age to teach your baby to swim?

Double post

Thanks for the details - I am in the UK on a holiday at moment but will contact when I get back. Took DD to the pool for first time today - she was fine seemed a bit overawed by it all and not really that interested in the fact she was in the water (unlike when in the bath) but she didn't cry at all and got a few smiles and splashes.

A further question, mentioned to my MIL about going swimming again when visit her in a couple of weeks as she is a keen swimmer and has been asking about it for ages, and she asked if DD had got arm bands - my immediate thought was isn't 4 months too young for arm bands and what is the point when you will need to hold on to them anyway but did see that you can buy arm bands that are meant to be suitable for from 3 months, so is some type of flotation aid a good idea or is it better just to let them be free to splash and kick while supporting etc?

Arm bands are good for little babies to give them a rest after they've had a bit of activity in the pool :) As are pool noodles when they're a bit bigger and able to hook arms around them. We used them nearer the end of lessons so that they're not screaming the pool down from fatigue and enjoying the floating feeling withotut being propped up from underneath by a hand.
This last point is why it can be so counter-productive to use bath seats in baths - babies are used to flotation and when that is aided by a feeling of being held from their bums they start to lose that comfort and become dependant on having to feel the bottom of the bath or pool...a luxury you don't get when you're drowning, necessarily!
Anyhow, not a bad idea to get arm bands - I think we started to use the waist rings at about 6 months, from memory. Again, in the last half of the half hour lesson, to give them a break :)