Teaching your kid to swim

R

rhorn27

250+ Posts
My daughter turned 2 in February and we would like to enroll her in swim classes this summer. My spouse and I both work so we would need to find a place that offers weekend classes.

We would prefer a place in South Austin. Thanks.
 
Nora Martin teaches classes in East austin (cherrywood.) She is FANTASTIC. I've been to many of her classes w/ the family I used to work for, and she did wonders with those kids-- they were the kids who hated to even get in the water to take a bath !

Her classes are in the evenings, but she's totally worth the time and money investment. Looks like her classes are filling up quickly though.
The Link
 
My wife used to teach at Emler Swim School. I think they were somewhat pricey, but more reliable than the YMCA or something like that. I know they have a school in north Austin, and I think they were opening one that's more central. I'm not exactly sure where that would be though.
 
I didn't even know it was even possible to teach a young 2 year old to swim....seems a little too young to me.

3-4 might seems like a more appropriate age.
 
It's not so much about teaching them to swim, it's about making them comfortable around water. They have to learn to put their heads under and blow bubbles and stuff.
 
the throw it in comment really wasnt too far off. Turns out thats how my father learned how to swim the first time.

and I know there are classes for newborns (5-8 months) around water, they teach the newborns to roll onto their backs if they end up in the water.

They obviously cant keep it going for very long, but even 20-30 seconds is a huge life saver.
 
My son went to swim lessons at 8 months. It was mainly to teach him to float on his back or swim to the side and hold on.
 
I was a little skeptic when we first took our oldest to lessons when she was under 1 year old.

However, the lessons in Alaska were awesome and I was very impressed. They taught the kids about water safety more than anything. It was about teaching them to try to get to the edge and crawl out.

We literally knocked them in and all these little ones would immediately turn and reach out for the edge and start to kick their legs out and attempt to get out of the water. Sort of as if they had fallen in on accident and knew they weren't supposed to be in the pool.

They also taught them to dunk and then just blink away the water instead of rubbing their eyes, etc. so that they weren't wasting their arms on that when they should be paddling. They taught them to float, etc. as well.

It is definitely about making them comfortable in the water. Our oldest needed it! The youngest is fearless and basically started swimming and floating on her own the first time we put her in the pool. She'll jump of the edge and go under water all on her own. We still have to coax Baby M a little, but she still does all the same "safety" stuff she learned at 7 months.

I highly recommend lessons. I think the YMCA and inexpensive lessons are fine, though. It isn't really about awesome technique at this age, its about spending time with your kiddo and ensuring they won't be the "fraidy cat" that won't get in the pool at a pool party when they are 10.
 
I used to give my son showers instead of baths, even as an infant. I'd go in there and hold him and we'd both get clean. It helped him get used to having water in his eyes and face and learn that he shouldn't inhale in the water without the full consequences of a lung full of water.

He was used to it before he learned to be scared of it.
 
Several of my kids learned in Medina Lake when we went to visit my folks...

We took them out on the dock and eased them in...wasn't too long they were like fish...

They were in the 2-4 range when this happened...
 
This isn't so much swimming lessons as it is infant survival. My daughter is not quite 5 months, and we already have her signed up for a class at the end of the summer.

Even though I am about to have a fence installed around our pool, there is no way in hell I'm taking a chance.

Infant Swim
 
When I was a lifeguard I taught swimming lessons, mainly to beginning children. The youngest I ever taught turned two during our lessons. Most of the really young kids had parents who were going to the beach for their summer vacations and wanted their kids not to be afraid of the water. I did the whole shebang with them. Blowing bubbles, jumping into the water together, going underwater together, kicking, you name it I probably did it.

I have no problems teaching a kid how to act in the water, just make sure you teach your kid before they are in 5th grade, and then send them to the community pool. That sucks, but at least I got some funny stories about it.
 
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