How old were your children when or if you had them take swimming lessons?

[robinb]

My DD was 2. It ended up costing us thousands. When she was just barely 5 and starting kindergarten we were told that she could not take the Red Cross swim lessons at the YMCA because she wasn’t 6 yet. She could swim the length of the pool and the preschool lessons were boring her. They recommended she join the swim team instead! She finally quit 13 years and thousands of dollars later. No regrets though. Swimming competitively was one of the best things to happen to her.

 

[arminnie]

I have no memories of learning how to swim. No more than I have memories of being potty trained or learning how to read.

So all of those things happened when I was quite young. But my first swim lessons to learn strokes and form happened when I was about 9. But I was a proficient swimmer years earlier.

 

[ols386]

Both my kids each took swimming lessons at the YMCA, when they were individually around 5 years old.

 

[ronandannette]

Swimming lessons here were a mandatory unit in the elementary school phys.ed curriculum. DS took them every year from kindergarten through grade 6.

 

[nikkistevej]

DD learned at 4 at the Y, DH never learned to swim(he's not scared of the water, and can get around ok, he was in the NAVY and passed the swim test somehow lol), so he really pushed her to learn. I agreed, I have known how to swim since I was very young. It's an important life skill I truly believe.

 

[jaiminee krikit]

DD16 was 5 when we started lessons. We live in Illinois and never really swam, I just didn't want her to be scared of water like my grandma was, and I wanted her to be able to swim just in case. We did one lesson during the first session, the teacher was great, and she did pretty well. Then she broke her leg. She obviously wasn't able to get in water for 6 weeks, but the next session we got her back in the water. This session had a different teacher that DD did not like. They hopped in the water and blew bubbles in the water an hour every Saturday for a month. That was about it. Then the last lesson of the session, the teacher had them stand on the edge of the pool and basically pushed them all in. I was sitting watching and knew that was the end of swim lessons. I've tried to teach her, other people have tried, too, but she is stubborn. And she can't float - she's solid muscle and just sinks. Well last summer her dance teacher had a party and one of the other teachers decided he'd try to teach her how to swim. It worked! She isn't a fish or anything, but she can swim across a pool and isn't afraid to jump in any more. Going under water still makes her uncomfortable, though.

 

[Colleen27]

I've been swimming longer than I've been walking, so I wanted to start my kids young. Unfortunately, around me the mindset at the time was in line with the AAP recommendation to wait until they're old enough to be afraid ("healthy fear" or some such) before starting them, and I couldn't find classes for kids under preschool age within a reasonable distance of home. So I worked with them myself until they got old enough, just so they wouldn't be scared. So many of the kids in the 3/4 year old class spent the whole time clinging to Mom or Dad and wailing, refusing to even try anything that didn't involve being held... I know they learn eventually and get over that fear, and some of those same kids are on swim team with my 10yo now, but I still don't see how that's a good approach to teaching!

 

[Sandeep1]

Pretty sure it was around the 2 to 3 year mark.

When did you start feeding them tacos? I heard they really enjoy tacos.

 

[kdonnel]

Neither kid had formal swim lessons. Both were self/family taught in the grand parents pool starting at 2 or so. They both did also swim in a competitive summer swim league for some period of time. One for just two years and the other for 9. So they did get some exposure to many strokes and proper technique.

 

[Hrhpd]

Started all the children around 6 months in mommy and me classes and underwater baby swim safety classes. Started swim team around 4 and all swam through college. Swimming was kind of big in our family Since my parents and all my relatives live in a country that is half water, water safety has been ingrained in me since I was young. Starting our kids at 6 months was old according to my cousins.

Wonderful sport, one that they can do the rest of their lives (oldest is still swimming masters) and gave them guaranteed summer jobs throughout high school and college when they weren't interning.

 

[lilia78]

Oldest was 10 months, next was 3 months, next was 7 months and youngest was 3 months as well. Just happened to be how old they were the first July after they were born. All are very good swimmers! They all took all of lessons right through but none of them went on to take any lifesaving courses, no interest in being a lifeguard like I was. Just spent a week in Mexico and a lot of that time was snorkeling in the ocean.

 

[dotfurio]

I think they were around 2 or 3. We don't have a pool or I probably would've done it earlier.

 

[tcufrog]

My older son did Mommy and Me lessons when he was a baby but it didn’t go well. He kept trying to steal the toys from the other kids. After that we didn’t push swim lessons which I now regret because we moved into a house with a pool when he was 18 months old and he refused to get in it.

Little brother was born when DS11 was 4. At that point I insisted he learn to swim. I hired a private lesson teacher to come to our house. She was also a special Ed teacher so she knew how to handle my son. Many temper tantrums later, he loved swimming.

We learned our lesson and put baby brother as soon as we safely could. Since he was too young for sunscreen, we bought him a floppy sun hat and a swimsuit that had long legs and arms so he’d be covered. DS8 loved the water.

We signed them up for swim lessons the following summer and they’ve been going on and off ever since. DS8 takes 30 minute lessons twice a week during the school year and DS11 takes 1 hour lessons twice a week that are meant to train you for competitive swimming. They love it and it’s their favorite sport.

 

[Jocelynaus]

.

 

[sjrec]

Nothing formal until she was about 5 or 6. Then lessons every summer until she passed everything up to the classes for lifeguards. She wasn’t interested in those. We have a place at the beach and it was important she knew how to swim. My husband taught her how to jump waves and bodysurf-I love to watch her swim-she has a beautiful form.
Our grandson is 8 and had lessons the last two summers. He loves the ocean as well. I always feel sorry for the kids at the pool or beach who haven’t learned to swim. It’s never too late to learn-my brother-in-law just taught a grandfather to swim so he could take his grandchildren to Open Swim at the Y.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

4 for both

 

[MomOfDisneyPrincess]

I hate water and all things water related, so I waited until 3 years old for DD. Prior to 36 months, you had to do Mommy and Me lessons and I just couldn't make myself do it. We don't have a pool or any water near us, so there was really no danger waiting. My daughter loves the water, so we continued once a year lessons for about 6 years, but nothing competitive.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I don't remember--I was pretty young though.

I do remember though the swimming instructor putting a ring on his foot tilted up and us having to dive down and get it; I loved doing that but I hated the diving board. I just think I wasn't very good at getting proper body position.

 

[North of Mouse]

Ages 4 & 7 - took summer lessons for 3 years until they became little 'fishes' - lol.

 

[Prince_Hawkins]

This is a sensitive topic for me.

To this day, I don't know how to fully swim.

When I was very young, I was never willing to take swimming lessons at the community pool because I had body insecurity issues.

It also didn't help that my Adaptive P.E. teacher (yes, I was in Special Education for PhysEd!) was likely a clandestine pedophile...and the school district allowed her to teach swimming lessons to all of the "normal" students.