Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know this isn’t helpful for you op but I hope other parents reading this take this as a lesson- parents should never use water wings to start with. They do not help kids to swim.

I don’t get the fearmongering about Puddle Jumpers, as long as you’re also teaching kids to swim and watching them closely. My kids both used Puddle Jumpers during play time in the pool when they were toddlers. But, we also had them in Goldfish lessons weekly starting when they were 2. We ditched the puddle jumpers around 4, and had them swimming legal strokes on a summer swim team (full team, not junior team) starting during the summer they were 5.

Puddle Jumpers don’t help kids at all. And many many parents overrely on them and have a false sense of security when their kids are wearing them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By what age do kids know how to swim around here?

4-6 yo

Wow that seems young to me. I'm my area it's by age 8

8 seems very late, unless those kids are never going to any pool, beach, etc for fun. If they are, it’s a safety issue. We never did swim lessons, but we taught both of our kids to swim at age 2.5-3 yo. Of course we still closely supervised them for at least a couple more years, but the earlier kids learn, the easier it is, the less likely they are to get afraid of putting their face in the water, etc.

My siblings & I, who weren’t on any swim teams and grew up nowhere near DC, also all learned to swim around age 3 (again, taught by our parents). So it’s not just about a competitive swim culture.

Oh, I totally believe this. Going to a beach or someone's pool a couple times per summer for fun does not usually work on its own. You need that repetition of going regularly. My friend used to teach a beginning swim class for adults.

That’s INSANE.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By what age do kids know how to swim around here?

4-6 yo

Wow that seems young to me. I'm my area it's by age 8

8 seems very late, unless those kids are never going to any pool, beach, etc for fun. If they are, it’s a safety issue. We never did swim lessons, but we taught both of our kids to swim at age 2.5-3 yo. Of course we still closely supervised them for at least a couple more years, but the earlier kids learn, the easier it is, the less likely they are to get afraid of putting their face in the water, etc.

My siblings & I, who weren’t on any swim teams and grew up nowhere near DC, also all learned to swim around age 3 (again, taught by our parents). So it’s not just about a competitive swim culture.

Oh, I totally believe this. Going to a beach or someone's pool a couple times per summer for fun does not usually work on its own. You need that repetition of going regularly. My friend used to teach a beginning swim class for adults.

That’s INSANE.

Anonymous wrote:I know this isn’t helpful for you op but I hope other parents reading this take this as a lesson- parents should never use water wings to start with. They do not help kids to swim.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By what age do kids know how to swim around here?

If you have you child in the pool regularly as a toddler, and don’t use wings, or other floats as a crutch, but actively participate with them them in the pool and swimming, age 4 seems to be the natural time frame they can swim independently. But unfortunately, lots of parents throw on the floaties so they can be hands free. Teaching swimming is super easy, and you don’t need to be a great swimmer yourself. But it has to be done before they afraid of water or heavily reliant on floaties.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By what age do kids know how to swim around here?

4-6 yo

Wow that seems young to me. I'm my area it's by age 8

8 seems very late, unless those kids are never going to any pool, beach, etc for fun. If they are, it’s a safety issue. We never did swim lessons, but we taught both of our kids to swim at age 2.5-3 yo. Of course we still closely supervised them for at least a couple more years, but the earlier kids learn, the easier it is, the less likely they are to get afraid of putting their face in the water, etc.

My siblings & I, who weren’t on any swim teams and grew up nowhere near DC, also all learned to swim around age 3 (again, taught by our parents). So it’s not just about a competitive swim culture.

Oh, I totally believe this. Going to a beach or someone's pool a couple times per summer for fun does not usually work on its own. You need that repetition of going regularly. My friend used to teach a beginning swim class for adults.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By what age do kids know how to swim around here?

4-6 yo

Wow that seems young to me. I'm my area it's by age 8

8 seems very late, unless those kids are never going to any pool, beach, etc for fun. If they are, it’s a safety issue. We never did swim lessons, but we taught both of our kids to swim at age 2.5-3 yo. Of course we still closely supervised them for at least a couple more years, but the earlier kids learn, the easier it is, the less likely they are to get afraid of putting their face in the water, etc.

My siblings & I, who weren’t on any swim teams and grew up nowhere near DC, also all learned to swim around age 3 (again, taught by our parents). So it’s not just about a competitive swim culture.

But if your parents taught you how to swim, they must have still had a pool reasonably accessible to them, right? I think you have to keep in mind that this is NOT common everywhere. The town I grew up in had no public or community pools, it just wasn't a thing. Many people built above ground pools in their backyards. There was a YMCA, but we weren't members. My mom found out about an apartment complex pool that opened up lessons to non-residents, and would then let you stay for free swim afterwards. So we spent several summers going there and my siblings and I were all decent swimmers.

The high school I attended had a pool and we had a session of swimming phys ed. There were many fellow students who had never swam beyond their backyard above ground pool and once they couldn't touch the bottom, could not swim very well at all. I was not an athlete but that was the one time I was better than the athletes, lol.

I'm always surprised be people that can't imagine anything beyond their own experience. Shrug.

You had access to a pool, the Y. Public and community pools aren't free either. But they are reasonably accessible. This is common despite your made up idea that this is not which your own anecdote negates. Learning to swim is a life skill that all parents should make a priority at an early age.

DP. I'm confused by your assumption. There are a lot of places that don't even have a Y, and not all families can afford the membership anyway. Have some of y'all have never been anywhere outside your DMV bubble?

Well, what does reasonably accessible mean? I see a lot of outreach programs at my pool where kids are bussed in to take lessons. Have you never seen this before in your bubble?

Bussed in from other parts of the DMV you mean?

Not in the DMV. Like the PP above who grew up nowhere near there. If we're making sweeping generalizations about access to pools in the US then we're not just talking about one region.

No one is making generalizations but you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know this isn’t helpful for you op but I hope other parents reading this take this as a lesson- parents should never use water wings to start with. They do not help kids to swim.

I don’t get the fearmongering about Puddle Jumpers, as long as you’re also teaching kids to swim and watching them closely. My kids both used Puddle Jumpers during play time in the pool when they were toddlers. But, we also had them in Goldfish lessons weekly starting when they were 2. We ditched the puddle jumpers around 4, and had them swimming legal strokes on a summer swim team (full team, not junior team) starting during the summer they were 5.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By what age do kids know how to swim around here?

4-6 yo

Wow that seems young to me. I'm my area it's by age 8

I live here and agree it is young. People in the DMV are intense and weird about all these milestones -- swimming, riding a bike, potty training, you name it. Earlier is always better.

On the other hand, the intense pressure of this area meant my kid was a decent swimmer who didn't need any kind of floaty by age 5. I'll admit this is pretty nice when we go on vacation. Obviously you still have to watch the kids and I wouldn't let a 5 yr old go swimming alone, but it was pretty nice to know she has all the basic water safety skills and can even swim the full length of a pool at such a young age.

She still doesn't know how to ride a bike without training wheels though, and the parents in our neighborhood act like this might be a sign of special needs. Again, 5 years old. People here are crazy!

Training wheels are in the same vein as water wings. They dont ever help you learn. If your son wants to ride a bike ditch the training wheels. Or come back in 4 years and ask why your 9 year old cant ride a bike and their friends can.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By what age do kids know how to swim around here?

4-6 yo

Wow that seems young to me. I'm my area it's by age 8

I live here and agree it is young. People in the DMV are intense and weird about all these milestones -- swimming, riding a bike, potty training, you name it. Earlier is always better.

On the other hand, the intense pressure of this area meant my kid was a decent swimmer who didn't need any kind of floaty by age 5. I'll admit this is pretty nice when we go on vacation. Obviously you still have to watch the kids and I wouldn't let a 5 yr old go swimming alone, but it was pretty nice to know she has all the basic water safety skills and can even swim the full length of a pool at such a young age.

She still doesn't know how to ride a bike without training wheels though, and the parents in our neighborhood act like this might be a sign of special needs. Again, 5 years old. People here are crazy!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By what age do kids know how to swim around here?

4-6 yo

Wow that seems young to me. I'm my area it's by age 8

8 seems very late, unless those kids are never going to any pool, beach, etc for fun. If they are, it’s a safety issue. We never did swim lessons, but we taught both of our kids to swim at age 2.5-3 yo. Of course we still closely supervised them for at least a couple more years, but the earlier kids learn, the easier it is, the less likely they are to get afraid of putting their face in the water, etc.

My siblings & I, who weren’t on any swim teams and grew up nowhere near DC, also all learned to swim around age 3 (again, taught by our parents). So it’s not just about a competitive swim culture.

But if your parents taught you how to swim, they must have still had a pool reasonably accessible to them, right? I think you have to keep in mind that this is NOT common everywhere. The town I grew up in had no public or community pools, it just wasn't a thing. Many people built above ground pools in their backyards. There was a YMCA, but we weren't members. My mom found out about an apartment complex pool that opened up lessons to non-residents, and would then let you stay for free swim afterwards. So we spent several summers going there and my siblings and I were all decent swimmers.

The high school I attended had a pool and we had a session of swimming phys ed. There were many fellow students who had never swam beyond their backyard above ground pool and once they couldn't touch the bottom, could not swim very well at all. I was not an athlete but that was the one time I was better than the athletes, lol.

I'm always surprised be people that can't imagine anything beyond their own experience. Shrug.

You had access to a pool, the Y. Public and community pools aren't free either. But they are reasonably accessible. This is common despite your made up idea that this is not which your own anecdote negates. Learning to swim is a life skill that all parents should make a priority at an early age.

DP. I'm confused by your assumption. There are a lot of places that don't even have a Y, and not all families can afford the membership anyway. Have some of y'all have never been anywhere outside your DMV bubble?

Well, what does reasonably accessible mean? I see a lot of outreach programs at my pool where kids are bussed in to take lessons. Have you never seen this before in your bubble?

Bussed in from other parts of the DMV you mean?

Not in the DMV. Like the PP above who grew up nowhere near there. If we're making sweeping generalizations about access to pools in the US then we're not just talking about one region.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By what age do kids know how to swim around here?

4-6 yo

Wow that seems young to me. I'm my area it's by age 8

8 seems very late, unless those kids are never going to any pool, beach, etc for fun. If they are, it’s a safety issue. We never did swim lessons, but we taught both of our kids to swim at age 2.5-3 yo. Of course we still closely supervised them for at least a couple more years, but the earlier kids learn, the easier it is, the less likely they are to get afraid of putting their face in the water, etc.

My siblings & I, who weren’t on any swim teams and grew up nowhere near DC, also all learned to swim around age 3 (again, taught by our parents). So it’s not just about a competitive swim culture.

But if your parents taught you how to swim, they must have still had a pool reasonably accessible to them, right? I think you have to keep in mind that this is NOT common everywhere. The town I grew up in had no public or community pools, it just wasn't a thing. Many people built above ground pools in their backyards. There was a YMCA, but we weren't members. My mom found out about an apartment complex pool that opened up lessons to non-residents, and would then let you stay for free swim afterwards. So we spent several summers going there and my siblings and I were all decent swimmers.

The high school I attended had a pool and we had a session of swimming phys ed. There were many fellow students who had never swam beyond their backyard above ground pool and once they couldn't touch the bottom, could not swim very well at all. I was not an athlete but that was the one time I was better than the athletes, lol.

I'm always surprised be people that can't imagine anything beyond their own experience. Shrug.

You had access to a pool, the Y. Public and community pools aren't free either. But they are reasonably accessible. This is common despite your made up idea that this is not which your own anecdote negates. Learning to swim is a life skill that all parents should make a priority at an early age.

DP. I'm confused by your assumption. There are a lot of places that don't even have a Y, and not all families can afford the membership anyway. Have some of y'all have never been anywhere outside your DMV bubble?

Well, what does reasonably accessible mean? I see a lot of outreach programs at my pool where kids are bussed in to take lessons. Have you never seen this before in your bubble?

Bussed in from other parts of the DMV you mean?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By what age do kids know how to swim around here?

4-6 yo

Wow that seems young to me. I'm my area it's by age 8

8 seems very late, unless those kids are never going to any pool, beach, etc for fun. If they are, it’s a safety issue. We never did swim lessons, but we taught both of our kids to swim at age 2.5-3 yo. Of course we still closely supervised them for at least a couple more years, but the earlier kids learn, the easier it is, the less likely they are to get afraid of putting their face in the water, etc.

My siblings & I, who weren’t on any swim teams and grew up nowhere near DC, also all learned to swim around age 3 (again, taught by our parents). So it’s not just about a competitive swim culture.

But if your parents taught you how to swim, they must have still had a pool reasonably accessible to them, right? I think you have to keep in mind that this is NOT common everywhere. The town I grew up in had no public or community pools, it just wasn't a thing. Many people built above ground pools in their backyards. There was a YMCA, but we weren't members. My mom found out about an apartment complex pool that opened up lessons to non-residents, and would then let you stay for free swim afterwards. So we spent several summers going there and my siblings and I were all decent swimmers.

The high school I attended had a pool and we had a session of swimming phys ed. There were many fellow students who had never swam beyond their backyard above ground pool and once they couldn't touch the bottom, could not swim very well at all. I was not an athlete but that was the one time I was better than the athletes, lol.

I'm always surprised be people that can't imagine anything beyond their own experience. Shrug.

You had access to a pool, the Y. Public and community pools aren't free either. But they are reasonably accessible. This is common despite your made up idea that this is not which your own anecdote negates. Learning to swim is a life skill that all parents should make a priority at an early age.

DP. I'm confused by your assumption. There are a lot of places that don't even have a Y, and not all families can afford the membership anyway. Have some of y'all have never been anywhere outside your DMV bubble?

Well, what does reasonably accessible mean? I see a lot of outreach programs at my pool where kids are bussed in to take lessons. Have you never seen this before in your bubble?