Swimming Lessons - now or later?

[Caramello]

My DS is 8 months old and we want to take him to swimming lessons. The enrolment is tomorrow and the lessons will run for 10 weeks. However this means that he will be swimming in the autumn/winter months and potentially could get colds/flu etc. He is already going to daycare and has been suffering fairly badly with infections and gastro bugs. Should we still enrol him tomorrow or give his system a break and wait until Spring?

[Winter]

I'd wait until Spring. It's hard with small bubs when they get sick, you end up missing lessons which you've paid good money for.

[mel_cur]

Is the pool heated and indoors? I have taken DD since she was about 6 months all year round and she has never gotten a cold from swimming. As long as the water is warm and you can get your LO dressed in a warm area it shouldn't make a difference where it's winter or summer imo.

[Beach Mama]

I agree with the above however our issue is that even though they are a bit older they pick up all sorts of bugs at CC and they miss lots of lessons because they are sick anyway so it seems like a waste of $$... Seeing as he is so little and is already getting sick, combined with winter being renowned for all sorts of colds and flus I don't see the harm in holding off til Spring. JMO.

[LizLemon]

My DS has (touch wood) not got sick yet from swimming and he's been doing it since he was six months. The chlorine tends to kill any nasties. But, if he is getting sick a lot at the moment from day care then he will still have to miss the swimming so as Winter said you'd be missing lessons that you've paid good money for, ITMS.

[black_rose]

I agree with Mel, as long as it's all heated and you rug up afterwards you should be fine. All three of mine swim all year round. It's rare for them to get sick from swimming it's normally from kinder and daycare.

[Smoke Jaguar]

I would risk the colds (you'll find he won't get any more than if he doesn't go swimming) - swimming is super important now to learn if you're in any way going to be near water during his childhood and teen years. The sooner the better. After about 6 months they start to lose the dive reflex - it is infinitely harder to get a child to put their head under water and feel nice about it if you don't get him/her doing it by 12 months (I'm being really generous with time frames here, because often parents don't like to hear that they've left it too late). It's primarily about safety and confidence in water. By 18 months, my kids have known how to turn around and swim back to an edge in a pool. It makes swim time fun, and also gives me a few moments more peace of mind.

[beansbeans!]

I would risk the colds (you'll find he won't get any more than if he doesn't go swimming) - swimming is super important now to learn if you're in any way going to be near water during his childhood and teen years. The sooner the better. After about 6 months they start to lose the dive reflex - it is infinitely harder to get a child to put their head under water and feel nice about it if you don't get him/her doing it by 12 months (I'm being really generous with time frames here, because often parents don't like to hear that they've left it too late). It's primarily about safety and confidence in water. By 18 months, my kids have known how to turn around and swim back to an edge in a pool. It makes swim time fun, and also gives me a few moments more peace of mind.

Agree! Swimming is soomething I make sure our girls always do. Its so important. Our girls swim all year round, and if they do get sick, its not the swimming lessons that are the cause. Its not that hard to get make-up lessons if you miss a lesson either.

[Tuesday's Child]

I would risk the colds (you'll find he won't get any more than if he doesn't go swimming) - swimming is super important now to learn if you're in any way going to be near water during his childhood and teen years. The sooner the better. After about 6 months they start to lose the dive reflex - it is infinitely harder to get a child to put their head under water and feel nice about it if you don't get him/her doing it by 12 months (I'm being really generous with time frames here, because often parents don't like to hear that they've left it too late). It's primarily about safety and confidence in water. By 18 months, my kids have known how to turn around and swim back to an edge in a pool. It makes swim time fun, and also gives me a few moments more peace of mind.

We didn't start swimming lessons for DD until 13-14 months (for various reasons). She went under during her second lesson and has no issues with it. She looked shocked the first time, but didn't cry or gulp lots of water either. Do you have the option to pay as you go? At least to start with until you know how it's going to go.

[BlackCat]

Also cheack with the swim school ours will actually make up lessons due to illness where notifcation or drs certificate is provided. We preferred Winter lessons as there were a lot less children in the classes which meant more one on one time with the instructor. Fwiw, DS has had more illness from daycare in the last month than he has from swimming in the last two years lol.

[Mad Scientist]

We didn't start swimming lessons until just before DD1 turned three. She wouldn't put her head under at the first lesson but next lesson she was swimming! She was moved up after two lessons to the proper swimming class. I'm not boasting about how good she is at swimming. I'm just pointing out that if you don't have the chanceto get them into swimming lessons until later its not the end of the world. I believe it's important to get them used to water but I've also found that my DD2 is over confident now in the water. She's just turned two. Sure she can swim to the side but I'm not hugely confident she could save herself if she fell in the water. She's more likely now, after having swimming lessons, to jump in the water without us watching which scares me to no end! I wouldn't worry too much if you do delay the lessons until after winter. My girls haven't got sick from swimming and I don't think the risk is any greater than going anywhere else that has a lot of people in the one place eg shopping centre. But he's still young and with your DH, maybe it's better to wait that little bit longer?

[NaeNae]

Um, with all due respect, colds and flus are caused by viruses and not swimming pools or wet hair.

Your child is more likely to get sick (and has done so) from being in Child care as all the kids are in such close quaters, the swimming lessons are small groups and the babies cannot really interact with each other because they cannot crawl all over and share spit on toys the way they do on land.

If you were seriously worried about bub getting bugs then I'd pull him from the Child care centre rather than not take him swimming. But thats just my opinion on the matter I just wanted to clear up any misconception that swimming in winter causes colds and flu. I want to slap people when they tell me I shouldn't go out with wet hair coz I might catch a cold ... its nonsense!

Our swimming place charges us $10 a week. This inclused weekly lessons and access as amny times to the pool as we want. We have missed out on classes because I have been sick or DD has slept in but in all honesty I take her on another day so she still has some water time.
In the classes they teach them to blow bubbles, kick their legs, return to the side of the pool, jump into the water, go under water and lay back on their back (like floating) its a 30 min class and they really rush through the activities so I spend an extra hour with DD reinforcing the activities through play.

I didn't start DD until this year so she was 14 months. Mainly because I didn't think she would take to it but gosh you should hear the commotion when it comes to "get out of the pool" time

[Caramello]

The other issue is that DH had to cancel the last round of chemo because he copped one of DS's bugs, and were not entirely sure whether he will have to do a new round - hes doing the final checks in the next few weeks. I'm not sure whether its better to have family time thats not related to cancer (ie DS doing swimming), or be worried that it will bring more bugs. The bonus is that it is a heated and indoor pool.

[FabFiona]

If your LO is getting sick a lot from childcare it's likely you will miss lots of lessons anyway.

Perhaps during winter you could make an appointment in your diary for regular swimming time, rather than lessons. That way you still get the benefit of early exposure to water but if miss a week it won't be costing you money.

[Caramello]

Thanks everyone for your advice. Unfortunately I cannot afford to pull DS out of childcare as DH is not well enough to look after him full time and I need to work. Plus despite the illnesses he had I think its been in DS's best interest to have something stable during this time. It has been beyond frustrating the amount of leave that I have had to take this term - I was really hoping to be working 5 days a week, and I have been struggling to work 3 days. DS was put into childcare for 5 days for this very reason - but he hasn't been able to make it for a full week in a long time for many reasons.

I had a talk with DH last night, and we decided that as we haven't been able to make it to church for over 2 months then there is no point signing up for something on a Saturday that its highly likely we won't make it to. We live in the Western suburbs and have little access to pools/beaches so safety around water is not really an issue atm. Mayaness I take your point that he will lose the skill to dive, but as I didn't start swimming myself until I was 5, and I absolutely loved the water (still do), its something that he will have to learn as an older swimmer.

I suppose this is another one of those things that if life was normal, we could go ahead and do it. But until we get a final verdict for DH, unfortunately things have to be placed on hold.

Thank you once again for all your advice, I do appreciate it.

[Smoke Jaguar]

Fair enough, then.
The 'dive reflex' isn't about diving, it's about the baby using a natural reflex to close the air passageways when under water (and not necessarily the mouth), and that's when it's easiest and quickest to teach confidence and safety in the water. If you're not likely to be near bodies of water for a while, then you can get away with it till a bit later, when children are taught in other ways. It's not about not loving water if they don't get into water as babies, it's more about using their naturally existing developmental stages to teach increasing water skills, and the sooner the better, in that respect. It's one thing to love water, it's another to know how to use your body to get out of a jam and not rely on being able to reach the bottom of the pool to get out safely or to just swim for fun. It's important to know this so that you know what you'll need to compensate for later and what to potentially expect. Just like with anything child related, really - the more you know, the better you can prepare

[NaeNae]

Fair enough, then.
The 'dive reflex' isn't about diving, it's about the baby using a natural reflex to close the air passageways when under water (and not necessarily the mouth), and that's when it's easiest and quickest to teach confidence and safety in the water. If you're not likely to be near bodies of water for a while, then you can get away with it till a bit later, when children are taught in other ways. It's not about not loving water if they don't get into water as babies, it's more about using their naturally existing developmental stages to teach increasing water skills, and the sooner the better, in that respect. It's one thing to love water, it's another to know how to use your body to get out of a jam and not rely on being able to reach the bottom of the pool to get out safely or to just swim for fun. It's important to know this so that you know what you'll need to compensate for later and what to potentially expect. Just like with anything child related, really - the more you know, the better you can prepare

Just have to add I have seen both of Mayaness' children in the water is it was because of Miss T's abilities that I decided to get my DD invloved. I swear I have never seen a little one SO competent in the water. Master O is great too but Miss T is almost the same age as my DD and WOW that child is amazing!!!!!!!

Anyhoo,

I am glad you have come to a decision that works for you hun, the right time for a child to start swimming lessons is when the parent decides it time

Nae x