Are Baby Swimming Classes Worth It?

At what age did your child start swim lessons? With my eldest daughter, Mrs T, I waited until she was three years old. Since having them her confidence in the water has accelerated and she is not far off swimming unaided. If I’m honest, I thought that starting them earlier may be a bit of a waste of time and money. But as a family who travels frequently and are often in the radius of swimming pool, I want both my daughters to be safe and confident in the water so when I was I invited to try out a Fusion water confidence class with my four-month-old daughter, Mrs C, I was intrigued to see what they did and how a baby swimming class would benefit her.

Who are Fusion?

I had never heard of the brand Fusion Lifestyle before but they have 94 leisure centres throughout the UK. Fusion is a registered charity which works with councils investing in local facilities. In a nutshell, it means better facilities at reasonable prices making sport accessible to more people. Depending on the leisure centre, some of the swim classes start from as little as £2 a class.

The Location

We had our lesson at the Glass Mill Leisure Centre in Lewisham. It had a £20m makeover a couple of years ago and is a very impressive facility with a gym, creche, climbing wall and two pools. It certainly did not look council-run at all! The outside is a kaleidoscope of block hues brightening the streets which on this particular day were rather rainy. Inside, is an airy foyer with seating and a cafe where I enjoyed a tasty cappuccino.

The next surprise were the changing rooms. They have heated floors! A welcome change from the cold, wet, dirty floors I recall from my childhood. But the biggest surprise came after we had changed and went to see the pool. Not only was the area nice and warm but I was gobsmacked to learn the pool had an adjustable floor. Yes, it changes depth. How cool is that?

The Lesson

But onto the water confidence lesson – aptly called because it’s not exactly baby ‘swimming’, is it? At this age, it’s more getting them used to the water and building confidence. I was invited there with two other bloggers, Naomi from Not A Perfect Parent and Clarissa from KK, Moo & Monkey 2 who also have daughters.

I was a little unsure at how Mrs C would react to being in the water but she loved it! The lesson was taken by one of the Fusion swim instructors, Roxanne, who was lovely. We started by sitting on the edge of the swimming pool with our girls and dangling our legs into the water.

During the lesson we did a variety of games and sang nursery rhymes. Some of the games included throwing a toy in front of them and getting them to reach out and grab it as well as exercises to encourage them to kick their legs. We also did a lot of bubble blowing in the water – a way to show them it’s alright to put their head in the water and is a step towards them eventually learning breath control. Mrs C just watched me for now.

 

We also used floats and practised ‘jumping’ into the water by singing Humpty Dumpty, lifting them up and into the water. It was filled with fun activities but some valuable advice too. Roxanne gave some really helpful hints on how to hold the babies to stop their faces going into the water and when they are on the backs to prop the back of their head on your shoulders.

She also told us that it’s not too early to help them understand how to get out of the pool safely by letting them grab the side of the pool and lift their leg up. Although Mrs C is a bit young to do it herself, Roxanne reassured that, if it is done repeatedly, she will soon get the hang of it when she is a bit more mobile.

There was a lot packed into the lesson but Mrs C was very relaxed and happy throughout most of the lesson. The one thing Mrs C didn’t love was going underwater. Roxanne expertly did it but Mrs C was not convinced so there were a few tears. She is still quite young (four months old) and was getting a bit tired too. The other two girls, who were older, were very good at this part.

Verdict

The day was full of surprises from the leisure centre and pool to how much Mrs C loved the experience. I am so happy she took to it and we both learnt a lot. Although she is quite young, I can see water confidence classes having huge benefits and I have since signed her up for a swimming course. I wish I had done this with my older daughter when she was a baby. If I had, she would have been far more confident in water from the outset and may even enjoy having her hair washed (which she still hates today).

It was also wonderful to do something one to one with Mrs C. Being the second sibling she is often dragged around her sister’s activities but I think it is really important to have that time together. As swimming involves being held lots and having plenty of cuddles, it is a great bonding experience. Plus, she is learning important life-saving skills while I am understanding games to play with her when we go swimming, whether it is at her local pool or on holiday. It also means I am pretty much guaranteed a very sleepy baby afterwards. I had barely got her changed before she was nodding off!

Is it worth taking your child to baby swimming? Absolutely yes! I am going to do at least a term of baby swimming with her and continue to take her swimming myself. I have already seen an improvement in her confidence and increased participation in the games. I cannot believe how good the prices offered by Fusion Lifestyle are! Although the cost varies from centre to centre, paying less than £4 a class to build a child’s confidence in the water is incredibly good value. Added to that, in research recently conducted by Fusion Lifestyle, it found children who have taken swimming lessons are significantly more likely to perform above average in maths, English, literacy and sport, than non-swimming children. What more reason do you need?

Fusion swim classes follow the Amateur Swimming Association Learn to Swim Framework. Roxanne and all the Fusion teachers are ASA qualified. 

For more information and to find your local Fusion Lifestyle centre and class, check out the Fusion Swim School website.

*I was given a complimentary Fusion Lifestyle class in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.