Swimming lessons for a reluctant toddler

[rolypoly27]

So my 2.5 yo had her first Parent & Me swim class this past weekend and she cried and held on to DH the entire time. She wasn't too fond of the water last summer so we decided to wait until this year. I'm starting to think that we waited too long and should have exposed her to the pool/swimming earlier as an infant. We are learning from this mistake and plan to start our newborn next spring while she is still an infant.

Should we keep DD1 in the Parent & Me class and hope that she adjusts soon, or would we be better off doing private or semi-private lessons so she can get more attention and not have DH in the pool to cling on to?

[o_mom]

It's just the first session, so I would stick it out a few weeks at the bare minimum.

How long is the session you signed up for? If it is less than 8 weeks and you don't have concerns about the instructor, I would stick through the whole session and see what progress she makes.

[Nooknookmom]

Neither of my kids (or myself) had "lessons". They both learned to swim with me slowly.

DD1 was TERRIFIED of the ocean -but would get in the pool. She refused to go without her life vest. So I did not push it...I think it scares them.

DD2 is afraid of NOTHING, but the water when she was 2! Go figure! AND I exposed both super early.

Just get her a vest and let her take her time. She will eventually swim.

DD2 taugh herself to dive and swims under water better than on top.

DD1 still is afraid of the ocean.....she's 18

[indigo99]

The most important thing is for her to become comfortable so let her hold on as much as she wants for now. Once she learns to trust that she isn't going to get dunked under the water, she'll relax and start enjoying it more. I actually moved DS1 from the older class to the mommy-and-me class after a week because I mainly wanted him to enjoy the experience. He just needs more time in the water, and I care more about him feeling comfortable in the water right now than actually learning to really swim.

[georgiegirl]

I wouldn't worry. My dd was afraid of that water so I didn't enroll her in lessons until she was 5. Two years later, she can do a 200 yard IM and flip turns. If I didn't have a newborn, she'd be on the local swim team (which is pretty competitive.).

[rolypoly27]

Thanks everyone. I feel better now. We'll keep her in the parent and me class and see how she does next weekend.

[BunnyBee]

Was it her first time in that pool, first group class, etc.? Lots of firsts! Pools are big, smelly, and loud. If the facility allows free swimming, I'd try to take her just for "fun" too.

[A1icia]

I'd definitely keep with the class - I bet she'll be more comfortable soon.

But don't beat yourself up about having not started sooner. I have been doing Mommy/Daddy & Me classes with DS since he was 9 months old and he started out unafraid of the water and then became afraid of the water around age 2. Half the time he still clings to me - although he almost always seems to end up having fun. (The first class back is always a bit rough if it's been longer then a few weeks.)

Finally, just in the last couple weeks, have I seen real progress towards swimming (blowing bubbles!) and being away from me (ie jumping to Grandpa or staying on the steps while I go under water or hanging onto the side while I let go, etc.) He's 3yrs 4m.

One other thing I will mention is that he really seems to catch onto any anxiety from us - DH is not a swimmer and can be anxious about the water in some situations (although he loves a good calm lazy river pool) and I started noticing that DS was more hesitant if DH was around. I noticed that even when DH is enjoying himself, it's subtle, but he wil tense up at times such as when DS is jumping to me in the water. And if DH is NOT with us DS is less anxious.

[marymoo86]

DD was a bit apprehensive too her first time. I kept talking about how much fun swimming lessons were and how she was a big girl for going especially whn she's was I the tub. Seemed to help her frame if mind and closer to the leson the more excited I acted about them.

[Simon]

This is one of those things that really depends on your child and their personality. Ds1 was terrified of the water and we wasted too much $$$ on swim lessons when he was young because everyone talks about how its such an important life skill. Well, we don't have a pool in our backyard and he's not the type of kid to go jumping into a lake so there wasn't (in hindsight) any need for us to rush. So we stopped and he took a break for a few years. He decided around age 5-6 that he really wanted to learn to swim and this time it worked so much better. He's not swim team material yet, but he's also not overly athletic or well coordinated in general. With Ds2, we waited until he seemed interested (age 3.5) but he still wasn't ready to work with just the teachers. He's made more progress swimming with us informally than he did in the class, so we just make more of an effort to take them swimming ourselves.