Looking for an Intro-Swimming class for my little guy and my husband. Have heard about Goldfish Swim Club, Classes at the Y and Classes at the Beverly Hills Athletic Club. Does anyone have an opinion on these places/classes or have a better one to offer?
Thanks so much!
Hi S.
I have 2 kids - 3 and 16 months and have gone to the Goldfish swim school for 2 years and it is wonderful. We tried the Y in Birmingham at first, but the water was freezing and the class really taught nothing. The teachers at Goldfish are great and the enviornment is clean and friendly.
We never got our act together to do this, at least not yet. But some friends started at Old Fish with a 6 month old and reallly loved it. Hope you have fun! Casey is almost 2 and I hope we can get started soon too!
I started my son in swimming lessons when he was 6 months old also. He loved it. We started out at Lifetime Fitness. This was a very casual setting with little instruction. It was a great way for our son to become comfortable in the water.
When he was 9 months old, we began lessons at Goldfish. I highly recommend Goldfish. It is a very structured setting with a lesson plan. My son loved it. He is now 19 months old and totally comfortable going under the water for up to 10 seconds. He likes going on the little waterslide. Also, he is learning to climb out of the pool. Goldfish really focuses on water safety while making the lessons fun.
So, I would recommend Goldfish but be aware of how expensive this option will be. It is $78/month. If you have this in your budget, then you will not regret it.
My little guy - four years old - goes to Goldfish swim club and loves it! It's a great place. I'm sure you realize this, but the swimming lessons are really for your fun at that age. I've found that it's best to wait till kids are a bit older to learn to swim - I've tried lessons when my little ones (I've got three boys and the older two are much older) have been two and three and they've been miserable. I think it's good when they're really ready to learn. Enjoy your baby - what about a music class?
Lifetime Fitness has great intro swim classes too-- with a zero entry pool which is great for the kids at that age.
We like Goldfish - a little pricey, but the water is warm and the instructors are great. I think that swim lessons are very important - the earlier the better. I believe that the statistics show that accidental drowning is the Number 1 cause of death in children under the age of 4. My little guy is now able to get himself to the edge of a pool and pull himself out - while this would not substitute for eagle-eye supervision, it does make you feel a little bit better with your kids around water.
My daughters took lessons at Goldfish last spring/summer and loved it. The water is warm and the instructors are the best!
I really dont think it matters where you take the classes.
At 6 months you - (mom and day) will be doing the teaching.
We took swim lessons with my 18 month old. WE picked a convienent location and a good time (it did not interfere with her nap).
The goal of these early lessons is just to get the child used to the water so they are not scared.
My friend did swim lessons with her son (he is now 7) an she says he didnt start to learn anything until he was 4 and the swim lessons were solo (mom and dad were not in the water.
Hi S.! I would personally recommend the YMCA. They have a wonderful swim program for all ages. I am not a mom, but I used to attend all of my little cousins swim meets and she absolutely loved it (and they made her into a great swimmer!). On top of this, the Y has many other sports to offer so if he finds when he gets older that he wants to try another sport, he can still see his friends and be comfortable in his surroundings. They also have day care services, so if you find that you want to use the facility, he is taken care of. Its also a nice idea because they are nationwide. If you move out of state for any reason in the future, you can just transfer your membership and still be familiar with the programs. I hope this helps!!!
We started our son at the Y in birmingham at 6 mos. It started out great...and our instructor was great. He is two 1/2 and ready to graduate to the next class. He is very comfortable in the water and can pull himself out. At that early age though... that's all you really want them to learn is water safety and get rid of any fear they may have. I can say our instructor now (parent/child) on tuesday evenings...is like a bump on a log. he hasn't learned much from this instructor and it's more like open swim.
Rochester"s RARA has wonderful swimming classes on Saturdays for this age. It's not too far from you and we were extremely happy. Good Luck.
