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I'm just going to give a bit on swimming lessons first, even though its not the answer you want, it can provide some answers to the "when". Then I'll talk about some of the things we do in the classes which you could do on your own, as lessons are a good guide. I live in Australia, where its very common to start taking your children to swimming lessons ...

I currently take my 4 year old to swimming classes. When he started (at 3.5yo), I would go into the toddler pool with him. I had to continue this with him even when he started formal swimming lessons. I now get to sit on the side-lines with the other parents. I think getting into the pool with the child makes a great difference. I did the same with my ...

If your daughter has been taking swimming lessons for the past three and a half years, then is it safe to assume she can swim safely in at least one type of stroke on her own? If so, then I'd be inclined to suggest ballet lessons, while checking your area to see if there are free or affordable swimming pools that you might have access to. Some areas have ...

There's really no lower bound on swimming - or at least getting them into a pool. My elder one has been going swimming since just was about 4 months old, although for most of the first couple of years it is as much about tolerance of the water and confidence around the pool. I think that until they have the co-ordination on the land, some decent strength ...

whats the right age to start swimming classes? It's never too early. Or nearly never: once the baby is a few months old it can withstand the health aspects of a public bath, and that's a good time to start with baby-swimming classes. It's never too late, either. Ask your local public bath; they probably offer swim training for kids of all ages, often ...

I think you are right in your proposed approach - take him to the proper pool, with all the safety gear, and insist that if he wants to swim, that is what needs to be done every time. Demonstrate how the floaties keep him up, and how without them he will sink - well worth a good splash around in the proper pool letting him feel the difference between safe ...

As a former swim instructor, one of the key milestones is being comfortable putting your head under water. If your child is not able to do this without hesitation, you will become very frustrated trying to progress any further. Blowing bubbles is a good step towards this, especially for younger kids. Goggles are perfectly acceptable, even preferable given ...

I'm answering this question as a swimming instructor (5 years of experience), NOT as a parent. We usually encourage parents to start swimming with their children as soon as possible (lessons are available for children as young as 4 months or so where I work). The rationale behind this is that the sooner you present swimming as an enjoyable activity and ...

If he has no issue with taking baths, maybe you can desensitize him by practicing there. He could wear his swimming trunks in the bath (filled to the usual level), and he could have a fun new toy to play with to entice him in. Make it seem as exciting as possible, like a special treat to get to do your bath this way. I would not make him put his face in ...

There is no too young to swim age. Babies can often swim better than toddlers because they still have the automatic reflex that closes their throat under water. You have already received some great advice- except one thing. It is never, ever a good idea to put floaties/water wings on children. If I wasn't a capitalist I would be in favor of banning them ...

The sooner you do it the easier it will be. If you are fully at ease in the water this will help as well, as they will try to copy everything you do. The specifics Jacob listed are all excellent, plus a couple of others around reducing fear of the face going underwater: Start off with good arm bands, but if they are very young, don't move out of arm's ...

I don't suppose your kid likes money? I taught both of my kids to swim by throwing like, 20$ worth of quarters in the 9 foot deep end and telling them that what they get, they keep. Also helped by showing them that when they panick, they sink, but when they TRIED to go under to get the money..they floated! All a difference in mental attitude! Once I pointed ...

I believe this can be a learning lesson for her. Be honest. Let her know that it is expensive to take lessons and let her choose which she wants to do. She doesn't need to know all the details of the finances, but letting her know that classes cost money and that we have to make choices with our money can be a really important life lesson. The other thing ...

Your decision will ultimately reflect the reasons you are considering these activities. Given that they are both physical, and both have social elements, I would suggest you ask her. Which one does she want to do? And if she changes her mind next year, so be it. It's good to try lots of things, find what you enjoy and do what you love. That you are giving ...

Another thing to consider is her developmental needs. How does she do socially in comparison to how she is in terms of gross motor skills? Your and her efforts would be better suited to find something fun to cultivate anything on which she could improve. With my experiences as an assistant in a preschool classroom, children vary greatly in that regard. ...

My daughter did ballet classes for a few years, starting form the age of 4. The reasons we chose ballet was: she had a interest in it she was a "girly" girl she had a bit of a discipline issue, we thought that starting ballet would prepare her for the discipline of school Even though we live in Australia (where swimming is the second religion after ...

In reality I think it's going to be up to you to know for sure what works best for yourself and your child. There are probably alternatives to many of these, but if cost is an issue and you look for cheaper alternatives you do tend to get what you pay for. Some of the things I've heard about ballet (my cousin was a ballet-dad and his daughter teaches at a ...

I agree that taking the toddler to the pool where he can swim with adult supervision will help him learn about the water. I don't think this will make him less likely to want to get in the water by himself. In fact, he might like it so much that he will want to get in more once he sees how much fun it is. Assuming that he understands "no," he will need to ...

Okay, so I didn't find anything about Medications, but I do know that babies can be in the water from birth with a few precautions. You might make sure to have some eye drops (just saline solution) in case her eyes dry out, but only use them as a salve, not a precaution. Most simply, make sure she doesn't over-do it. There is something about water that ...

I have a 23lb almost 2-year-old and have been searching high and low for something exactly like this since our 4-year-old LOVES his "floatie" as he calls it, and we can't find anything anywhere. We can only find actual life jackets which is frustrating (and she HATES it), but it's better than the alternative. We don't use it all the time, and we actually ...

If you child is not keen on swimming lessons, especially the head under the water thing, ditch the classes for a while. The thing is to keep the regular swimming going by either playing with them yourself. I worked hard to get my four year old to enjoy a small dunking or two, mostly I did this by play. With a kid who is going to school or has friends, it ...

I was terrified of the water until I was six or seven. My parents would take me to swim lessons, and I would cling white-knuckled to the wall and cry and scream the whole time. Then, one day, a swim instructor who was very old school and very no-nonsense literally picked me up and threw me into the shallow end of the pool. Within a few minutes I sort of ...

You might ask if there are any instructors with experience in beginning and fearful children or adults. If so, perhaps ask if he or she is willing to do a private session or two. Your child probsbly just needs extra time which just isn't available in a regular class. Another possible aid is a friend or a relative who likes to swim. Peer pressure can be a ...

My youngest also likes both activities, but what decided us was that ballet was so much more expensive than swimming. She now does swimming, and is on the waiting list for Tae Kwondo (this is just because her siblings both compete in TKD so it makes sense to get them all in - less journeys) For us it comes down to cost - how many different activities can ...

One thing no-one's mentioned is vaccinations. The recommendation in the UK is to wait till your child's been vaccinated, as pools are obvious places for diseases to breed (warm, wet, full of children). If you're using a private pool, the risk of infection is lower, so the restrictions are less critical. After that, you can start as soon as you like. If ...