Swimming

I've just booked Yasin in to start swimming lessons with a swim australia center \:D/. They take them from 6 months on and the new term starts the week he turns 6 months :D.
What do they usually do at baby swim lessons? I'm assuming that I'll have to jump in with him. I'm anticipating a few funny looks because my swimsuit makes me look a bit like an alien.
Because I wanted a saturday morning so DH can come along they've put us in a group with mainly two year olds. Will it be a problem that he's at a really differant developmental stage?

Basically with Matilda swimming was learning to put their heads under and learning to be comfortable with floating and using their arms & legs in the water. And the age group she was in was up to 15 months and the next level up the only difference was using "arms" so instead of them just falling into the water they were lifting their arms up and diving in iykwim? They also were just a bit better at everything but were doing really similar stuff. So he should be fine :)

And I wouldn't worry too much about what you wear, I wore a t-shirt and shorts as did another mum, one dad wore speedos and one other mum always wore a bikini...LOL so it was up to us what to wear... no one said anything different to us O:)

We started swimming lessons with Hudson at the start of this term when he was 6 months old. Basically you just get in the pool with them and sing songs while doing a range of different things. We lay the babies on our chest/shoulder, front facing and back facing and get them to kick their legs as we move through the water, teach them to hold their breath as we dip them under the water (I think this is a reflex at this age), and after a few lessons we put floaties on them and slowly teach them to kick themself around in the water to get to toys etc. Some babies get the hang of it quicker than others in our group, but they all have fun and splash around a lot. I know it is the one thing guaranteed to have Hudson happy the whole way through the class, and then asleep for a good hour or more afterwards (YAY!). We will definately be doing it again next term.

Dp and FIL have been teaching Nick in the ILS pool since he was 3 months and he absolutley loves it.
He starts his proffesional lessons in June, so he will be 2 1/2, but he can already swim fine with floaties on and loves going under water and jumping in.

Hi Girls ,

does anyone know of a babies swim school in the Hills district ( Kellyville, Baulkham hills sort of area). Would love one that has Sunday swim school!

Thanks

Have you checked the swim australia website? They have a list of all the swim schools that are austswim accreditted.

I just booked Faith in for swimming lessons at our local pool. She is almost 14 months old, I hope this doesn't affect her in anyway, because I didn't start her earlier due to the fact the pool was too far for me to get too.

She seems to enjoy water, but only if I am around her. When it comes to shower time and she goes in with dad, she whines at me and if I then take her in the shower she stops all together.

I know that she can be a bit of a sook, but she is around me pretty much all day. I had a look at the day care centre (right next to the pool centre YEAH), and it seems like an ideal place to send her when I return to the mighty work force. (Doing what? I have no idea but I don't think anyone is gonna throw up on me or bite me!)

I did want DH to take her to the lessons, but he's working 7 days and won't have the time sadly.

I wondered if anyone had been in the similiar situation, as in their baby was older when they started in the water. Did they behave alright?

I've taken her to the pool before, she liked it a bit, but she wasn't loving it.

Kynan was a little younger than Faith when he first started waterbabies classes at 10m old (he'd never been in a pool before). He is quite a sensitive little boy who needs a lot of reassurance so I expected him to have a few issues with such a strange and new situation but he did really well (might help that he loves bath time too!). He had a little sook and clung to me for the first 5-10 mins but got used to things really quickly. I think during the 2nd lesson he had a bit of a cry but we just stood to the side while I reassured him and we joined in again when he was ready. We've just started classes again after about a 5 month break. I thought he would have forgotten it and be scared but he loves it.

Can you take Faith to the pool again before the lesson or get there early so she can spend some time adjusting to the different environment?

my daughter had been in a pool at times but didn't have lessons until the age of 5, when she just took off. She LOVES swimming (shes 8) and is very good at it!! I don't think it matters when you introduce them. xoxo

Olivia started in swimming lessons at 4 months (we were living in Darwin, so the weather encouraged it, as did the government funded lessons!) and she has continued on with lessons and now can swim unassisted, which is great.

Charlie, on the other hand, is a LOT more sooky when it comes to water, and we have had him in and out of lessons as he just doesn't seem to like it. This term however, he is 15 months old, summer is upon is, we have a pool, so I am going to just persevere with him......I know he will get to like it all eventually!!

Oh i'd love to start Ella! I'll have to look into it at my local pool. Thanks for the reminder :D

Both my DD started swimming at 6 months of age....and if there are anymore i will be doing the same.
DD#1 has just turned 3 and can swim unassisted. We had the unfortunate incident on sat, where i took my two poppets to my sisters home for a swim. DD had a great time in the pool. THere were adults situated around the pool and 3 adults in the pool. My DD got into some difficulty and began going under, lots of splashing , trying to get herself out. After dropping my DD#2 (not literally, but i didnt care what i lay her on) and almost jumping in, i now realise that her swimming lessons DID save her and had she not been confident in the water, she would have gone under straight away. Theres a lot of 'morals to the story' here, but main one is - persevere .The money you spend on these lessons will pay off....they make kiddies lessons fun these days with props and songs.

My nephew was a late starter (12 months i think). He has just moved to the toddler class (2-3 yrs) and still cries at the beginning of every lesson.

Good luck....she WILL thank you one day.:p

Kind of funny - over here most kids don't start until they're 3-4 at least! I've been considering giving Elyse lessons, but was worried that she was too young. :) (she's 3 1/2)

Finished her first lesson this morning!

She hated it at first, was crying and clinging to me, so I comforted her, put her on my shoulder and told her it was okay. Then we did the falling into the water from the ledge thing and she got comfortable and seem to enjoy it.

So, after about 15 minutes (into an half hour lesson mind you) she relaxed and enjoyed it. I was glad because I wanted her to be more water confident. Hopefully, next weeked she will get used to it quicker.

Thanks for all your replies!

Woo hoo just booked Ella into a mums and bubs swimming class at my local pool. 10 lessons - one a week - for $98...not bad. Great stuff - can't wait to start!!! Actually it was a good time for this thread as the lessons begin at the end of this month so i'm glad i'm gonna be beginning with everyone and not going half way through!

I started #1Dd when she was 18 months, i would of started her earlier but was unable to because of the cast. She is still going now and doing really well.
Her brother started at 7 months, didnt like it at first but now loves it. Its amazing how quickly they pick things up at that age.

My kids will keep going till I am confident that if they ever fall in a river or dam (which we have)or pool that they can get themselves out of trouble. I actually think it should be conpulsory that your kids learn to swim.

I agree with you on the "it should be compulsory for kids to learn to swim". Think about how many kids drown every year?

Mya atarted swimming lessons around the same age as faith & hated it, but after acouple of lessons she was loving it.

She absolutly loves the pool & water in general now:)

my baby is 4 months old and we are going to a water park shortly. i am just wondering if children this old are ok in chlorinated water? also will the water be too cold for her, cause i know that bath water has to be body temperature. also, what is the minimum age that children can be enrolled in swim schools?

There is baby swimming and there is baby swimming, Hollo. Some pools have water 'familiarisation', which is really not about the baby at all because babies know all about water, having spent 9 months floating in fluid! These classes are more for the parents to have an opportunity to handle babies in water.
I actually do BabySwim here in Melbourne and it is a well-researched program run by Cookie Haguette, who has lots on international links to the subject. Again, it's more for me to learn all the things Oscar can do in water and to then teach him how to survive in water as he grows (like entering the water safely, finding the edge of a pool to hang onto, the steps to get out from etc). It's a bit more involved than that, but I am simplifying it here!
BabySwim is recommended as soon as possible after birth, but I know that mainstream swim centre classes are from at least 12 weeks.
It is really lots of fun to get in the water and play games with your baby in the water - the other day I had lots of smiling patrons at the local pool because I took my 5 month old in, dunked him a few times and had quite a bit of laughing and fun :)

Hollo - the swim centre I go to in Melb recommends they start at 6 months. I have been going to the same centre for 3 1/2 years and my DD loves it and she is now starting to swim on her own with no floaties! I know its recommended the water to be a certain temp for young babies (higher temp than most public pools). The water park might have a heated pool and your DD will probably love it. Hope it goes well and enjoy it.

Yep, try a hydrotherapy pool if you want to do playswims on your own :)

Just hold him the whole time, Tanya :) When going in, hold him with his back against your chest, with your arm around his chest so that he floats from bum up when you enter. Use floaties when he's more comfy in depth of the pool and can move more independently in it. You can do a few things - float him on his back, swish him around on his front, facing you and get his face wet.
You also don't need all the UV stuff if you're in an indoor pool, just a swim nappy of some description. It's probably best if they can feel the water on their bodies before you start to cover them up.
Most of all, smile lots and make sure he is far enough away from your face so that he can focus on your positive expressions!

I cant wait to get Charlotte into a pool :) I am so glad her cleft palate wont stop her from experiencing it at an early age. Will be more difficult when she has grommets but thats another story :rolleyes:
I could swim (well kinda) before I could walk and its always been a big thing in my family. We came from the tropics and needed to beat the heat some how ! I also was a competitive swimmer and did synchronised swimming in my early teens.

I think swim schools run with the normal school terms, and the age I think depends on the swim school u will go to. Charlotte is booked in to start next Feb.. just give them a call and find out! I dont think taking your 4 mth old for a quick dip at the water park would be a bad idea either.. sounds like fun! I have done a little checking on the internet and there doesnt seem to be a minimum age to take them in.... HAVE FUN :p

Tulip - I was in the water with my DD until she was 3 years old, now she goes in on her own with me watching from the sidelines. Most baby classes are conducted using songs and nursery rhymes making it fun rather than any swim techniques, like "if you happy and you know it, splash your hands" and you and baby splash the water. It is alot of fun. They usually do the same thing every class as babies love repetition. Good luck with your move.

Mackenzie has been swimming lessons since she was 9 months old and today went up from her 'baby' classes to a transistion class. We think learning to swim is soooo important that we didn't mind being in the same class for so long (she nearly 2.5 years) even though she did get bored with it. She was great at everything, kicking even diving (yes diving) in from the side of the pool but she was too young to go up a class and swim on her own (she is tall for her age but she needed to be tall enough to stand at the shallow end of the pool). She was wonderful today although I was a bit worried as it was such a big change from her normal lesson but she did great. I guess what I'm trying to say is if you take them from a young age be prepared to continue doing the same thing for a long time as they do need to be a certain height and be able to listen to instruction etc before they can move up a class. We decided to perserver with the lessons as we thought that taking her out of swimming would be far worse (ie when she was old enough to do the next class she would be afraid of the water or have gone backwards etc) than the few tantrums we were getting due to bordom of the class. It is also a great way to meet other parents and not to mention the exercise for you both!

We started a few weeks ago. At our swim school, they take them from 6 months. The water babies classes are water familiarisation and safety (getting back to side of pool etc) up to the age of 2, then they go up a class. Our classes run all year, we just pay by the month. It doesn't go by school terms at all.

Tanya - Floaties won't keep him buoyant that young. We have a back bubble on, and arm floaties, but they don't really do anything... it's more for him to get used to them. Altho, the back bubble does enable me to just hold his hands so that he can kick a bit better.

Hi everyone, In the lead up to my daughter reaching 6 months I'm interested to know what people looked for in a swimming school. I know they take them from 6 months. What things didn't you like?

Thanks, Laura

We based ours on recommendations from other mums. Also looked for one that was heated/hydrotherapy so that we could continue classes through the colder months. After a couple of terms you came to recognise which teachers were better then others and hence why their class times were always so hard to get into! But it is all a bit trial and error.

DD started from 4 months old and was a real natural waterbaby, no fear etc. She also had a bath seat - which I know that some people say inhibits them when learning to swim but we didnt have a problem at all.

DS on the otherhand hasnt started formal lessons as where we live they dont offer them. But we take him swimming as often as we can.

We take all 3 of our littlies to swimming lessons, and I picked a pool that we could go to all year round, a pool that is has AUSTSWIM accreditation, and a pool that has appropriate lesson times so that we can do all 3 lessons in one morning............(ends up we have an early start on a Sunday........have to be there at 8am to fit all 3 in, but it is SO SO worth it.......they LOVE their sunday mornings!)

Make sure you go and watch a few lessons before hand, to make sure your happy with how the instructor conducts clasases, and what she/he is teaching the kiddies...

We've been to a few now and we've ended up back at the first one even though we have to drive further to get there. This is why we like it
-it's not draughty (one of the schools we went to always had windows open even when it was freezing out), the heating works in winter and the water is always a nice temprature
-it's not too big (the Homebush aquatic center was way too big - huge class sizes and the place was so crowded that anyone could have nicked our stuff without us noticing)
-it's austswim acreditted
-we like the instructors
-they only have 4 babies per class
-they run a class on most days so it's easy to schedule catch up lessons

We have just enrolled Chloe in swimming lessons, and I have a very silly sounding question to ask! What do they wear? I have some huggies swimmer nappies, is that enough?

If you are doing lessons, it will worth spending the money on swim nappies that are washable. You can get them at Kmart for about $10, or you can get Aqua Nappies which are about $15-20, or the Eenee type which I've seen range in price from $20-25. Cheaper than buying sposie ones. At some stage you might also need to get a 'bum pack', and they require two pairs of nappies, but it's still cheaper to get two washable ones! They last for ages, too, as DS has been using his for 6 months and is only just now about to grow out of them. We have the Aqua Nappy Floatie and it fits from 9-11kg. DS must be just over 11kg now, so we're looking at a new pair soon. I have a pair of Zoggs for him, too, but I had to sew up one side because the velcro doesn't always hold, and even though the back up stud button holds, if there is a poo situation, it will leak from the leg because the undone velcro has loosened the snug fit.
It's a pity they didn't advise you what swim nappy they prefer you use - my swim school was very thorough and even has an introductory lecture every few months for the new parents to understand the concepts, the aims, and the props used. It also goes through the nappy preference. But my school is a bit moer serious about it's baby swim, being that it is specifically about babies and toddlers!
Most of all, have lots and lots of fun! And plenty of swims outside of class time - baby has to learn that swimming is fun, not just a Sat morning chore :)

i was wondering what age you start taking them swimming at?? is six months a sort of good age?? my dd is 4.5 months so am thinking it might be a bit early just yet...

and my main question is: how do you co-ordinate getting them dry and dressed as well as yourself.... how does it work?

Many schools start at 6 months. My school prefers to start them right from the word go. In fact, in a perfect world, they'd get you before the birth and help you with a waterbirth! Babies know how to swim from the womb and continue to have the dive reflex, which starts to diminish from about 6 months.
In Aust, the sooner babies get used to floating in water and going under water, the better for survival and just plain enjoyment of water :)
A buggy/pram is very handy for afterwards, if you're going to have a shower at the pool (many people just towel off, put on trackies and shower at home after rinsing off baby). I find it just as easy to use my Ergo, now that Oscar is mobile. From when he was crawling I'd let him go in the showers, I'd shower myself, get some undies on, then wash him under the shower, dry and change him, quickly put on my clothes and get Oscar into the sling. Otherwise, similar tactic, but strap him into the buggy whilst getting dressed. You definitely work out your own plan of action once you get into the rhythm!

Most schools won't take kids less then 6 months. But there are some special schools that do.

I think 6 months+ is fine. Shaun has been swimming since he was 6 months and loves it. I had to stop for a while when I got pregnant again because I had such bad morning sickness. But he's back at it. They don't really learn to swim at that age - more just having fun in the water, and learning to hold onto things and not be scared.

I put swim nappies on Shaun - with bathers over the top of them. He has little shorts... but I was able to pick up an all-in-one suit (looks like a wetsuit although it's just lycra fabric). It keeps him a bit warmer.
The water temperature should be warm enough... but it varies at our pool. Sometimes it's warm, sometimes it does feel a bit cooler. and if they stay still too long - they start to shiver.

So if you are able to find a little bathing suit that covers her chest & tummy - that would be advisable. But it's not totally necessary.

I also have the 'washable' bathers... but I don't use them. I find it easy to use the huggies swimmers and just throw them away after his swim. But they aren't really cheap... just convenient.

It's up to you how you feel about adding to landfill, but the washable bathers are not any harder than rinsing your own swimsuit:) Unless of course you find it a drag to wash your own and you've found some nifty throw away swimsuit for yourself ;) If you stick to the rule of not feeding within an hour of entering the pool, you'll avoid any soiling of the swim nappy anyway - never had a mishap sticking to this rule of thumb!
I liked the idea of having just the bottoms on DS from the start because I wanted him to know what water feels like on his skin, rather than having a rashie on. That's cos I'm totally a water baby and want him to love the feel of water as much as I do.
Babies should be taught in a pool that is as close to body temp as possible. That way they are totally comfortable to learn what is being taught without being distracted by cooling. Nothing words than getting into a supposedly heated pool to find that the pump isn't working properly or that an unfamiliar pool is not as warm as the staff say it is!
The babies may not be learning strokes at this age, but they are learning very important building blocks to get to that stage, which is why people who have researched baby swimming consider early swimming lessons to be so critical, especially in a country where pools, beaches and dams are part of our lives. Kids will learn to swim and have fun anyway, but if you have a swim school nearby that has a particular interest in baby swimming, then it's worth it.
I guess my swim school teaches more than just holding on to things. DS knows how to go under and stay under. He knows to twist around under water and climb the pool wall, and, importantly, he knows to get into the water feet first, on all fours. Soon, my class will be teaching our kids to swim between two parents under water. That's a lot more than mere water familiarisation. For us, it's about learning to be safe in the water whilst concurrently having lots of fun.
Sounds like I take it seriously...I do! Then again, just about everything I do I can't help but get right into and know about a whole range of benefits for it...I think it's the student in me!

Yeah swimming nappies is definatly something you need, but i also placed a cossie over the top of him, all the other babies in the class had something on also, even if it was just boardies. It is true i bought Joshuas swimmers so cheap from Kmart or Target. Have fun, Josh had a ball at the classes.

Moving to baby & toddler general discussion forum.