DD -9 swimming still using water wings

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Certified Water Safety Instructor and lifeguarded many summers. I don't like any flotation devices at all once theyre out of the big baby floats that you hold onto. My kids are little and i totally get it, it's a pain and super physically taxing to be hands on the whole time but it's only a few summers. My 3 year old can swim across the pool now. I also have another child so I also get that it's hard with multiples but if the only way you can take them to the pool is by having multiple in floatation devices that is not a safe situation.

Unfortunately if you don't get them used to going under, their face being wet, etc when they are younger toddlers (ideally once they're able to walk I'd be going under with them at least once each pool trip over the summer) it's really difficult later. By 5 it's really rough. Obviously some people just don't have the means to do this but many do and it's inconvenient or whatever.

Some kids are just more hesitant to put their face in the water no matter how much exposure they've had. We're friends with a family at our community pool and they've been there since their oldest was a toddler but no amount of coaxing or prodding would get that kid to go underwater. He'd have tons of fun splashing in the shallows but wouldn't go beyond that. Finally after many lessons he got over his fear and took off but it wasn't until he was 6 I think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Certified Water Safety Instructor and lifeguarded many summers. I don't like any flotation devices at all once theyre out of the big baby floats that you hold onto. My kids are little and i totally get it, it's a pain and super physically taxing to be hands on the whole time but it's only a few summers. My 3 year old can swim across the pool now. I also have another child so I also get that it's hard with multiples but if the only way you can take them to the pool is by having multiple in floatation devices that is not a safe situation.

Unfortunately if you don't get them used to going under, their face being wet, etc when they are younger toddlers (ideally once they're able to walk I'd be going under with them at least once each pool trip over the summer) it's really difficult later. By 5 it's really rough. Obviously some people just don't have the means to do this but many do and it's inconvenient or whatever.

Some kids are just more hesitant to put their face in the water no matter how much exposure they've had. We're friends with a family at our community pool and they've been there since their oldest was a toddler but no amount of coaxing or prodding would get that kid to go underwater. He'd have tons of fun splashing in the shallows but wouldn't go beyond that. Finally after many lessons he got over his fear and took off but it wasn't until he was 6 I think.

You submerge them as babies, pour water

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Certified Water Safety Instructor and lifeguarded many summers. I don't like any flotation devices at all once theyre out of the big baby floats that you hold onto. My kids are little and i totally get it, it's a pain and super physically taxing to be hands on the whole time but it's only a few summers. My 3 year old can swim across the pool now. I also have another child so I also get that it's hard with multiples but if the only way you can take them to the pool is by having multiple in floatation devices that is not a safe situation.

Unfortunately if you don't get them used to going under, their face being wet, etc when they are younger toddlers (ideally once they're able to walk I'd be going under with them at least once each pool trip over the summer) it's really difficult later. By 5 it's really rough. Obviously some people just don't have the means to do this but many do and it's inconvenient or whatever.

Some kids are just more hesitant to put their face in the water no matter how much exposure they've had. We're friends with a family at our community pool and they've been there since their oldest was a toddler but no amount of coaxing or prodding would get that kid to go underwater. He'd have tons of fun splashing in the shallows but wouldn't go beyond that. Finally after many lessons he got over his fear and took off but it wasn't until he was 6 I think.

You submerge them as babies, pour water

Yup we took our babies to the public pool almost weekly to dunk them underwater. They were going off the diving board by age 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Certified Water Safety Instructor and lifeguarded many summers. I don't like any flotation devices at all once theyre out of the big baby floats that you hold onto. My kids are little and i totally get it, it's a pain and super physically taxing to be hands on the whole time but it's only a few summers. My 3 year old can swim across the pool now. I also have another child so I also get that it's hard with multiples but if the only way you can take them to the pool is by having multiple in floatation devices that is not a safe situation.

Unfortunately if you don't get them used to going under, their face being wet, etc when they are younger toddlers (ideally once they're able to walk I'd be going under with them at least once each pool trip over the summer) it's really difficult later. By 5 it's really rough. Obviously some people just don't have the means to do this but many do and it's inconvenient or whatever.

Some kids are just more hesitant to put their face in the water no matter how much exposure they've had. We're friends with a family at our community pool and they've been there since their oldest was a toddler but no amount of coaxing or prodding would get that kid to go underwater. He'd have tons of fun splashing in the shallows but wouldn't go beyond that. Finally after many lessons he got over his fear and took off but it wasn't until he was 6 I think.

You submerge them as babies, pour water

+1. I’m sure there will be a tiny percentage of kids who develop this fear no matter what you do, but if you continually put their face in the water during bath time, at the pool, put them under the shower from infancy, it’s much less likely. They are used to it & most won’t be afraid.