We had our first swimming lesson today. And it was horrible.
DD loves the water, I've been taking her swimming since she was 4 months old. She's suffering from horrible separation anxiety at the moment and we got off to a bad start in the lesson with the instructor taking her from me (to show me what to do) and dunking her under the water.
The rest of the lesson was spent screaming. She clung to me for dear life, the poor wee sausage.
And she's now asleep - and wasn't even due a nap!!!!
Hopefully it's just a one off... But I did find with my DS that our swimming lessons went down hill when he turned one. We started at 6 months and he loved it, but then when the separation anxiety kicked in at 12 months it became exactly as you described. After 5 or 6 lessons of him pretty much screaming through the whole thing and clinging onto me for dear life we decided to give them a break for awhile because he was developing a fear of water (completely counterproductive to the purpose of the lessons). We haven't done any lessons since last year and have gradually been getting him to enjoy the water again, so will be starting again next term (fingers crossed he likes them better now).
I also found that quite a few mums in our group had the same experience with their LO's at that age. It could just be an age thing... If it was me I'd give it a couple more goes, but if it's not enjoyable for her maybe take a break and try again when she's a bit older. HTH
Aww poor poppet - I know that in most lessons that is what they do but could you tell the teacher that you would prefer her not to take her from you from now on until she is used to the lessons? I would find it traumatic to have someone I don't know take me from my mum and dunk me under water too!! My DS is a bit the same, but he is getting used to it now and he is 2.5!
The instructor should not have done that! We have a 3 lesson policy before we submerge them and I never take a child if they dont seem comfortable. I would be making a complaint if I were you.
In my experience some swimming teachers seem to be very hard on the young ones. I refuse to push DS with swimming. Firstly I don't want him to panic when he sees water as I think that counteracts what you are trying to achieve. Secondly I want him to want to swim. Thirdly I want him to trust me and make choices for himself when he can. Although DS is older than your little one I believe that learning principals are similar (in fact across most animals!). I would take them as far as they seem to want to go. I definitely would not be pushing them to the point where they are panicking no matter what the teacher wants. The more stressful the experience the less well they will learn. The more you can make it fun and exciting while picking up their cues on how they are feeling, the faster they will progress.
I took DD for her first swimming lessons at 6months. They took her away for a spin around the pool and to duck under the water. She hated. Every kid did the first few lessons. Stick with it, it does get better. They have to get used to you not being in the water for the older classes anyway so I think it is great. They then learn to swim under the water to you and grab your shirt which is a great life saving technique.
I think DD cried for about 3 weeks, then only cried when she was taken away from me, then only cried when the normal instructor was away and it was someone else lol.
It does get better - the swim schools know what they are doing, so stick with it and good on your for starting the lessons so early! It's a life skill everyone needs imo
We only started proper lessons recently too and Nate was very similar. It's taken a few weeks, but he seems much happier now. I hated the forced wetting of the head even if they aren't ready, as I wouldn't force my children to do anything else to make them used to something, so it really grated with me, but practising in the bath has helped (even though he will happily put his own head under the shower or jump in the water)...it was the cues that made him scream.
I started swim lessons with my DD at 6 months and the instructor did the same thing - took her off me and dunked her - and my DD was so unhappy and cried the whole lesson. After that every lesson was a nightmare because the instructor was always trying to force my DD to do things, which just made her cling to me ever more and cry. I tried talking to him about the fact that my DD wasn't ready for dunking and being apart from me and he told me that she just had to get used to it and that she'd be afraid forever of the water if she didn't get used to it at that age.
After that I stopped swim lessons but then decided to try another swim school when my DD was 18 months and it is so much better!! The first lesson my DD was afraid to get in the water but at the end of her first lesson she didn't want to get out of the pool! The instructors don't dunk kids or take kids off parents. The whole lesson is centred around having fun in the water and learning skills along the way. She loves the lessons and so do I. It's much more relaxed and fun. As it should be at this age I reckon!
If you are in Melbourne I can highly recommend them to you.
Gosh Ds has been swimming all term and only just gone under in the last two weeks! It's not on to do that in the first lesson when it's a new environment and person to get used to. Ds screamed the second half of his first lesson we had to pull him out but he loves them now.
Poor baby and poor you, it really does depend on the instructor and swim school. My DD's swim school says only to dunk "if they give you the cue", which they learn in time. Otherwise you only get their "chin" wet.
the others girls have great advice I just wanted to say I use to love swimming days because of the great day nap DS would take! Oh the bliss, he would sleep in the car on the way home and then easily for another 2 hours. Oh how I miss swimming days.
Thanks girls, I am going to ring them today and cancel our lessons. It seems that this isn't the norm and there are other better places that we can go to. DH is furious about it too. I don't want DD to be frightened.
I've paid for the first month up front so I hope that we get a refund. DD is a clingy little thing just now, I don't want some stupid swim instructor making that worse for us.
OMG Sue, i can't believe they took poor little Evie off you and dunked her under on her very first day of swimming lesson's - that's not on at all.
I really hope it hasn't caused Evie to now have a fear of the water ;( Goodluck speaking to the swim school today and i hope you get a full refund too. (If it was from our local swimming pool, i hate to say it but i doubt they will refund you - i used to take the boys there but had a horrible instance with C at the time so cancelled, got no refund was just a case of too bad, someone missed out on that spot because you took it kind of attitude)
Westy, it IS our local one and I've just rang them and the woman has told me to basically suck it up and that it takes 4 weeks for them to settle into a swim class. Ugh. I'm so annoyed right now.
Thats crap. Sure it is a new experience & most kids probably do take that few weeks to settle in. BUT She took your DD & dunked her in with out letting her be comfy first. No way is DD going to go along next time & think, "OH I remember this, it was great fun"
I would post pone the lessons for a few months & just keep up with your own water play together.
You need to reintroduce her slowly at her own pace.
IMO professional Swimming lessons so young have no real benefit. You can build water confidence & safety through your own common sense & you can do it at a pace that suits both you & your child that way.
I can't believe they took DD off of you and just dunked her in her first lesson. WT??? I wouldn't go back either.
Our swim centre actually tells us NOT to put them under in their first lesson because all they'll remember is the trauma and it makes it harder to settle in. And the instructor never takes a child from their parent. DD's first lesson was her first time in a pool and she clung to me the whole time. The instructor went with it and we did the activities she felt comfortable with. By the end of the lesson she was quite happy to be in the water and I was satisfied with that for a first lesson. The instructor uses a doll to show us what to do and also tells us to watch other parents to see how to do it.
Actually, I'm really peeved on your behalf. It ****s me no end that its so accepted to treat babies as if they aren't people. Why are they any less deserving of our respect? If the instructor did that to an older child or another adult, it would be assault.
I hope your DD feels better after her nap. She must be exhausted.
First swimming lesson - traumatic!! (UPDATE)
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