If you live in a hot state, you already know the importance of water in the summer if you plan on spending any time outside… water to drink, water to splash in, water to swim in, the more water the better.
When my baby girl was born in July, I figured she would end up being the perfect age to participate in all the fun water activities the next summer when she would be turning one year old. I was determined to make sure she loved the water from the time she was a newborn. I read a mom hack that suggested pouring water over your baby’s head and face (cautiously, of course) during bath time to familiarize them with the sensation of water on their head and face. So this is what we did – and I have to say I stand by this approach. Baby girl has never been fearful or startled by water on her head and face.
As she got older, bath time became less of simply a nighttime routine and more of a game for her. She could not wait to get in the tub every night and splash! Some of my favorite videos of her are in the tub being a goober and soaking the bathroom and laughing at herself. This kid is drawn to water like a moth to a flame. We had to move the dog’s water dish to a separate room because the second she saw, heard, or sensed their water bowl was on the ground and full she would speed crawl over and shove her hands right in to splash.
Now we don’t currently have a pool at our house, but my parents and brother do. Given her absolute obsession with water, I had a feeling as soon as she could crawl, she would start making her move towards the pool at their houses… and I was right.
My husband and I decided to enroll her in baby swim lessons when she was about 6.5 months old. Since there is not a lot of information out there regarding personal experiences with baby swim classes (aside from the swim lesson businesses marketing their sales pitch) I wanted to share my experience. I’ll review a few frequently asked questions about infant swimming, list the benefits that swim instructors use to encourage enrollment (with my personal takeaway of course) and ultimately determine if they are worth the money.
What do infant swim lessons cost?
We decided to enroll our (at the time) 7 month old in swim lessons at Aqua Tots because they are conveniently located about six minutes up the road from our home. They charge $100 per month for weekly 30 minute lessons, as well as a $25 annual service fee that is added to your first month and then added to every consecutive January payment. Because there are 52 weeks in a year, you technically get 52 lessons for $1225 (because of the annual service fee) bringing the total for each swim lesson to $23.56. I know other swim schools have different pricing, but I’ve found each lesson ranges from about $20-$35 depending on where you live and which school you choose. If you are committed and looking to get your kiddo in more than one class a week, the price per class does decrease slightly.
You can also wait for coupons to save some money! About a month after we enrolled, we got one of those money mailer coupon packs in the mail and opened it up to find a lovely coupon for 15% off the first three months at Aqua Tots. Of course, it was for new swimmers only, so unfortunately we missed out on those savings. It can’t hurt to call up your local swim school of choice and vaguely mention a coupon to see if they give any hints about something they have in circulation to be on the lookout for before enrolling.
Do you have to dunk your baby underwater?
No. You don’t ever have to do anything you aren’t comfortable doing with YOUR baby, and don’t let anyone make you feel otherwise. Now we did choose to put our baby’s head underwater once she was comfortable in the pool for a few reasons. I wanted her to have a healthy respect for the water and what to expect should she ever choose to enter the pool. I don’t want her having an unrealistic and dangerous expectation that she can just jump or slide into the pool and magically breathe. Second, I don’t want any new fears of going under water to develop over time because she has only ever associated swimming with being held above water. This was a personal decision that my husband and I made for our specific child, and you need to make whatever decision is best for your specific child. The swim classes do offer support and activities that make going underwater fun and engaging for your little ones, but you can always say no.
What does your baby have to wear in the pool?
Every swim school will probably have different requirements for a swim diaper, but they are all going to require one until your child is fully potty trained. Aqua Tots requires a Happy Nappy swim diaper on at all times in the water. You can choose if you would also like to layer a disposable diaper on underneath. Typically your swim school will stock and sell the required swim diaper, but you can also find them on Amazon or at a big name store like Target or Walmart (I would include Buy Buy Baby but at the time of writing this post, they are going out of business!). We got our Happy Nappy on Amazon because it ended up being $2 cheaper than the ones sold at Aqua Tots – you have to save that money where you can!
What you decide to have your baby wear over the required swim diaper is completely up to you. Our first lesson, we didn’t have any baby swimsuits yet so we went in with just the diaper. Although there was technically nothing wrong with this approach, I noticed she shivered quite a bit anytime she was out of the water. So we ended up getting her a few super cute long-sleeve swimsuits to wear – one from Target (try to wait for their 20% off summer swim sales if you can) and this one from Amazon.
When you do go to pick out a baby swimsuit, whether it’s for swim lessons or any other water activity, I would highly recommend getting one that buttons up over the diaper, and one that has a zipper either on the front or back. Wet swimsuits are not easy to get off of a cold, fussy baby so you’re going to want that convivence when the time comes to get out of the pool and into dry clothes.
How to you cancel swim lessons?
Make sure you get information about this upfront before signing your name on the dotted line. Most swim schools like to lock you in to a commitment (this is how they make money after all). Ask them how to cancel your membership, ask about make up classes, and ask about cancellation fees. Aqua Tots requires a 30 day cancellation notice – meaning after you cancel your membership you are still required to pay for one more month of swimming lessons. And if you miss any of those classes, you still pay for them but cannot make them up once that 30 days has passed. I was also required to go cancel in person, it was not something I could do over the phone or online.
Now that we have covered some of the basic questions about what to expect at swim lessons, let’s get into some of the claimed benefits of starting swim class at such a young age, and how I personally feel about each one based on my personal experience.
The Top 5 Benefits of Enrolling a Baby in Swim Lessons Starting at Six Months Old (according to swim instructors) and My Personal Takeaway:
- Reduce the risk of infant drowning – I find this benefit misleading. Swim lessons and habitual water exposure is proven to reduce the risk of drowning in children aged 4 and older. From the ages of 1 to 4 years, it is thought to help reduce the risk of drowning, but there is not enough evidence to confirm. There is currently NO evidence that swim lessons or swim time under the age of 1 has any effect on their risk of drowning.
- Help develop coordination and balance – Babies under the age of 1 are making leaps and bounds in the coordination and balance department on nearly a daily basis. One important mind/body connection they are developing is bringing the opposite sides of their body together (for example, bringing their hands to midline, grabbing their toes, passing an object from one hand to another, etc.). Not to mention developing the core strength to sit unsupported, put themselves up, stand independently, and eventually walk. All of these milestones require coordination and balance. The idea behind the claim that swimming helps their coordination and balance is when they are moving their arms and legs together in the water, they are using and therefore strengthening that mind/body connection. I like the idea, but my 9 month old daughter has been in swim lessons for 3 months and I have never seen her kick her feet in an attempt to propel herself forward, let alone add in any sort of water stroke to accompany the kicking.
- Builds strength – Now this claim is the first one I can rationalize. Despite her not knowing how to kick her legs and stroke her arms in an attempt to swim, she sure does like to splash. And all of that splashing and kicking requires a lot of energy. She does seem to get quite a little workout in (not to mention cardiovascular exercise) during our swim lessons.
- Parent/child bonding – Of all the reasons to enroll your baby in swim classes, this one is my favorite. We have a lot of fun in the water together! There’s nothing quite like seeing your little one light up when she knows we’re about to do something she loves, and that look on her face is worth a pretty penny. Not to mention the babbles and giggles I get to hear amidst all the splashing.
- Develop social skills – I don’t feel like I can fairly comment on this claim, because we have ended up being the only baby to attend nearly all of her swim classes. I’m not sure if this is because of the time, day of the week, or maybe her excessive splashing scared all the other babies away. But during those few classes that we were not alone, she did get to interact with and watch how other babies her age handled the water. One week, a 5 month old baby boy was in her class and it was his first time in the water. Needless to say, he was not a fan. Poor kiddo cried practically the entire 30 minutes, and I was a little worried about how it would affect her. I was nervous she would assume if he was crying in the water, it must be for a good reason, and she should cry in the water too. But she was a trooper! She looked at him with confusion and curiosity but continued to interact with the water and instructor in the same manner she always did. I do wish we had some consistent baby friends in our swim class so that she would have that weekly social interaction. I could see how there would be some great benefits to that.
This begs the question, are baby swim lessons worth the money?
I wish I was decisive enough to answer with a resounding “yes” or “no”. But I am not. There are so many factors to consider, and every family has their own priorities and opinions on whether or not money is well spent in this area. If I traveled back in time, I would do them again. So I guess this would mean if I was forced to decide, I would lean towards yes, they are worth the money… but only short-term. I cannot rationalize spending $100 a month for the next 6 years (or longer if you continue with lessons until reaching and graduating from their highest level swim class). That would come out to over $7000 and I honestly do not see that kind of value in these swim classes. Don’t forget, though, that I have access to multiple pools that are warm enough to swim in about 6 months out of the year. Perhaps you would be willing to spend more money on lessons if you don’t have any other options for getting your kiddo consistently exposed to the water.
No matter what decision you make, getting your baby exposed to water in some way is beneficial and fun! It doesn’t have to be swim lessons. Snag a fun splash pad for them, turn the hose on in your grass (wet grass makes for great sensory play), invest in a little water activity table, or spend some extra time in the tub each night. Water should be fun, and it sure does help to wear the little ones out.
