OT - Swimming Lessons

[tmarquez]

Looking for advice about swimming lessons for my DD(3). Right now she loves the water, loves pools, loves water slides (at the Disney pool)...but without some kind of floatation she sinks like a rock...doesn't even try to save herself let alone swim.

It looks like I have 2 choices in my area, one is the YMCA swimming program, which I guess is a group lesson with other kids at her level (I would love to know how they do that!). The other is these infant survival swim lessons, which I know very little about, except that my brother did them wehn he was between 1 and 2 and todat (at 26) he still looks back on them very negatively (although he IS a big baby!).

Can anyone give me your story about swimming lessons with your child?

Thanks!

 

[champagne27]

Both my kids are in swimming lessons - my DD started when she was 4. She is 5 1/2 now and can jump in the deep end and swim across the length of the pool once. She was never afraid of the water.

DS is almost 3 1/2. He HATED the water - cried during tub. He is on his 14th swim lesson and now no longer cries when he gets water in his face, can move himself around the whole pool with a floatie and floated on his back with no help for the first time today.

I highly recommend swimming lessons - private or group setting is fine. (Mine have all been in a group.) They do an amazing job with the kids even at this age it is very safe. I would never leave the side of the pool though as I think it is good to have an extra pair of eyes and hands if needed.

It does take some time but it does not sound like she is afraid so they will help her. Where my kids go - they do use floatation devices for those who need them until they build up the skills and confidence to go on their own.

I would definitely go with swim lessons - let me know if you have any questions and good luck.

 

[PixiePop]

My son has been taking swimming lessons since he was four and he loves it. He takes classes with a group of children in his age/skill level. There has always been two instructers teaching the class and they are very strict regarding pool safety. He is so proud, next week he starts the highest level of swim class.

 

[Fionasmommy]

My DD just started swimming lessons. She goes to a local rec center, and is in the first level class with other kids who range in age from 3 - 5. It's a group class, and there are 6 kids max. She loves it! So far all they're doing is working on raising the kids comfort level in the water. They're putting their mouth in the water to blow bubbles, holding on to kick boards and kicking (with the teacher right there), and working on supported floats. All the parents stay and watch, and the teacher works with one child at a time. The other children hold on to the side of the pool and kick or talk to eachother while they wait for their turn. Even with the broad age group, they've all done great so far!

At this point, my DD would also sink to the bottom if she jumped in (she can't even touch the bottom in the 3 ft pool!), but I'm hoping that if we keep up with the lessons between now and our WDW trip in May then atleast she'll be more aware of water safety. And maybe she'll even be open to trying the slide at POFQ.

 

[SunshineOR]

I'll be a little different with my advice--yeah, swim lessons are great. However, my dd learned how to swim at 3 with no swim lessons. We have one of those portable pools in our backyard. She learned how to swim just by being in the pool all the time! Swim lessons would be a great addition to this, as we did coach her a little on kicking and using her arms--and yes we were there supervising in the pool. I'm not recommending throwing your kid in a pool and watching her try to figure it out!

However, I've found with both my kids that if they just take lessons but aren't in water much, it doesn't do any good. The best way is to get her in a pool as often as possible--go to the YMCA for lessons, but also have her there playing in the water all the time. The old-fashioned way of having her paddle between two adults while they slowly move farther and farther apart with little rewards for reaching goals has worked for free better than any lessons we paid for! Swimming really comes naturally with very little help once they're comfortable and get lots of opportunity to practice. My older dd at 4 years old was petrified of water and lessons did nothing really to help--again, got her in the pool almost daily, set goals and helped her, and she quickly became a strong swimmer who loves the water.

 

[tiggger1]

my daughter has been taking swimming lessons since around 18 months. All of the classes are mommy and me classes but they work on getting her comfortable in the water. By the end of her first session she was swimming by herself with a noodle. That was the only floation device they used. We took 2 session there. We are now on our 3rd session at the YMCA and really enjoy this lesson. They are still mommy and me but I was told that next session she can be in the group where they start class with mommy but end with just the instructor. The kids have square bubble float things and they teach waiting to get into the pool and how to float, kick, paddle. Its a little too easy for emma ( most of the kids are around 12-24months) but i want her to be confortable in the pool....

 

[catherines_mama]

When my DD was 2 I signed her up for swim lessons at the Y. It was indoor and there were several classes going on at the same time. It was also a Mommy & Me class. Well it was horrible. The class itself was good but DD freaked out at the loud noises (imagine 4 instructors booming around an indoor pool), and we learned NOTHING!
Last summer I signed her up for swim lessons at the community rec pool. It was a Level PS (PreSchool) and she did GREAT! It was 1 teacher and 5 kids. She'd sit them on the wall and one at a time do things. Then she'd have them all hold on the wall and kick, etc. It was the shallow part of the pool so they all COULD touch and stand between things. Anyway.. at the end of last summer she was swimming on her own w/out wings etc. She'll only go into the deep end with a float around her waist though. We're doing the same rec center again this summer.
I'd go ahead and put her in the group class. They'll teach survival anyway, I'm sure.

 

[joanchris]

you might want to look into if there are Red Cross swim lessons offered near you ...It may take some looking, I didn't even know they were offered in my town until I actually went looking. What's great, and in my opinion, better than the way the Y does them is that they are usually 3-4X per week, for 2-3 week sessions. It's so frequent that the kids don't "lose" what they learned all week between lessons. Since we have a pool, when DD (now 7) was younger she was so comfortable in the water all the time with her floaty she REFUSED to go without and try to learn...like yours, she sunk like a stone! After 2 sessions of lessons she was swimming on her own. (summertime, they were offered m-th, for 2 weeks).
And, the best part was that the lessons are only $25 per SESSION!
Joan

 

[Nicolepa]

Do you have a city pool in your area? I have been taking my kids there for 2 years and it has been great. These are much better than any of the lessons we did at the fancy gym.

At the city pool they have no more than 4 kids (this is rare the other pools are 6 kid limit). My 5 yo swims laps in backstroke, freestyle and breast stroke. She can jump off the diving board and swim to the bottom (14 feet) and touch. Last week she decided to see how far she could go w/o breathing after jumping of the diving board and she make it 1/2 way!

My 3 yo can swim the width of the pool, jumps off the diving board etc.

 

[belle&beast]

I have had wonderful experiences with both my DD4 and DS2 at our local YMCA. Maybe our situation is unique- we have a small pool for the infant and toddler classes until kids are 4 or have met the requirements to go to the big pool. My DD has been taking lessons since she was 18 months- Daddy & me (DH took her) until 3 yrs and then very quickly into the big pool. She can now swim the length of the pool and loves her lessons. My DS just started this winter and is having fun in the Daddy & me classes. I really recommend visiting the class to watch to see if it will be a good idea for your daughter. I can understand your concern about a group of kids- they tend to be very small groups- at least at our Y. The infants and toddlers learn some fundamentals, but safety is really emphasized as well. Good luck!

 

[In Luv with Disney]

Our local private pool offers swimming lessons to members for free. It is twice a week, an hour each day for 6 weeks. My son started when he was 3 (last summer). Mind you, he has no clue how to swim yet, but it was a great start. He will take the lessons again this year, and hopefully it will be a bit more challenging.

 

[disneyfreakk]

I was a swim instructor when I in high school and then when I was going to college.( 9 years ago.) I worked at the YMCA in the winter and the public pool in the summer. Swim instructors are lifeguards too, so they are all very well trained. At 3 years old, your swim lesson *IS* survival swim. That's what all the blowing bubbles in the water, learning to kick enough to make yourself actually go somewhere, and they also learn how to float. Swim lessons not only teach your child how to swim but the kids learn pool safety and they also learn wonderful social skills!

I taught both group and private lessons. The lesson plans are exactly the same. I suggest group lessons. It gives the kids a little bit of a rest in between activities and gives them a chance to work on what they just learned. Your child will get plenty on one on one time with the instructor. Also, there is always a lifeguard on duty who stands out of the pool and makes sure no child is in trouble.

I have such wonderful experiences from teaching swim lessons

 

[shelly3girls]

Both of my DDs started lessons at our local YMCA beginning with Mommy and Me classes. We had a great experience and the coaches were outstanding. Both girls could keep themselves from sinking by age 3 and were full stroke swimming around 4. Once my youngest was 4.5 I was able to switch them to a winter training program run by the local university swim coach b/c they had such a strong foundation from the Y. People were amazed last summer when my just turned 4 yo was swimming in the deep end with my older dd's friends at pool parties
I agree with the pp that said the most important thing is consistent exposure to the pool. We learned our lesson with our older DD to keep them in lessons year round. We took a winter break when she was 4 and jus mastering her skills. When we started back up she had really lost much of her strength and ability.

 

[quinnwhite]

I am WSI, certified by Red Cross. I have been teaching and coaching swimming for over 20 years. I have taught at YMCA, but prefer Red Cross teaching methods. YMCA has a great parent-child program. The main difference is that YMCA uses bubbles as Red Cross programs use floatation aids, such as barbells and noodles. The advantage here teaching swimming vertical vs. horizontal swimming. This of course is dependent on instructor and what cues they use and hopefully will encourage the horizontal position. I have seen great instructors in both programs. Look for a program that has a lower teacher-swimmer ration. At 3 years it should be 1:4. Privates depend on child, they get tired quickly at 3 being the only one swimming for 30 minutes. And depends on child and attention span. I have had children swim independently for distance at 3. My own son swam at 2.5. My oldest did not swim independently until 4. Every child is different.

The good thing about bubbles they learn to be independent earlier and will be comfortable with life jackets they have available at most pools at WDW. Less holding for the parent. Again, my complaint with that is they swim in what I call "run,run" method and tend to be biking legs and swimming vertically. Hard habits to break later on. But do prefer bubbles to water wings, which tend to inhibit arm movement. Just make sure you cue child to keep chin down and feet up on top of water.

I highly recommend starting by 3 or 4. When they start later, they tend to have more fears and don't like getting their face wet. At home, let them take showers where they run face under running water. In tub practice kicking- easier to promote straight leg kicking, because they can't bend their knees.

The YMCA, health clubs, Recreation programs all should have flyers or information to check out programs available.

 

[minkydog]

I just want to encourage you. My youngest son is severely mentally handicapped and we started him in aquatic therapy at age 5. It's not swimming lessons but physical therapy. However, when he first started he would fall to the bottom and sit there waiting to be rescued.We couldn't take our hands off him, ever. He loved water so it was very frightening to me that he wouldn't even try to save himself--it was like he didn't have the reflexes or something. Over the last 5yrs he has slowly learned what to do.His PT has worked with him over and over, paddling hands, kicking feet, head in the water. Over and over and over. Christian is almost 11 now and just this month he swam his first real strokes! In fact, he swam clear across the deep end. Our whole goal was to make him water safe and now he has a sport We're thinking about Special Olympics.

I know our situations are different, but I wanted to say that your child can learn to be water safe too with patience and the right instructors. It probably wouldn't take a normal child 6yrs to "get it".

 

[puffkin]

I have nothing to add except that I think it is great you are considering swim lessons. This is a huge pet peeve of mine, and I am not even a parent quite yet. I think ALL children should learn to swim and be comfortable in water at as early an age as possible.

 

[kayebee]

Just wanted to chime in here--our daughter has been taking swim lessons at the Y for about two years now (she'll be five in June). I think the Y program is fine, but a little pricey (I think it's like $80 for once a week half hour lessons over a six week period). The class maxes out at six participants, so that's $80 for 3 hours that you're sharing with five other swimmers. While they all get a turn, at the end of the thirty minutes session, they really haven't spent that much time in the water, and there is no time spent addressing individual issues. I think they also devote one class to water safety each session, and they don't spend any time at all in the water on that day.

I have mixed feelings about the program--a lot depends on the quality of the instructor. It may just be our local Y, but when we had her in the evening classes, the instructors would call out a lot and they would have to scramble to find a substitute. I remember once they didn't have anyone certified to instruct, so they combined my daughter's class with another group and did the water safety lesson again. We're attending day classes this time, and there doesn't seem to be the same problem with instructors calling out. Also, as you can imagine, with some instructors really wanting the kids to succeed, and others who just seem satisfied that no one drowns in their class.

I agree with the earlier poster who said lessons are nice, but it's important to spend time in the water. No one learns how to perform a task from someone talking to them, they learn by doing it. I think if I had regular access to a pool, we probably would skip these lessons.

 

[shelly3girls]

I just wanted to add that it sounds like each YMCA must be different. My children used bubbles very little at the Y and instead used barbells, noodles, and kickboards on a regular basis. Maybe it depends on the instructors or Y director.