Swimming lessons

MichB2012

Hi all,

Can anyone reccommend somewhere in Dublin for swimming lessons for a three year old? Really regretting now that I did not take him when he was younger, he likes the water, but I sense a bit of fear in him so would like to stay away from certain places that encourage 'submerging' them in the water, until he is ready himself. I myself grew up being unable to swim and with a dreadful fear of the water so definitely don't want that for him. Due a baby later this year so will be taking him/her from a younger stage so if any suggestions for baby classes, would appreciate them too. Really liking the look of turtle tots for the baby but they only take them up to 3 years so that's out for my son.

Thanks

Digs

My lassie is 3 in two weeks and she's starting with this crowd the week after next, obviously I can't comment yet on how good they are but two friends highly recommended them and their reviews are good

http://www.swimminglessonsdublin.ie/children-swimming-lessons

The pool is in cheeverstown in Templeogue!

pwurple

I don't have a dublin recommendation, but in my experience in Cork, any reputable swimming lessons will encourage the child to put their face in the water, as that is a substantial part of learning to swim.

I know that's going to be hard if you are afraid of water yourself, but try not to pass on your fears to him.

MichB2012

pwurple wrote: »

I don't have a dublin recommendation, but in my experience in Cork, any reputable swimming lessons will encourage the child to put their face in the water, as that is a substantial part of learning to swim.

I know that's going to be hard if you are afraid of water yourself, but try not to pass on your fears to him.

Ah I understand that, but when the child is ready and after a couple of classes. I'm not keen on the likes of waterbabies that 'dunk' the kids under the water when they aren't expecting it..have heard a few horrible stories of even babies, seeing the instructors coming and they start crying..or the instructors dunking the babies under in the first class when they haven't even got used to the water. Would like something that seems a little more ethical to me.

I'm not too bad with water now myself and do bring him to the local pool every few weeks to try and encourage him a little, I do show him mammy can float with the float boards and do tell him 'you try' but he rarely will..I'm sure in the classes they have little ways to get the kids less afraid of the water..even at home in the bath, he goes mad if the water gets near his face

jlm29

I brought my boy to waterbabies for ages, and he loved it. I'm not in Dublin either, but I would assume they all have similar training. I never saw them "dunk" any child without warning (And plenty of it), and any child who didn't want to do certain activities was worked around, or given some alternative. That said, we stopped going at around 3 and a half- he had just gone beyond it, so you might find your child is getting a bit old for it anyhow.

pwurple

MichB2012 wrote: »

Ah I understand that, but when the child is ready and after a couple of classes. I'm not keen on the likes of waterbabies that 'dunk' the kids under the water when they aren't expecting it..have heard a few horrible stories of even babies, seeing the instructors coming and they start crying..or the instructors dunking the babies under in the first class when they haven't even got used to the water. Would like something that seems a little more ethical to me.

I didn't mean waterbabies, that's not what I meant by swim lessons.

Things to watch out for in lessons is that the instructor is in the water with them, and yes, that the child is encouraged, not forced into anything.

You can play little games with him yourself, like putting your chins under the water and blowing bubbles.

otwb1

Bit old for waterbabies I suspect. My guy is 2 now and has been with them from 6 weeks old. They use the babies reflexes when they are young to get them comfortable in the water so your baby will have lost those reflexes now.

Have seen some local lessons with 3/4 year olds that seem quite good and start from the beginning. Try just asking at your local pool as a first step?

RentDayBlues

Mespil pool do "teach your toddler" to swim classes, they're excellent. My eldest does full lessons with them and my youngest is doing toddler swimming. They're fully booked for the last course but will be going again in September.

My eldest started proper lessons at 3, she was a little young as easily distracted but loves the water and enjoys swimming so much

Typer Monkey

Where are you based? My 3 year old is having lessons in the Aura pool on the Navan road, D7. There's also lessons running in the pool in westmanstown.

She's had 6 lessons and they are encouraged to put their face in the water and there is some dunking of their faces and blowing bubbles etc. she wasn't keen initially but she's getting used to it. She really enjoys the lessons in general though

Balmed Out

Why start so young? What might take them 20 classes at three may only take one or two at five. Get them accustomed to holding their breath, blowing bubbles, lying flat in the water, keeping legs straight etc yourself without handing money over hand over fist.

Maybe they may be particularly mature then fair enough.

pwurple

Balmed Out wrote: »

Why start so young? What might take them 20 classes at three may only take one or two at five. Get them accustomed to holding their breath, blowing bubbles, lying flat in the water, keeping legs straight etc yourself without handing money over hand over fist.

Maybe they may be particularly mature then fair enough.

Ah sure you could say that about anything. Why let them kick a ball because they will pick up soccer skills easier later.

We brought ours to the pool from an early age with the cuidiu group just because babies enjoy it. It was not expensive. 5 euro a session i think.

We started taught lessons at age 3 because she enjoyed the pool so much, we said we would see how it went. My daughter turned 5 a month ago, was swimming a little bit from age 3 1/2, a lot more by 4 but didn't have the breathing techniques, and can now swim a pool width with the breathing. Front crawl, breaststroke not as good but getting there, dives, goes through hoops under water etc. Last weeks lesson was being taught treading water. I don't think she would be anywhere near that level if she had started later. In her current grade level, the other children in with her are age 8-12. The 5 year olds two lessons in are over in the baby pool practicing blowing bubbles.

I think if they enjoy it, swimming is a great skill to develop early, as it opens up other sports like rowing, sailing etc.

Balmed Out

pwurple wrote: »

Ah sure you could say that about anything. Why let them kick a ball because they will pick up soccer skills easier later.

We brought ours to the pool from an early age with the cuidiu group just because babies enjoy it. It was not expensive. 5 euro a session i think.

We started taught lessons at age 3 because she enjoyed the pool so much, we said we would see how it went. My daughter turned 5 a month ago, was swimming a little bit from age 3 1/2, a lot more by 4 but didn't have the breathing techniques, and can now swim a pool width with the breathing. Front crawl, breaststroke not as good but getting there, dives, goes through hoops under water etc. Last weeks lesson was being taught treading water. I don't think she would be anywhere near that level if she had started later. In her current grade level, the other children in with her are age 8-12. The 5 year olds two lessons in are over in the baby pool practicing blowing bubbles.

I think if they enjoy it, swimming is a great skill to develop early, as it opens up other sports like rowing, sailing etc.

That's fantastic and I agree cuidiu is great (went myself) but a world away from how many others do it. They are just a group of parents and babies that swim in a hydrotherapy pool not a profit making enterprise. There's a big difference between kicking a football about then paying something like 200 euro every ten weeks half of which the child will have a cold and not be able to go.
Your pretty close to joining a couple and a baby to a leisure center for the same as bringing a baby to some of these swimming courses for a year. I coached with a swimming club and then taught a private group until my late twenties and yes for a little bit I taught a baby group too. I wont be sending mine to them.
When I first trained kids started at four and to be honest many weren't really ready for it now there are plenty of groups that have figured out more money is to be made by taking them in earlier throwing armbands on them and sticking them in the deep end. What they can learn in that situation beyond getting used to a pool environment is similar to the bath but they wont have picked up the bad habit of cycling their legs in the bath.

meeeeh

Balmed Out wrote: »

Why start so young? What might take them 20 classes at three may only take one or two at five. Get them accustomed to holding their breath, blowing bubbles, lying flat in the water, keeping legs straight etc yourself without handing money over hand over fist.

Maybe they may be particularly mature then fair enough.

Because they enjoy it. Mine are in Aura swim academy, they have their lessons on Friday and the three year old gets all excited already on Wednesday. Anyway there is a girl with her who is doing second or third course of 8 classes and she still didn't properly submerge her. They are taking plenty of time with her andjust building her confidence. I wouldn't think many would force things on three year olds especially considering parents are watching and many wouldn't be happy with it.

Dobbit

Typer Monkey wrote: »

Where are you based? My 3 year old is having lessons in the Aura pool on the Navan road, D7. There's also lessons running in the pool in westmanstown.

She's had 6 lessons and they are encouraged to put their face in the water and there is some dunking of their faces and blowing bubbles etc. she wasn't keen initially but she's getting used to it. She really enjoys the lessons in general though

We also go to aura with our 8 month old. They don't encourage dunking if the child is upset, well for the babies anyway. Our son loves the water now, even in the bath, he laughs when he gets water on his face instead of crying like before. It's also not as expensive as some of the other places I checked out.

Balmed Out

meeeeh wrote: »

Because they enjoy it. Mine are in Aura swim academy, they have their lessons on Friday and the three year old gets all excited already on Wednesday. Anyway there is a girl with her who is doing second or third course of 8 classes and she still didn't properly submerge her. They are taking plenty of time with her andjust building her confidence. I wouldn't think many would force things on three year olds especially considering parents are watching and many wouldn't be happy with it.

Again fair enough if you can afford it, great.

What I am trying to say is parents should not feel under any pressure to send kids swimming so young. If your aim is to have a teenager who is an excellent swimmer its not necessarily an advantage or disadvantage.

Young kids will learn slower though yes they will be able to swim at a younger age, they will tend to not have quite the same co-ordination as older kids so their susceptible to bad habits so the earlier advantage may actually even out.

Different personalities work differently too and the three year old may be sick of swimming by the time their six and may not have really mastered it yet. Another after initial success will think they know it all, never take anything on board even though they have more bad habits then Charlie Sheen.

Starting a little older isn't something parents should be concerned with, often the best ten year olds (technique wise) will have started a little later and learned when their coordination was a little better.

I love swimming all i'm saying is that no one should feel pressure to send very young children to expensive swimming classes thinking they will be at a disadvantage if they dont. The OP's child is 3 and she has regrets a little early

pwurple

I think you are right for the most part. Lessons with armbands, photo ops or the other thing I've seen with dangling a stick in front of a child are daft money making exercises. i think they are easily spotted.

And if the child has no interest, no point. My girl tried other sports too, camogie (just chatted), some kind of dancing (god love her, rythym free).. So they didn't suit. But she loves the pool.

Confidence is so shaken easily too. She fell off her bike twice a few weeks ago when we were not close enough to catch her, and has refused point blank to get on it again.

But with an interested kid, and a decent set of classes, it is good.

lazygal

We just bring ours to open swimming sessions. My parents enrolled us in many formal classes too young so I'm probably too laid back about structured activities. Plenty of time for lessons when they're older.

moving_home

I did lessons with friends when the babies were small. Around 4 months onwards. It was fun and we all went for lunch and coffee afterwards and it was a social event for mammies as much as anything. I still bring her swimming myself now and she loves the water and loves the shower etc. She can also climb out of the pool safely and loves water in her face. Lessons were in a local pool and cost €9 a class. If we missed one they allowed us to change to another class. It was all very relaxed.

LegacyUser

Took our daughter to Waterbabies from 4 months. She's 4 now and swims widths of the pool with no flotation aids. She loves it though, I'd say we've missed 3 classes in all the years we've been going, luckily she's very rarely ill.
My BIL is a lifeguard and swimming instructor so she will be swimming with him from the summer onwards.

I wouldn't write off swimming from a young age. If you have the time and commitment to go, and the child sees it as fun as opposed to a lesson, it's well worth doing.

dekey

Babies are born with an amphibian reflex from being in the amniotic fluid in the womb. The reflex allows them to automatically hold their breath under water without having to be taught it. They lose this by 8 months.