too young for swimming classes?

My daughter started the "Parents and babies" swimming classes when she was about 8 months old with Harry Wright (www.hwiswim.com) at the West Island ESF school but we stopped after a few months because of the weather.

Wee Kean, I think this may be the swimming classes at the international school you're referring to.

The babies are too young to 'learn' how to swim in the traditional sense - i.e. they don't learn to swim the way young children/adults do. They can't - they don't have the motor skills yet. But I think babies do benefit from early classes. They learn not to be afraid of water. Within a few lessons, my daugther was quite happy being submerged in water and can move a few metres if pushed forward. She was learning to kick her legs in the water when we stopped her classes .

We attended another "parents and babies" class today (which is nearer our home) but it was no way as sructured as the Harry Wright's classes. I spent the hour doing my own thing with my daughter using the methods we learnt at her previous classes. I regret stopping my daughter's classes with Harry Wright and plan to rejoin their classes asap.

I'm trying to say that while babies don't 'learn' how to swim, they certainly benefit from exposure to the pool. If you want to send them to swimming classes - choose your school/teacher carefully.

Peng
 
We first took our daughter into the pool when she was 3 months - for familiarisation purposes primarily. She is now 22 months and we go everyday, sometimes twice (we have a pool so its convenient). She has a healthy relationship with the water, ie - she loves the water, is not afraid but realises the danger of not being able to float. She can doggy paddle (kick and use her arms like a dog digging) to stay afloat and we will do gradual breathing excercises with her leading up to her learn to swim classes.
My advice would be to spend time with your child in the water to build such a relationship - learning to breathe and stroke correctly can come later and much more easily once they are comfortable in the water.
Cheers,
Jen
 
If you're interested in teaching your little one to swim, we've just received a new book called Learn to Swim . The book is an amazing resource and includes the following:

- Shows you how to develop your child's confidence and ability in the water, and how to make learning fun.
- Guides you through each stage of teaching from splashing in the bathtub to swimming underwater.
- Plus it includes Lesson Plans.
 
Last edited:
New Daddy said:
Get the DVD called Water Babies and you will know that it is never too young, only too late. The most important thing is that you need to be there to be safe.

New Daddy
Click to expand...
Where can I get that DVD? I have searched amazon.com, however, they did not have that DVD.

Thank you.
 
Peng,

how many months did your daughter take that class? I am thinkig of taking that class for my daughter - she will be 8 months old soon. How long it will take for the baby to swim? Do they teach the baby turn over and breathe and then keep swimming?

Thanks.
 
Hey
i have worked with a learn to swim program from Australia and we start babies swimming at 3 months. The key is that the earlier they start the easier it is for their body to adjust to floating and becoming buoyant naturally.
Often kids who start later can learn, however the older they get the more chance of developing a aquaphobia. Let us know if you have any other questions.
ta
anna
 
I think, as others have said, it all depends on how comfortable your son is in the pool. My 4 1/2 year old has just started swimming lessons with a private instructor. She can quite happily float around in her ring without an adult holding on to her and the ring! - which is what we had to do all of last summer, so we felt that she was ready for lessons this year. She has a 1 hr lesson twice a week with her 4 year old cousin, and because it's just the 2 of them, the instructor can give them lots of individual attention, and they also give each other encouragement as well, so it seems to be working out well.
 
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