She's two (26 months). Started "duckling" lessons a few weeks ago. Started OK, but we've gone downhill to the point she clings round my neck, has to have her feet/bum on my knees and yells.
Now, I know she's not a fan of water - she refuses to sit in the bath, preferring to stand.
I have always loved swimming (got that from my mum), but Mrs North's family can't swim (they're not exercisers grnerally). I want to pass on my pleasure, but without pressure.
Anyone got any (helpful) suggestions?
Thanks
I would...
(helpful)
...erm..nothing.
*Wanders off*
Difficult at this age she is able to toddler rationalise the situation and there isn't a lot of adult rationalising which will get over it.
We did the swimming dunking etc from birth and had no anxiety issues regarding water.
Some stuff we did was to make the whole experience a game. Songs with bubbles in blowing them at the given time developing confidence in water with our daughters face partially under the surface. We had a number of floating toys some flipped over with blowing or just moved in water.
Said all that i CANNOT no matter what I do get her on a bike and she is now nearly 6...
rabies shot
If the duckling lessons you are going to are the Puddleducks ones, stick at it. The Manchester one is well run and does not pressure you into doing swimming type things that you or little one are not comfortable with. We have a 22 month old and some weeks she is great and today she screamed the place down cause her hair got wet.
Good luck.
Cheers. I fear, for various reasons, our not taking her to swimming earlier hasn't helped. She's never been a massive fan of bathing (hence the transitioning to standing).
I think we'll stick with it and see if I can gradually get her used to it. I wonder that she's one of those who develop later with physical confidence: she didn't walk until 19 months.... But now refuses to go in her buggy. It's walk or carry (just as well she's tiny/light).
I'm by no means a strong swimmer, but I've had to save my FIL from drowning in a holiday pool in the past. I'd like her never to be in that position..!
Cheers.
I misread 'duckling' as 'ducking/dunking'
stick with it, sometimes they just get it and one week they go from screaming to smiling
one thing to try, has she similar aged friends who are positive and confident? peer groups can be a positive thing, one of my daughters little mates goes to the same swimming sessions as us, I think that watching a friend have fun helped her
Both of my kids went through this, and got over it. It's just a time thing.
My lad went to Waterbabies from 3 months old .. absolutely loved it & was always chosen as the 'demonstration' baby. At around 24 months or so he just started to hate it ... screamed the place down resusing to even get in the pool! We had to give up & didn't push the idea of swimming. He's now 2 3/4 & a month or so ago we took him to the local pool just to give it another go .. he demanded a set of armbands & swam giggling for the next half hour! Has been that way every week since.
I'd give Toddler North a break & just try an adhoc trip to the pool in a couple of months? .. & repeat until she's over it?
Maybe start with bath-time tactics and work towards the pool? E.g. bath toys, books, things that stick on the side of the tub, water flutes, floating figures, etc.
How can you grow up not knowing how to swim? 70% of the earth is covered in water damn it. Not knowing how to swim would be like not knowing how to ride a bike but potentially fatal.
If she started out liking it then maybe find out if something's changed?
I started swimming in the ocean when I was pretty young and my parents and I both recall me absolutely loving it. Maybe a daft question, but has she seen it? Perhaps that will change her mind? Wrong time of the year to go to the seaside unless you can go somewhere warm I guess.
Friends seem to help our one get over things she is scared of. So that is certainly worth a try.
I swim a lot,so we started swimming very early, and she loves it now, has been swimming in rivers and lakes with me even. The very first few times she was a bit timid but she got confident quite quick. In terms of things we did - the big thing i'd say is that we never try and push her to be all that far away from us, or to do things she doesn't want to do. Any time she is scared, she can have a cuddle, stand on legs or whatever and that is okay. I think she is more confident knowing that there is always a safe fallback position to go to.
I think swimming lessons vary in terms of how outcome focused they are - some try and push kids to do particular things towards swimming, whereas others are more like a nice group where you can get ideas of fun things to try in the pool. We did them for a few months, very much the latter type, and then just started taking her ourselves, at least once a week, often twice, and now she is very very confident. Oh and I haven't bothered with armbands and stuff - they always seem like they are geared towards encouraging kids to let go of you and swim away from you, personally I'm cool with Rose holding on until she feels confident enough to let go. She now has a pool noodle, which she does like, but it was only really much use after a year or so. It depends slightly on how wedded you are to the lesson system, as some types of lessons take the parents out of the water at three or four, which means enforcing armbands then.
Oh, and I don't know if they work for yours, but 'Woolly and Tig' on bbc has an episode about the swimming pool. They are stories about being scared of things and overcoming them - worth watching that, seems like t_ey help Rose when she can't understand something.
Thanks all. I'll find out the friends question. We'll also try to go more often.
We live not far from the coast, but it's not exactly swimming sea. She has been in the Med, which she seemed to prefer to the villa pool we had on the last couple of hols.
And I agree - how can anyone grow up unable to swim (or be so weak as to be a danger)? Hence wanting her to feel comfortable in water.
She's two (26 months). Started "duckling" lessons a few weeks ago. Started OK, but we've gone downhill to the point she clings round my neck, has to have her feet/bum on my knees and yells.
i am a lot older than 2 and have the same fear when imersed in water and cant feel the floor, tried everything, even nearly drowning in the sea and having to be rescued by 2 blokes, who swam out and saved me.I was 15 at the time.Now due to beach polution, health and safety and risk assesment they would most probably have let mre drown. 😳
If the fear is there for no rational reason, then its there im affraid.
Any help???
Friends is an excellent suggestion. Going with friends always helps our older lad cope with things he's unsure of (the younger one just chases his big brother so he rarely doesn't want to do things - which is another set of problems of course).
@bikebuoy - all I see is a big red X. Is it a life ring?
@project - take the point. Be safe out there.
Bottom line is you can't force kids into anything.
My elder daughter (now 13) took forever to get her head round anything.
Swimming - never had a problem with water, but was about the last in her class (aged about 4-5)to actually swim, getting her to jump in off the side took about a year. Now she's a good swimmer.
Cycling - an absolute lummox on a bike as a nipper. I nearly lost the plot so many times teaching her to ride. I almost gave up - I honestly thought she'd never master it. One day she cracked it. Now she regularly asks to go out riding with me (cycle path only, off road has no interest to her) and will do 25 miles no probs.
Don't stress about it, she'll get there eventually - but in her time, not yours 🙂
