Kid doesn't like swimming in cold water

[Anonymous]

DS9 really hates swimming if the pool is cold. This summer he hated swim team because the outdoor pool was usually cool in the evenings or mornings, and he wanted to quit but we convinced him to stay with it since he is really good. He qualified for A team meets but didn't go after the first event because the water was cold early in the morning. He was shaking/shivering uncontrollably after the one event he did so we had to leave. He's in a year-round swim program and is complaining about the water being cold. I wondered if it's because he is skinny, but I see kids with similar build and they are okay.

Is this something he has to get used to or does this mean swimming is just not for him? I have thought about getting him a wetsuit for practice, but since he can't use it in a competition, I don't think it's worth it. Was anyone else like this and eventually adjusted to the cold? Anything I can do to help him adjust to the cold water?

[Anonymous]

My ds is like this. He just runs cold. He is very skinny and has no body fat to insulate him. Our neighborhood pool is very shaded and tends to be cold. Summer 2020 we joined a pool farther away that gets more sun and he likes it so much better. So that’s where we go now.

If he wants to continue with swimming, I’d find a team with a warm pool. Otherwise just let him drop it. I don’t see the point in forcing him to continue in a sport that is so physically uncomfortable for him.

[Anonymous]

The water is really cold at most places. Ask the coach about a wetsuit - we used to use them when ours was little but the coaches don't want them during team/older kids. Some pools are warmer than others.

[Anonymous]

I hate swimming in cold water. I was a very talented diver but quit bc I really couldn't stand the cold water. Ended up sticking with gymnastics and dealing with the intense summer heat (with no AC) instead.

Some people really just can't stand cold water.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate swimming in cold water. I was a very talented diver but quit bc I really couldn't stand the cold water. Ended up sticking with gymnastics and dealing with the intense summer heat (with no AC) instead.

Some people really just can't stand cold water.

Don't divers get to sit in the hot tub in between dives? They always did when I saw them practice.

[Anonymous]

I mean.. does he want to swim or not? If he’s saying he wants to stop it doesn’t matter what the reason is, stop forcing it. If he wants to keep doing it, tell him it’s his choice to go and he needs to stop complaining.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate swimming in cold water. I was a very talented diver but quit bc I really couldn't stand the cold water. Ended up sticking with gymnastics and dealing with the intense summer heat (with no AC) instead.

Some people really just can't stand cold water.

Don't divers get to sit in the hot tub in between dives? They always did when I saw them practice.

Dive judge here! Most pools nowadays don’t allow kids under 18 in a hot tub or if they do, it’s only after a competition or practice. The club programs I know are really strict about kids doing side stations between dives and/or receiving feedback. Elite and international competitions are a different story.

Back on topic: I can swim in any temperature water for hours, and was a competitive swimmer growing up. My DH gets chattery after just a few minutes in anything less than tropical waters. My daughter had a few summer swim team teammates who were similar and they have all switched to tennis in the summer. I personally didn’t carry on with basketball because I hated the loud gyms. No reason to stick with something even more uncomfortable than that!

[Anonymous]

Some kids quit swim because they can’t stand the cold. I have a very thin 10 year old who has no body fat, and when he was 6/7, he hated cold pools and would shiver, blue lips, etc. Over time, he got over it, and now complains when the pool is too hot for competitive swimming. I have no idea how that happened. We just kept sending him to summer swim and he loved the social aspect so much that he learned to deal with the cold.

But there are definitely kids who can’t get past the cold. I will say that outdoor summer swim was way colder than year round indoor club swim for him. We didn’t do summer swim in dmv, we were in the mountain west and the outdoor pool was heated but air temps would be in the low 40’s in the mornings. The indoor pool deck is much warmer.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for all the responses. DS wants to continue swimming but just doesn't like cold water. He asked if he could go back to where he did swim lessons because the indoor pool was warmer but he has outgrown the place skill wise and they don't have a year round swim team. Guess we'll see how it goes. I may have look out for swim clubs that keep the pool warmer for next year but probably too late for this year.

[Anonymous]

Unless the swim club owns the pool, the pool temp is controlled by the venue. Call around to different pools. Hope it works out for your son, but I don’t think you will find a pool over 80 or 81 degrees at the most. It’s unsafe for competitive swimmers to swim in a pool too warm, they will overheat. Do you know the temperature of the pool that he finds too cold? If it’s already 80 degrees, he doesn’t have much wiggle room.

You can also ask him if he is swimming most of the time in practice or if he has many periods of waiting for other swimmers. The more he is still, the more he will get cold.

[Anonymous]

There is a lot of variety though. We are in Arlington and my DS has had swim practices at numerous venues the past few years. Just comparing the high schools, he claims Wakefield > Yorktown > WL in terms of temp. I have heard WL can be very cold. His preferred temp of the 3 is Yorktown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for all the responses. DS wants to continue swimming but just doesn't like cold water. He asked if he could go back to where he did swim lessons because the indoor pool was warmer but he has outgrown the place skill wise and they don't have a year round swim team. Guess we'll see how it goes. I may have look out for swim clubs that keep the pool warmer for next year but probably too late for this year.

My college swimmer likes the pool colder for practice. I think it is hard for the little kids that start and stop alot. They are cold.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a lot of variety though. We are in Arlington and my DS has had swim practices at numerous venues the past few years. Just comparing the high schools, he claims Wakefield > Yorktown > WL in terms of temp. I have heard WL can be very cold. His preferred temp of the 3 is Yorktown.

Yorktown is considered one of the warmest pools around.

[Anonymous]

Before getting in the pool, have the kid shower in cold water.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a lot of variety though. We are in Arlington and my DS has had swim practices at numerous venues the past few years. Just comparing the high schools, he claims Wakefield > Yorktown > WL in terms of temp. I have heard WL can be very cold. His preferred temp of the 3 is Yorktown.

Not OP, but this is useful info. OP, check out the temp where he used to swim. Most of the franchise places that teach younger kids keep their pools at 90, so it’s a huge difference from competitive pools which run 79-82 usually.