Need suggestions...

[RDM83]

What is the best way to teach a child to swim? My now 3 yr old DD , 5yr old DS and 8 year old step-daughter do not know how to swim. My husband and I have been debating on who should teach them. Should we pay for lessons or should he teach them himself. The second option doesn't appeal to me because I feel its better if a pro teaches them.

I have looked into some local programs and it costs about $130 for 8 lessons. I didn't find that to be too expensive.

We are looking to go back to Disney in 2013 and I def. want the kids to be comfortable in the water.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I am 28 yrs old and never learned how to swim myself

I REALLY DON'T want that to happen to my kiddos

So what do you guys recommend?

 

[jennyjinx3]

I highly recommend lessons at a swimming school. My eldest DH was late to start lessons, and it wasn't pretty! But now all girls are in the lessons and are making great progress. It is amazing to watch them begin to swim! Go for the lessons, it is well worth the money!

 

[Southernmiss]

Lessons. Attempted to teach my kids to swim. Not interested in learning from me or Dh. Oldest 2 DSs took two sessions, and DS3 and DD 1 session.

They loved swimming lessons. Often there are inexpensive lessons in the community during the summer-the YMCA or community pool, etc.

 

[PeterPan09]

I learned at my local Y and it started me on a lifetime of swim teams and love of the water. When my godchild was ready, I paid for her to have lessons there too.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

2 of my ds are lifeguards here in NY. I should say they got that way with all the swimming lessons I took them to when they were little.

It will be money well spent.

I honestly didnt want to teach my ds how to swim because I didnt want them to get frustrated with me, didnt want them to have a false sense of safety, aka, mom will save me etc.

Also if you are going in 2013, just 8 lessons might not be enough unless you do them close to the trip. They need to keep practicing their skills on and off. For example community pool, water park, hotel pool, local gym, YMCA etc. etc.

Best of luck.

 

[Southernmiss]

By the way, our YMCA has adult lessons, too. DFIL learned to swim after 60 years old by going to the Y.

Not too late for YOU to learn. What a great example that would be for the kids.

 

[Uncle Remus]

Lessons, especially if you aren't a swimmer.

 

[calypso726]

Lessons are your best bet of course. I didn't learn to swim until I was 13. My family couldn't afford lessons so I wound up teaching myself out of the encyclopedia. I started with the various types of floating. Jellyfish float: Stand in water up to chest, hold breath bend over and grab your ankles. Once I got used to what that felt like, I relaxed and let go of my ankles, extended my arms and legs and did the dead man's float. From there I added paddling and kicking to go forward. Once I could do that everything else came pretty easy.

 

[marcyinPA]

LESSONS. Definitely. Both of my kids were in lessons every summer at our local pool. My youngest also took lessons the year he was in kindergarten at an aquatic center. Best money I ever spent. I don't think lessons are a once and done thing though- I think several sessions help A LOT.

 

[bookgirl]

I support organized, taught by certified life guards, leveled by skill set lessons. Honestly even though a lot of them are teens, they are well trained and do have an approach that seems to work. (my nephews had a backyard pool and they took lessons there but the coach was still trained by the American Red Cross).


Even without that we often got the twins in and got them used to being in the water first. Tried to get them both comfortable in the water with us and on thier own in the shallows. Then slowly got their faces wet with little splashes, then taught them to 'blow' and put their mouths underwater to make bubbles. Then when they were comfortable with that we started holding their arms and letting their bodies float up and teaching them to kick kick kick.

By the time they had lessons they were happy and could kinda dogpaddle or at least use the steps and sides to take a few strokes with out touching the bottom.

But really lessons are very good investments in your childs safety.

I will say though I took 2 years of swim lessons at the Y when I was young like 6 or 7 and didn't progress because I couldn't open my eyes underwater. But I could swim enough for the shallow end of the pool or at the lake where we camped often. My brother decided that I needed to improve so he took me to the campground pool where we were staying during vacation took me to the high dive and then pushed me off into 10 feet of water. I would go to the bottom then push up and get to the side. We did this for a while till me Mom found out and made him stop. But I became a really good swimmer. After all it was sink or swim. I DO NOT recommend that way but I'm a really good swimmer now.

 

[AverageDiser]

I taught swimming, lifeguarding and coached swim teams for ten years. When it was time for my daughter to learn to swim, I figured I could teach her myself. Yeah. We lasted two weeks with both of us being miserable, and I signed her up at the Y..LOL. It's one of those things that I think is really best taught by someone else, for your hub's sanity, and your children's.

 

[xanphylus]

Swimming lessons, and a few sets of them! Even after a few sets of swimming lessons, my DD11 still is kinda rock like. She LOVES to swim, just can't really get it all down to the point I would trust her in the pool without me right there beside her or another responsible adult.

It takes time for some kids to learn, and others are like little fish. Don't be surprised if one of your kids takes off and the other kinda sinks a wee bit. Nothing to be ashamed of, just needs some more help. We have our DD going to our local indoor pool to practice in the shallow end a lot before she heads up to her mom's house for the summer, because they do a lot of swimming there and she needs a "refresher" course on swimming.

As for the youngest one- All I do with my 3 year old is water safety type stuff (no running near the pool, never go near the pool alone, etc) and having him get used to being in the water and blowing bubbles and kicking- even the lessons for them at this age kinda centers around being comfortable in the water- not really swimming too much.

 

[padams]

Lessons for you and the kids. Do you have a YMCA near you?

 

[CPT Tripss]

It wouldn't be a bad idea for OP to also take swim lessons. Our local swim club had specific adult lessons and they booked up quickly.

 

[clh2]

Definitely do swim lessons. The swim instructors are trained in what they do. And - if they have an issue with a student - they use the expertise of the other swim instructors to find something that works. (just like in regular school - some methods work better than other methods for some students.)

My DD is a lifeguard AND swim instructor. (I know - this is picky - not all lifeguards are swim instructors, and not all swim instructors are lifeguards.)

 

[Crystal0608]

I have pretty strong feelings on this. You can never learn to swim too well and it's a skill that can be used and passed on for a lifetime. It's one of the most important childhood milestones IMO.

My mom had a pool put in when dd was 2, ds a baby. Dh and I started them swimming by hold nose, 1, 2, 3, wee, quick dunk under,with kick boards, later with torpedo diving. It was enough for them to learn a comfortable above water wade, doggie paddle. I never used arm floats.

My kids started swim lessons when they were 5. So well worth it. DD and I were in a near drowning incident river tubing 3 years ago and it was scary. As soon as we got back to the hotel, I took the kids swimming to not show fear. I really thought I was a decent swimmer, but my mind was changed quickly. I moved both kids into the advanced swim class which was 2 hours per week. Next dd did swim team, which is excellent for endurance and technique-6 hours per week plus meets. Last year we did a season pass at the local waterpark, 4 full days per week all summer plus they swim every warm weekend at my mama's. My ds can swim underwater like a fish and my dd built up stronger calves than a mule from her flip kicks. Well worth the $ for the confidence in the water.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

Are you in NYC.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Yes, lessons for sure. The younger the better, IMO.

 

[crazyme5kids]

Out of all the various lessons, from horseback riding to music and dance (and a few others in between), dollar for dollar swim lessons was the best money I ever spent. My kids went to Safety Swim.

 

[irishbosoxfan]

Both of my DDs had swim lessons. Three summers in a row.

The oldest is now able to swim ok but not enough that I'd feel comfortable with her being out of my sight in a pool.

The youngest still can't swim at all.

Two different programs. 4 different teachers. And well over $500 spent.

DH plans on working with them on his own this summer. We'll see how it goes.

If this is their first real time learning I'd say let your DH get them used to the pool and putting their face in the water, kicking with the board etc. It'll save you about $80 each.

Then they can move onto swim lessons with an instructor unless your DH has the patience of a saint. (And knows how to butterfly and breast stroke and do the dead mans float etc)