Anonymous wrote:I definitely know about the racial/geographic divide. But I don't think that's OP's situation. This sounded like a kid who has had many opportunities to learn and just hasn't put the pieces together yet, due mostly to an overreliance on water wings.

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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.

Puddle jumpers are fine. They are a Coast Guard approved floatation device. Parents can over-rely on anything, including water wings (which are NOT USCG approved and are actually dangerous in water).

It's like anything else, water wings are supposed to be used when the kid is within arms reach. Not to swim alone. With proper use they serve a purpose. It's like those recalled Bumbo seats, they weren't inherently dangerous but stupid people put kids in them on countertops, using them unsafely.

As a former lifeguard, I disagree. Water wings are unsafe. I have seen them float up to a child's wrists. Then, their hands are above water. Great! They still can't breathe. And, again, as a former lifeguard, parents who are actively paying attention to their children (even those within arms reach) are uncommon. The number of dad's I had to tell to take their child off of their back because they were standing too low in the water for their kids face to be consistently above water was appalling.

Do NOT use water wings on your children. Use puddle jumpers or another coast guard approved floatation device. Even if you plan to have your eyes on your within arms reach child at all times.

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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?

I grew up in a combo of very rural Texas with no public pools and New Hampshire with no public pools.

I can barely swim because I never had an opportunity to learn. I was in a pool only a handful of times in my life before I was an adult.

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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.

I have a very confident and athletic and strong 5 year old and he will not for the life of him put his head under the water or attempt to swim. He’s had 10 private swim lessons this winter and has made almost no progress. He barely tries to kick or paddle he just looks anxiously around him the whole time, and when he is supposed to put his head under to pick up a dive stick in like, waist deep water, he cries. He has never once worn floaties and we were at the pool 3-4x a week all summer since he was a baby. I don’t know what it is, he loves the water but only up to his waist. So basically, it is not a failure on my part nor on the part of many other parents!

He rode his bike without training wheels by 3.5, for reference.

Try going to Great Wolf Lodge for a weekend. Kids are so excited they forget to be afraid of it getting in their eyes.

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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.

Np/ how is that insane? If you grow up in a flyover state and can’t afford a summer pool club (or, you weren’t allowed to join because of your race/ there weren’t any nearby/ etc) how do you expect people to learn to swim? The bathtub? Do some research on the history of swim clubs in America and then report back with your answer as to why it's a stereotype that black people cant swim.

Also? Good for them for learning as adults.

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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.

I have a very confident and athletic and strong 5 year old and he will not for the life of him put his head under the water or attempt to swim. He’s had 10 private swim lessons this winter and has made almost no progress. He barely tries to kick or paddle he just looks anxiously around him the whole time, and when he is supposed to put his head under to pick up a dive stick in like, waist deep water, he cries. He has never once worn floaties and we were at the pool 3-4x a week all summer since he was a baby. I don’t know what it is, he loves the water but only up to his waist. So basically, it is not a failure on my part nor on the part of many other parents!

He rode his bike without training wheels by 3.5, for reference.

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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?

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.

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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.

Puddle jumpers are fine. They are a Coast Guard approved floatation device. Parents can over-rely on anything, including water wings (which are NOT USCG approved and are actually dangerous in water).

It's like anything else, water wings are supposed to be used when the kid is within arms reach. Not to swim alone. With proper use they serve a purpose. It's like those recalled Bumbo seats, they weren't inherently dangerous but stupid people put kids in them on countertops, using them unsafely.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Puddle jumpers are fine. They are a Coast Guard approved floatation device. Parents can over-rely on anything, including water wings (which are NOT USCG approved and are actually dangerous in water).