Did Floaties give your child a false sense of water security and swim ability?

[Anonymous]

Not all floaties are equal. The puddle jumpers and water wings are the worst. Do not get these. They cannot actually swim in them and just bob around like a cork and do some doggy paddle variation. Not good.

Let him swim with a pool noodle if he needs some more support to stay on top of the water. This still allows him to do proper swim strokes. Or those swim assist foam pieces you can clip on his back (or front if needed for backstroke). Those you can remove layers of foam as they get stronger and gain ability.

[Anonymous]

The issues is that the kid is 6 and in swim lessons. If this were a 3 yr old and the parents were going to a pool a few times this summer before the kid had formal lessons I'd be like "sure nbd."

OP explicitly wants to use floaties on an older kid who she says has a lot of unearned confidence in the water and she wants him to wear them so he can go in the deep end even though he is not a strong enough swimmer.

This is pretty much the worst possible scenario for floaties except maybe for "we have a pool and we put our kid in a floatie so we don't have to secure the pool or supervise them."

[Anonymous]

I use floaties with my three year old because she loves them, I love them and I’m not really worried about optimizing her swimming ability - we’re just trying to get to safe and competent by a reasonable age. We don’t have our own pool or a lake house so chances of unattended water interaction are low.

That said, in your situation I would get rid of them but be liberal with kickboards and noodles.

That’s based on my zero expertise.

[Anonymous]

Swim instructor here. We teach the kids to swim and teach them water safety.

We never use floaties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in a beach area and my youngest started with puddle jumpers at 2 whenever the water was deep enough to go over his head. He's in water all the time. He started understanding water and swimming around 4 on his own. I think it's intuitive because his friend who was 6 months older was exactly the same around the same time. Now at 5 he holds his breath, swims under water. He still wears puddle jumpers in deep water and asks for them. He has never had a real swim lesson.

So he actually can’t swim at 5 without a puddle jumper. Sad. Get the kid some lessons so he doesn’t drown.

[Anonymous]

Lose the floatie. I've been in places where children have jumped in pools forgetting they didn't have a floatie on and were at risk. The same is true in the ocean - when you think you're in shallow water and large waves come in suddenly. It's important for all children and adults to be comfortable in a pool, lake, or ocean if they can no longer touch the ground.

[Anonymous]

Op here. I may have been unclear, the floaters in my thought were to help get him properly floating to get a feel for his positioning. To feel what it’s like to actually try real strokes. He isn’t floating yet. I believe it’s the holding breath to stay up that’s causing it. When he’s on the noodle he is floating but to get the feeling for longer. I assumed these were better. But also cautious that he may assume he can float without them. With his lack of fear, that part scared me and his interest in the deep end.

We moved from group lessons to 1:1 lessons as he has a very high energy level and as mentioned, wants to try his own swim strokes/positions that are not the ones being taught. So there’s trying to align him to actual swimming not necessarily the creative interpretation.

I was thinking floaters would give his instructor and/or I the chance to have him floating longer than on the noodle and work on the breath control.

With the inhaling/breathing - he can take a deep breath but he lets the breath out before we goes under. Then he goes under and she will say did you inhale the water and say “cough cough”, he sometimes will sputter a cough then dive right back under but the breath holding and letting it out and these sputters make us believe he’s not holding the breath. Take the bobs for instance - he inhales, full mouth protrudes out, then he will let that air out so fast then dip under and he’s back up and blows out nose then dips again. It happens so fast that we aren’t sure but suspecting he is but he also has no reaction like we do to inhaling water where you need a moment to collect yourself and cough for longer. There’s the occasional sputter but the same inhale lets it go in that exact moment then dips.

[Anonymous]

Tobihhhs the weekend

[Anonymous]

Try this. Used it for my daughter. More resembles how you would swim and you can remove some to adjust the level of buoyancy needed as they improve.

https://www.amazon.com/Swim-Float-Kids-Back-Belt/dp/B06XPDLCYG/ref=asc_df_B06XPDLCYG/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=692875362841&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13973036510164751629&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007769&hvtargid=pla-2281435181938&psc=1&mcid=a9b8922ea3de3a6594e2a30b60404f3b&hvocijid=13973036510164751629-B06XPDLCYG-&hvexpln=73&gad_source=1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. I may have been unclear, the floaters in my thought were to help get him properly floating to get a feel for his positioning. To feel what it’s like to actually try real strokes. He isn’t floating yet. I believe it’s the holding breath to stay up that’s causing it. When he’s on the noodle he is floating but to get the feeling for longer. I assumed these were better. But also cautious that he may assume he can float without them. With his lack of fear, that part scared me and his interest in the deep end.

We moved from group lessons to 1:1 lessons as he has a very high energy level and as mentioned, wants to try his own swim strokes/positions that are not the ones being taught. So there’s trying to align him to actual swimming not necessarily the creative interpretation.

I was thinking floaters would give his instructor and/or I the chance to have him floating longer than on the noodle and work on the breath control.

With the inhaling/breathing - he can take a deep breath but he lets the breath out before we goes under. Then he goes under and she will say did you inhale the water and say “cough cough”, he sometimes will sputter a cough then dive right back under but the breath holding and letting it out and these sputters make us believe he’s not holding the breath. Take the bobs for instance - he inhales, full mouth protrudes out, then he will let that air out so fast then dip under and he’s back up and blows out nose then dips again. It happens so fast that we aren’t sure but suspecting he is but he also has no reaction like we do to inhaling water where you need a moment to collect yourself and cough for longer. There’s the occasional sputter but the same inhale lets it go in that exact moment then dips.

I posted earlier and maintain that using a float device is not recommended, you are going to prolong his growth and learning opportunity here. I have been a swimmer all my life, my kids are year-round swimmers and I have taught lessons. You can work on breath work without the float, have patience and keep up with the lessons. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I enjoy the floatie for my DD 3

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. I may have been unclear, the floaters in my thought were to help get him properly floating to get a feel for his positioning. To feel what it’s like to actually try real strokes. He isn’t floating yet. I believe it’s the holding breath to stay up that’s causing it. When he’s on the noodle he is floating but to get the feeling for longer. I assumed these were better. But also cautious that he may assume he can float without them. With his lack of fear, that part scared me and his interest in the deep end.

We moved from group lessons to 1:1 lessons as he has a very high energy level and as mentioned, wants to try his own swim strokes/positions that are not the ones being taught. So there’s trying to align him to actual swimming not necessarily the creative interpretation.

I was thinking floaters would give his instructor and/or I the chance to have him floating longer than on the noodle and work on the breath control.

With the inhaling/breathing - he can take a deep breath but he lets the breath out before we goes under. Then he goes under and she will say did you inhale the water and say “cough cough”, he sometimes will sputter a cough then dive right back under but the breath holding and letting it out and these sputters make us believe he’s not holding the breath. Take the bobs for instance - he inhales, full mouth protrudes out, then he will let that air out so fast then dip under and he’s back up and blows out nose then dips again. It happens so fast that we aren’t sure but suspecting he is but he also has no reaction like we do to inhaling water where you need a moment to collect yourself and cough for longer. There’s the occasional sputter but the same inhale lets it go in that exact moment then dips.

The floaties don’t put him in the right position to learn strokes. They are designed to hold a body vertical and he needs to be horizontal. Fins and a kickboard are more useful for helping with floatitoon while learning strokes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try this. Used it for my daughter. More resembles how you would swim and you can remove some to adjust the level of buoyancy needed as they improve.

https://www.amazon.com/Swim-Float-Kids-Back-Belt/dp/B06XPDLCYG/ref=asc_df_B06XPDLCYG/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=692875362841&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13973036510164751629&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007769&hvtargid=pla-
2281435181938&psc=1&mcid=a9b8922ea3de3a6594e2a30b60404f3b&hvocijid=13973036510164751629-B06XPDLCYG-&hvexpln=73&gad_source=1

This one is in the right position to learn strokes.

[Anonymous]

I’m pro-puddle jumper but he’s 6 and in swim lessons. He’s past puddle jumper age.

[Anonymous]

It’s completely fine that he’s inventing his own strokes, if they are movements that will keep him afloat. He doesn’t need to be an Olympic swimmer. He just needs to be able to save himself.