Swim Lessons for 2 Year Old? - Gilbert,AZ

My kids look lessons at age three and the other at 18 months. I did a mommy & me class with the 18 month old and we actually had her doing the backstroke very well. I would start the lessons now if you can. Why wait? We loved the Hubbard Family Swim School. They have a location at 32nd St. & T-bird and also at T-bird and 83rd Ave. They do a great job of doing drills having the the kids jump in and floating and also swimming to the side in case they fall in. I highly recommend them.

yep, do lessons now. it's too easy to turn your back on your kid for a second and they're under water.

my cousin in florida took all of her kids to a swim program that was designed to make kids drown-proof. the basic skill they taught was the deadman's float, so that no matter how deep the water, the kid always knows to take their breaths and float. if i were you, i'd look into a survival/safety course BEFORE you let your kid around those pools.

I second the comment about ISR. We started our daughter at 18 mos (she's three now), and she is an awesome little swimmer. Of course, you can never substitute the lessons for supervision, but I feel so much more comfortable knowing she has the skills to survive if anything were to happen. We have a pool, and she fell in, fully clothed, last spring. She was right by my husband, who was cleaning out the filters, and he watched it happen. She fell in, immediately flipped over onto her back and popped up in a float - fully clothed, diaper and all. Of course, he was right there to grab her out, but it's nice to know it was instinctual for her to float.
We will be enrolling our son (currently 1 year) in the program this summer.
It's a little pricey, but I think the peace of mind is worth it - especially in your situation where there are not pool fences.
Good luck!

Yes, yes, yes, get them swim lessons. There is a program, infant swim resource, that teaches them to swim as early as 6 months. My two boys have been swimming since they were 1 and it has given me great peace of mind. It is a bit time intensive, 5 days a week, but it is only 10 minutes a day. It is NOT Mommy and Me; the child learns to float, turn over and swim (eyes open underwater), and float again until they get to the edge of the pool and get themselves out. My nephew fell into a pool when he was 2. It happened very quickly and it was scary how silent it all was. He didn't make a big splash and never made a sound. Fortunately, someone saw him and got him out quickly and no real damage was done. The website for ISR is infantswim.com. If you can't do ISR, please do something through the Y or a community center.

WE have five kids...and all of them had lessons under 2 years old! Call around. Can't remember the name of the group, by ours took lessons at the YMCA and were between 1 and 1 1/2 years old. It was awesome! Scary for me, but excellent for them. They are now ages 13,14,16, 17 and 21 and all are strong swimmers.
K.

Agree with everyone else that it's never too early to start getting them used to the water. My daughter's been in swim lessons since she was 7 months old when we did the ISR survival lessons, which are great, but can be expensive. For a 2-year old I would recommend more fun-type swim since ISR is focused mostly on survival if they fall in the pool. We go to Aloha Aquatics once a week. They have group lessons-- 3 children to one teacher, but the teacher takes turns with each child so it's more like a 10-minute individual lesson for each child. They are in Gilbert on Val Vista just south of Baseline. Their website is http://www.alohaaquaticcenter.com/go/.

I don't think any age is too young for swimming lessons, especially in AZ where almost everyone has pools.
As a mother, I would be much more concerned with the fact that your child is spending time where there is an unsecured pool. If your daycare provider had a pool without a gate, you wouldn't send your son there simply because accidents can happen. I would hold the grandparents to the same standards, not lower ones. I have friends who have pools that are ungated and my daughter will NEVER be allowed to go to their houses. It would be the same story if it was my own mother's house.
I would talk to the grandparents about the importance of a pool fence, research the costs for them, maybe even help them pay to put one in, if need be. Swimming lessons will not be enough in an emergency.
Good luck!

The grandparents some way to prevent your son getting to the pool even if it is something that you bring with you like a superyard. One step ahead also sells a pool alarm that you could take with you. You could also have them get a cheap and easy to install door alarm. Swim lessons this summer will not help prepare your son for accidentally falling in the pool. However the sooner he starts the sooner he will be competent in the water. Most classes for twos will be mommy and me type classes. I am not a big class joiner, but I would probably do swim lessons for fun and to get him started.

Our daughter didn't have swimming lessons until she was in 1st grade. Her school actually took all of the 1st graders to swimming lessons at the YMCA for 6 weeks I believe. It was so nice that the school did that. I wish we would have had her in swimming lessons sooner though. She loved and still loves the water and before she had the swimming lessons it was hard for her to understand that she could not swim and could not be in the pool without an adult right there by her side. I think the earlier you get them swimming lessons the better. Especially if you are at homes with swimming pools. They have programs for that age group so why not try it out. The worst that could happen is that it doesn't work out and so you try again later, the best that could happen is that your son loves it and learns to swim at a young age. They say that they learn better at a younger age anyway. Go for it!

I would say get him in as soon as possible. I taught my kids how to swim arouond 18 months they have always loved the water. As a child gets older they have more fears so getting him in the water sooner would be better. At this age you would have to get in wtih him in a Mommy and Me class. My kids are still in swimming lessions as they can swim and get around a pool with no problems but don't know the strokes. There is a good swim school in Gilbert called Aqua Safe Swim School it is on Gilbert and Ray rds. ###-###-#### HTH

I also vote for signing her up in something this summer. It cant really hurt. We do own a pool and all our kids have to have lessons...lots of lessons!

I have started my own kids at that age and this year my oldest (6ys) will be in level 3, and my middle child (4ys) will be in level 2. They catch on so quickly...and it is a life saving skill....

Get the lessons now. The younger they are, the less fear they have and you would be suprised as to how well he will do. I had my daughter in swimming lessons when she was 22 months old and she did wonderful. The classes were a Mommy and Me class, but I was amazed as to how well she did. By the end of the class, she was able to swim about 3-4 feet and when she jumped into the pool she was able to turn herself around and swim to the side.

Our daughter has been in swim since she was 2 months old. I think it is extremely important that kids know that dangers about water and to ge them prepared incaset hey fall in. She is now 3 and can can float on her back, swim to side of pool, and pull her self out of the pool. We take her to teacher Lyndas swim school on 75th ave and Olive. They dont have "play time" in pool, and they take it very seriously, they have great teachers and its a wonderful place. Here is the number if you want to check out. ###-###-####

I say get him in lessons ASAP - no need to wait! I have been swimming since the age of two so it's never too soon too start...or better put, a child is never too young to learn! The more you swim with your child, the sooner they get it! When we moved into our current home 6 years ago, my older boys were 5 & 3 years old. Our pool was built a few weeks later and we committed ourselves to teaching them to swim that first summer - which we did. Also, I had just had a baby and I got him in the pool that very summer too. He was swimming by age 3. It just takes consist practice and before long they just get it. On top of swim lessons maybe you can spend a couple of days a week at your parent's/in law's houses and swim with him to get him in the water as much as possible. Also, you might consider talking to your family about getting something that would make being at their respective houses more safe for your son until he learns to swim - whether it's a pool alarm, a door alarm, or a special lock. I'm sure they'd be happy to accomodate this situation! Good luck with your little guy!