session too!


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## MJB (Nov 28, 2009)

Both of my kids learned to swim at 3.


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## laohaire (Nov 2, 2005)

You're asking us if it's ok to wait TWO MONTHS to start swim lessons until things settle down? Of course!

I think people are just responding to the question in your title, which is a lot different from the question in your post.

Nobody is going to have web links to prove it's ok to wait two months - because it's not even worth proving







You're the mom, tell MIL thanks for her opinion and then just do what's best for your family.


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## ancoda (Oct 17, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *laohaire* 
You're asking us if it's ok to wait TWO MONTHS to start swim lessons until things settle down? Of course!

I think people are just responding to the question in your title, which is a lot different from the question in your post.

Nobody is going to have web links to prove it's ok to wait two months - because it's not even worth proving







You're the mom, tell MIL thanks for her opinion and then just do what's best for your family.









Ideally younger is better I have heard, but a difference of a few months is really not going to make a difference.


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## Marsupialmom (Sep 28, 2003)

Why doesn't she take him? Open swim would be perfect grandma activity.

Please understand her opinion is out of concern. 2 months isn't going to make a difference.


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## jkpmomtoboys (Jun 1, 2004)

We started both of our boys at 3. Why? Because that's the age when the lessons started where I didn't have to get in a swimsuit and in the water with them.









Totally agree with the above poster who said that if grandma thinks he should be going to open swim, it would be a great activity for her to share with him...


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## just_lily (Feb 29, 2008)

Yeah, two months is a total non issue.

I think kids should be exposed to water as early as possible, but don't think formal lessons are neccesary until at least preschool age - maybe even later. I think I started when I was 6 or so? I really don't think a one-year-old is going to get anything out of a lesson that they can't get one-on-one with mom and dad at an open swim. (Of course if you are doing it for fun and enjoy it, by all means - but young toddlers don't *need* lessons).

My DD is two, and we try to take her for open swim at least a couple of times a month. There are a couple of great facilities in the city we are near that have tot pools, wave pools, splash parks and water slides all indoors. We all really enjoy going as a family activity. I hang out with DD in the tot pool while DH goes down the water slides.


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *just_lily* 
I think kids should be exposed to water as early as possible, but don't think formal lessons are neccesary until at least preschool age - maybe even later. I think I started when I was 6 or so? I really don't think a one-year-old is going to get anything out of a lesson that they can't get one-on-one with mom and dad at an open swim. (Of course if you are doing it for fun and enjoy it, by all means - but young toddlers don't *need* lessons).

ITA. From my experience (6 years teaching swimming lessons) there is not a big advantage *for most children* with starting swimming lessons very early. There is the occasional child who can figure out side breathing at 3-4, but many kids are just not developmentally ready to do so until closer to 5-7. My nephew didn't have the opportunity to really swim until he was 7 (he was adopted at 7) and that summer I was able to teach him basic crawl stroke in literally minutes--- he was coordinated and anxious to learn. Definately two months is NOT going to make a difference.


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## WorldsBestMom (Dec 3, 2009)

I have watched a few documentaries where they claim that babies say under 1 year are capable of swimming on their own. What Scientist say is that babies are fearless. Others might say though that because the baby was in the mothers tummy for so loong. They would naturally know how to swim if put in water.

Really though I think 2 years of age would be a great age to teach a baby how to swim. As they will more than likely remember and have a better understanding of what they are doing. It is also a good idea for them to learn how to help themselves in the water in case of any accidents.


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## emilysmama (Jun 22, 2005)

I think 6 years old was just right for my dd. We started her at 4 years old, and she was terrified of the water. 5 years old, same problem. 6 years old, it suddenly became fun for her. Any younger than 4 years old, and I don't think she would have paid attention to the instructor, which would have made me nervous about her safety. I learned to swim when I was 6, and quickly became a strong swimmer, so I definitely think that 4 years old is not too late.


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## Adventuredad (Apr 23, 2008)

A few months is not going to make a difference. I agree with posters above saying it's great for kids to be familiar with water as infants. Regardless if they can swim or not. 500 kids drown each year in US, it's a great skill to have.

My daughter learned to swim at 3.5 and son at just over 6 years. Now, half a year later they are both very comfortable in the pool. I think a good age is when kids can follow some basic advice so somewhere between 2.5 and 6 years.


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## Aries1985 (Feb 29, 2008)

My dd just started this summer at 2. We live in AZ where there are pools everywhere and I want her to swim as soon as possible. Obviously, swim lessons aren't going to replace constant supervision, but I would feel better if she has some skills on her own.


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## Marissamom (Dec 17, 2009)

waiting a month or month and a half isn't really going to change anything. at 4 he isn't going to completely forget about water in the space of a couple of months. There's no one perfect age to start lessons, it just depends on the child and their attention span for normal lessons. though I do think that starting to get comfortable in the water at an early age is ideal, it doesn't have to be in a formal lesson setting, and it sounds like you've already have him around water.


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## BMG580 (Jun 19, 2007)

It may sound excessive but I get my kids in the pool for year round lessons as soon as they are old enough to begin Mommy and Me classes, which is generally 6-8 months. I did not do this with my first and it was much more challenging at age 3 to get her in the pool and willing to learn. She has been in year round swim lessons (once a week for a half hour) for the last 2 years and she is really very competent and confident in the water now.

Learning to swim is NOT optional for my children, it is a necessary life skill like learning to read. My 5 year old niece drowned a few summers ago and she could not swim well. I do not harbor any illusions that swimming lessons will necessarily kept my child 100% safe but it sure as heck gives them a much better shot if they get in trouble.


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