I stopped skiing because I didn't enjoy the cold. Allow your son to try another sport.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for all the responses. Very helpful. I will try and find out the pool temperature and see if it’s on the colder side or norm. Will also try the swim caps. He has one but doesn’t use it. I think he is fine in the water, it’s more when on the deck. He has a swim parka which helps but at times they are out of the water lining up to swim again. I think that’s when he gets cold.

If he’s not wearing a cap at all, it should make a difference, especially when he is out on deck and the cap prevents water from evaporating off his head. My kids pull off their caps when the pool is too warm, and they say it makes a big difference, so I’m assuming it works the other way as well. If he goes with a neoprene one, make sure it’s tight. And silicone is warmer than latex.

My DS is underweight with very low body fat and cannot handle cold water. I have bought him a succession of thick wetsuits for recreational swimming. There is no question of competing in that state, that's for certain.

OP here. Thanks for all the responses. Very helpful. I will try and find out the pool temperature and see if it’s on the colder side or norm. Will also try the swim caps. He has one but doesn’t use it. I think he is fine in the water, it’s more when on the deck. He has a swim parka which helps but at times they are out of the water lining up to swim again. I think that’s when he gets cold.

Try having him wear 2 swim caps, or a neoprene one. Tell the coach he is cold and see if they can keep your son in the pool, not jumping out on deck frequently, and moving as much as possible. Swimming generates a lot of heat, so he is probably getting cold while he is still. There are neoprene jammers out there, but my guess is that they aren’t ideal because they are too buoyant.

This issue gets better as kids get older because swim practice becomes more about completing sets on tough intervals than 25s/50s of various drills. Eventually you can feel yourself sweating even in the pool. But you have to get through the early years to make it to that point. I would pick a team with the warmest pool you can find if your child really wants to keep swimming. Or simple tell your kid that it stinks right now but that it will get better as they get older because they will be moving their body more. I agree that a wetsuit is probably not going to go over well past age 6 or 7. Not a winter club team.

Anonymous wrote:The local swimmer Torri Huske as a little kid wore a wetsuit to every practice because she was cold. She is currently the world champion in her event, holds a bunch of American records, and had an Olympic medal at 18. She still wears a swim parka up until she has to enter the pool. Get a wetsuit.

Torri Huske was 6 when she was wearing a wetsuit. It might be ok at 6, but I don’t think swim teams expect 9 year olds to be in one.

Anonymous wrote:Buy him a wetsuit. They are $30-$40 on Amazon. It doesn't work for a meet - but its just fine for practice and keeps him in the water.

I’m Pp with a kid who used to be cold and is now over it and swims year round. I didn’t think wearing a wetsuit was a big deal, but it was strictly not allowed at his club. They said it added buoyancy and restricted movement, so we didn’t even bother asking. They wouldn’t even allow them in lessons for the pre team.

The local swimmer Torri Huske as a little kid wore a wetsuit to every practice because she was cold. She is currently the world champion in her event, holds a bunch of American records, and had an Olympic medal at 18. She still wears a swim parka up until she has to enter the pool. Get a wetsuit.

From an article on Torri Huske:

“Torri Huske used to be called “Shiver.” Her swimming coaches gave her the nickname because her tiny frame couldn’t handle the cold water. She’d wear a wetsuit, but she’d still have blue-frosted lips and a quivering body when she climbed out of the pool.”

Buy him a wetsuit. They are $30-$40 on Amazon. It doesn't work for a meet - but its just fine for practice and keeps him in the water.

Take him out of the year round program and find an indoor pool program that swims during the fall and winter. Then he'll always be in the indoor pools which are warmer.

There is no reason to force him to do the year-round program and there is no reason he has to give it up completely. There is an alternative.