Swimming lessons

[brand new mum]

At what age did you start your baby at swimming lessons? We've just started, and my DD is 6 months next week. I just heard a scary story this morning that has had me re-thinking if we should be swimming. I was told of an ambo driver who recounted a story that a baby had swallowed a heap of water during a swimming lesson. When it's mother placed it in the car seat and drove home, the baby drowned by the time they got home. The baby seemed perfectly happy during and after the lesson. Very scary.

[Kylie]

We started early, and babies were never submerged until they were ready to do so. At an early stage, when they prepared to go 'under' the water after counting "one, two three" they would go down as far as their chin, until they learnt to hold their breath.

There should not be a high level of water aspiration, enough to cause problems if lessons are done properly and babies are not submerged before they are ready or prepared. If your bub is spluttering during lessons after going under, then it's time to go back to basics...down to the chin only.

[lulu21]

I started DD at 6 months.

I also just completed my swimming teachers course over last weekend.

There should be no more than 6 full submersions in your lesson until the child is 12+ months. Your techer/swim school should know this though id they are fully qualified.

Mel

[Renee1]

hey we started when dd was 6 months she is now 9 1/2 months and LOVES it. We pay alot and i was wondering at the start if it was worth it...i def reccomend it... i have also heard of the "dry drowning" tho and it scared me to peices but i try not to think about it! also i heard that they get very lethergic if they swallow lots of water...we put the babies under and have done since the very first lesson...when we first started we had to blow in their faces to make them hold their breath and then put them under...my dd spluttered once or twice but now she goes under without us blowing in her face and she goes for quite awhile under and when she comes up she gives a big grin!! hope that reassures you

[Miss_C]

bubs was almost 4 months when we started taking him swimming ourselves, he was not sumberged though and in the lessons they only do it once or twice and the babies are taught to hold their breath etc and do not go under more than their eybrows sort of thing so Jake never spluttered or took in water. He probably gets more water in the bath tub at home!!

Just make sure the lessons are from qualified teachers and can show their accreditations etc, I am sure this is a very rare incident but if you are at all concerned ask that bubs is not submered until you are comfortable with it.

But really the sooner they are water safe and confident the better in the long run.

[TRP]

we started both of ours at 6 months of age. They weren't submerged till about 9 months, just chin only before then as a pp said. they both love it and have been fine - i think swimming lessons are so valuable, tho that story you told is horrifying...

[zeeeb]

i started at 6 months. and we used to only put their head under once or twice in the lesson, for less than one second, just dunk, and up again. i haven't kept it up though, and now i have 2, it's a lot more difficult to manage as i can't take 2 in the pool, and can't leave one out of the pool. i'm hoping to get zoe back into lessons this summer when she's 3 and can go in by herself with the teachers so i can look after aleisha and watch...

[Taja]

I second what all the PP have said - we started at 6 mths and didn't submerge her head until she'd been doing it for a while, and then it came after 1,2,3 - which prepares them a bit for what is about to happen.

I think that the benefits of learning to swim at an early age, far outweigh the TINY risk of possibly drowning in this way.

[oipic]

We started DD at 5 months and she took to it really well. I've never heard of this 'dry drowning' but it sounds awfully scary! I do agree with a pp that it would be more likely for DD to take in more water when in the bath tub.

I wouldn't let it hold you back from doing swimming lessons as I think they are really beneficial for youngins!

[mummymel]

DS1 was 6 mths and DS2 was 4 months -but they start at 3mths.

2 weeks ago DS2 was submerged and we do it a few times a lesson and same at our play swim. but not all the babies in our class are ready to go under - they aren't taking a breath so the instructor holds them off. But this is specifically design to teach babies to swim and work with their natural instincts. Babyswim.

I say teaching your kid to swim is the best gift you can give them.