https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 21 May 2026 21:00:53 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/swim-lessons-vs-just-taking-toddler-in-pool#post-2107115 Fri, 13 Mar 2015 08:33:08 +0000 looch 2107115@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't think there is one right answer in deciding about swimming lessons. I was a water baby, I just took to the water and learned to swim almost immediately. I loved it so much, I eventually became a certified water safety instructor and taught swimming lessons for many years.</p> <p>Now, my son, on the other hand, didn't want to go in our pool at all last summer...he finally decided on the day we closed the pool in OCTOBER that he would go in. So, we're taking it slowly and following his lead. He was 3 at the time and it just fits with his cautious personality. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/swim-lessons-vs-just-taking-toddler-in-pool#post-2107075 Fri, 13 Mar 2015 08:00:27 +0000 Alivoo01 2107075@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS is 19 months and we recently enrolled him in a swim class. It was a big joke and waste of money. Just taking him to the pool would be equivalent to this class.</p> <p>We enrolled him because a friend of ours a city next to ours enrolled their 18 month old daughter in a swim class and she's actively swimming swimming now. It's impressive. So it depends on the location and teacher I guess. We don't live in that city so can't enroll in their stuff. But for our city, yea, not happening. </p> <p>DS is always a lil skeptical about the water/pool so we ease him into it. After a few minutes on the sidelines with just his feet wet, he jumps in and can't get enough of the water. Fortunately, he's still willing to leave when we tell him it's time to go! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/swim-lessons-vs-just-taking-toddler-in-pool#post-2107047 Fri, 13 Mar 2015 07:41:20 +0000 littlebug 2107047@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We just had our first swim lesson yesterday (D is 26m). I definitely think he will get a lot out of them. At the beginning of class he just clung to me. But by the end he was laying on his belly and kicking his legs (with me holding him up), jumping off the side, and we had to drag him out of the pool. I'm hoping that over the next 7 weeks he'll let us put a floatie on him and he can be "on his own" in the water. His uncle has a pool, so I imagine we'll be over there a lot this summer. I want him comfortable in the water, for sure. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/swim-lessons-vs-just-taking-toddler-in-pool#post-2107036 Fri, 13 Mar 2015 07:26:45 +0000 Foodnerd81 2107036@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lady baltimore: I think you pretty much summed it up for me. We don't get a lot of pool time, and while we are both fine swimmers, neither have experience with lessons or getting kids used to the water. I think we will do a session this spring. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/swim-lessons-vs-just-taking-toddler-in-pool#post-2107032 Fri, 13 Mar 2015 07:23:23 +0000 Mamaof2 2107032@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The summer program at DCP starts swim lessons at age 4 so that's when we started </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/swim-lessons-vs-just-taking-toddler-in-pool#post-2106461 Thu, 12 Mar 2015 18:45:11 +0000 lady baltimore 2106461@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think it depends a lot on the kid (no LOs, but experienced with swimming lessons). If you are worried about your kiddo gaining comfort with the water and learning some safety skills, some kids will do a lot of things for a teacher that they won't necessarily do with their parents. Others will get plenty out of pool time with mom &amp; dad. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/swim-lessons-vs-just-taking-toddler-in-pool#post-2106395 Thu, 12 Mar 2015 17:26:38 +0000 illumina 2106395@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think I'll sign her up for classes at the age when they actually start swimming with the instructor/rest of the class, rather than a mummy and me kind of group thing. Not sure when that is though, maybe around 2-3. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/swim-lessons-vs-just-taking-toddler-in-pool#post-2106391 Thu, 12 Mar 2015 17:24:23 +0000 Mrs. High Heels 2106391@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We started at 3.5 years and thought that was a good age to start. DD had been exposed to water before, but never had any formal training... but she caught on quickly and loved the lessons right away. She could do a lot of things independently quickly, and within 6 months was swimming on her own. I feel like if I had started any earlier it would've been a waste of money, but who knows! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/swim-lessons-vs-just-taking-toddler-in-pool#post-2106381 Thu, 12 Mar 2015 17:05:27 +0000 babynumber1 2106381@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our LO is about to turn 3 and we just did swim lessons. I think they helped with the just of things, but she definitely isn't swimming. She is independent in the pool in her puddle jumper. She was already independent and jumping in, blowing bubbles, etc, so she didn't get much out of it. If she wasn't familiar with the water or as brave as she is, it would have been more beneficial. She did love her lessons though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/swim-lessons-vs-just-taking-toddler-in-pool#post-2106373 Thu, 12 Mar 2015 16:51:48 +0000 Charm54 2106373@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm wondering about this too, Dd loves the pool but we've only taken her a couple times this winter . This spring our centre is offering "toddler swim class" on Sat mornings....I'm thinking of signing her up just for the fact that it will force me to go every week . I also think it would help get her ready for summer at my parents pool. She's 18mo </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/swim-lessons-vs-just-taking-toddler-in-pool#post-2106368 Thu, 12 Mar 2015 16:49:03 +0000 regberadaisy 2106368@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a pool and DH is a *really* good swimmer so we didn't think lessons were necessary. Up till now we've just played /get comfortable in the pool. She'll be 3 this summer and I'll like him to start teaching her how to swim. Other HBer have watched instructional YouTube videos . I think I'll have him watch just for techniques on how to teach a toddler. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/swim-lessons-vs-just-taking-toddler-in-pool#post-2106363 Thu, 12 Mar 2015 16:43:43 +0000 LuLu Mom 2106363@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I used to teach lessons 1 &amp; 2, so we haven't signed DD up, we just swim with her when we can. She LOVES the water, btu doesn't really want to learn to float or anything. This fall I want to do the Float for Life class, but otherwise I think I have a pretty good handle on the basics. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/swim-lessons-vs-just-taking-toddler-in-pool#post-2106352 Thu, 12 Mar 2015 16:24:43 +0000 BeachMama 2106352@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would have liked to start earlier, but timing was never right. We did mommy &amp; me class at about 2, then a regular swim lesson after that. I think the regular lessons helped her a ton to feel more confident in the water, but also teach her safety. She learned to float on her back, swim with her arms, kick, put her face in the water, jump in, and to climb out. She loves practicing in the bath too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/swim-lessons-vs-just-taking-toddler-in-pool#post-2106338 Thu, 12 Mar 2015 16:15:41 +0000 turkeylurkey 2106338@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did infant survival lessons at 6 months. That was rough to watch. Not sure if I'll do that again. We are signed up for lessons next week. He will be 27 months old. We've played a lot in the pool over the last few years. And I practice having him lay back in the bath tub or put his face in the water. I think he's made progress. DH thinks we should just take him to the pool ourselves and work with him. That's great and all but we don't make time for it. So I figured paying for classes with a set time I will be forced to take him. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/swim-lessons-vs-just-taking-toddler-in-pool#post-2105773 Thu, 12 Mar 2015 12:33:38 +0000 mrsjyw 2105773@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We took lessons from 13 months - 19 months, took a break since we had nicer weather and the classes were getting too repetitive in the level DS was at. Just started again last month at 26 months. He's a natural in the water and moving up fast the last couple of levels. It's definitely worth it for us and he swims alone with just the instructor and a couple other kids now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/swim-lessons-vs-just-taking-toddler-in-pool#post-2105767 Thu, 12 Mar 2015 12:32:16 +0000 Mrs. Pen 2105767@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Well, we started at 6 months and did the parent-child classes until 2.5. I thought it was helpful starting that young because I'm not a swim instructor so I had no ideas of what to do to encourage pre-swimming techniques. </p> <p>I think what a kid gets out of it depends on the child. There are some kids who've been in his lessons that have no motivation to swim at all, so they continue to repeat the same class over and over - which isn't necessarily a bad thing (J has done the same level three times because there is a checklist of things to master before graduating to the next class, and he's now down to the last thing on the checklist - swimming ten yards with flotation), but the motivation of the child will determine what they get out of it.</p> <p>For awhile J was more apathetic in his classes, but in the last year he's really started trying harder, especially as he saw the older kids in his class swimming pretty well and he wanted to do what they do. He's three now and doing really well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/swim-lessons-vs-just-taking-toddler-in-pool#post-2105750 Thu, 12 Mar 2015 12:20:39 +0000 Foodnerd81 2105750@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When did you feel like swim lessons were actually worth t for your LO? Like, they were getting more out of it than just being used to the water? </p> <p>C is 19 months. We have taken her to a pool at a local gym before and she really liked it, just benign carried and swished around in the water. This past week we brought her in the pool with us and she seemed kind of scared- but it was also a little cold in the water so t might have been that. </p> <p>I really don't want her to be afraid of the water so I want to make a point to bring her more often. Deciding if lessons make sense at this point, or if I'm better off just taking her to family swim until she is a little older. </p>