Water baby - and bragging granny, I'm afraid!

Ah that's lovely and why shouldn't you be proud of him I bet that's a fine sight.

It is lovely when they are like little fish. One of my Dds was like this at a similar age. We used those cozzies with slots for floats in them. I only put them in the front to begin with as I wanted them to raise her head up, rather than duck her under the water. The next day I took one out without comment, and the same the next two days. I then just put the cozzie on with no floats and away she went.

We actually were threatened with being thrown out of on pool as they said she was too young to be in there without floats! - and she certainly should not have been in the deep end diving! - tsk, tsk.

Being a water baby gave her a great deal of pleasure as a child and I hope your DGS will enjoy himself.

one

Wow - that is impressive clever boy!

Can imagine that, Luckygirl!
We had something similar with dd, who also learned to swim at 2 - we were overseas and lucky to have a pool nearby with very little else to do (in the middle of a desert). At under 3 she was happily jumping in the deep end and fishing coins off the bottom.
All OK in our 'home' pool, but at a hotel ditto one day, the poor lifeguard charged from one end of the pool to the other, having had a fit at seeing a tiny tot on the diving board, about to chuck herself in!

I felt sorry for him, but once he understood it was fine - no threats of banishment to the shallow end.

I love children learning to swim. So good for them. Well done to your DGS witzend

That’s excellent, witzend; the earlier they start the better. We had GS in the pool at six months and he was doggy paddling quite happily in no time with arm bands, but we later put him in a float vest and, as Lucky did, gradually removed the floats. He moved on to formal swimming lessons and strangely it all went kind of downhill from there. He’s not big on co-ordination and to watch him swim is not a pretty sight, though he gets to where he needs to go, but leave him to swim under the water (and he can hold his breath for a ridiculously long time!) and he is as graceful as a sea lion and a joy to behold. But the main thing is, he loves to be in the water.

Lovely Witzend , an essential life skill I feel !

I’m a water baby and now all 4 of mine can swim . From 11 yrs to 4 yrs ! It’s one after school activity I think is worth it’s weight in gold !

I took my DD every Wednesday from the age of 3 months. At 3 she was swimming very proficiently, doing backflips of the edge of the pool. She is now teaching her own 3 yearold who showed me just how she takes a big gulp before diving to the bottom, then coming up for air. And loving it.
Great to see the building of confidence.

Witzend I spent a fortune on swimming lessons for all my children, but my youngest son never really mastered proper swimming strokes. Fast forward twenty odd years and he is now a very experienced snorkeller and his baby son is like a fish - at only 11 months. Baby goes to an amazing swimming class called Turtle Tots and fortunately my other grandsons are at a school that has a pool and includes regular swimming lessons in the curriculum.

At 11 months is fantastic, Grannyactivist! Lovely to learn so young. Must be lovely to watch him, too.

I knew when dd1 was very tiny that in theory you can just chuck them in at 4 months, and they do it by instinct, but although we had a nice warm pool very handy, I never quite had the nerve. Dd was a little over 2 when she decided to take her armbands off and jump in the deep end - where I already was! - and she just did it - like an underwater tadpole for quite a while.
Although mine were both completely at home in the water very early, neither had actual lessons until they were 5 or 6, when they learned 'proper' strokes very quickly.

That's brilliant Witzend I bet you are so proud, I know I would be.

My grandchildren (12,10 and 8) were all very good swimmers before they started school but I was amazed at how many children in my grandsons class that can't swim at 8 years old. He is having a run of lessons at the local pool with the school at the moment and apparently the teacher is using him to demonstrate various strokes etc. He said that there are only a few people out of his whole class of 30+ that can swim and only him that can swim underwater.

Swimming is such an important life skill. All children should be taught to swim as early as possible. You are quite right to be proud of your dgc.

I agree newnanny but sadly many children don't have easy access to a swimming pool.

Swimming is so important for youngsters all my DGCs have swam early they spent the summer holidays with us when we lived abroad in our pool most of the day with their mum.
GGD has gone to mum & tots swimming since she was 6mths old and is like a little fish at 2.5yrs its so good to watch her baby brother will go when he is 6mths old.

When we lived in Manchester we were friendly with a professional footballer who lived nearby with his wife and two young children. His children were the best swimmers I had ever seen and that's because he really did put them in a swimming pool very soon after birth and let them get on with it. I was pregnant at the time and really admired his wife for agreeing to it as I knew I couldn't have done - even though the evidence of it working was right in front of my eyes.

Being able to swim and be safe in water is one of the most important lessons a child can learn. Those that can swim are far less likely to do silly things like jumping into rivers, which could be treachorous.
Many years back, when my eldest was born, I heard of toddler swimming lessons (with mum) from my SiL in USA. I enquired at local pool, but they did not do anything back then. A few months on I was contacted as they had started such lessons, and my son went from 14 months old
Some children do take longer than others to get going, but with lots of water play in that first couple of years with Mum/Dad or g.parents, and proper lessons all should be getting their badges well before they start school
My g.children have all gone for water play with their mums from a few weeks old, and I have wonderful photos of them as tiny babies happily under water, eyes wide open, babies are not scared of being submerged. All of them have learned to swim properly by the age of 4 or 5 years old and,not only is this making water play safe for them, but gives so many opportunities for fun

Gillybob, I have a feeling that the reason so many older children can't swim, even if they're taken to a pool now and then, is because of armbands. They will never learn with thos wretched things on.
Assuming a parent can swim - I know there are those who can't, particularly among minorities - if only the parent would stay beside them in the water for a few sessions, I'm sure many would crack it, whether doggy paddle or whatever. Proper strokes can come later - getting them entirely happy in the water is the main thing at first, IMO.

Hurrah for bragging Nannies!

You could be right Witzend but that’s assuming they have access to a swimming pool in the first place . My DGC’s school don’t start swimming lessons until year 3 (aged 8) which is way too late and even then it’s a case if 1 x 1hr lesson once a week for 8 weeks which is not nearly enough to build water confidence . Private swimming lessons are far too expensive for a lot of families .

Yes, the achievements of mere youngsters these days is quite amazing. I guess we all had the ability somewhere within us as children but maybe the facilities weren't available. Both my GD (5&3) swim, cycle and ski proficiently and I'm loving it. Their parents are very sporty so I suppose it's no surprise really. Thought we were quite go ahead parents but nothing like this.

You have every right to be proud. It is so sensible to let children learn to swim at that age - there are so many ornamental pools, swimming pools etc. everywhere so every child should be taught to swim.

Your GC will never be afraid of water either. I still am, so I am happy to think they are so confident in water.

My DGS1 has just started competative swimming classes alongside his normal after school swimming where he has learnt all the strokes. He is 8, this year he started swimming lessons at school, there are only a few of his classmates who can swim as well as him.

In other areas DGS1 is so unco-ordinated , he has never been able to learn to ride a bike

It's a Grandparents right to be proud brag about of their DGC's achievements

Its lovely and awesome watching tiny tots setting out on their swimming journeys.
Watching my own many years ago in a swimming lesson with others, with their arms and legs flailing about reminded me of tadpoles!
I still smile and think of tadpoles when I see the youngsters having their swimming lessons at the gym.
I used to take my grandson swimming from the age of six months, plus take him to swimming lessons.
At the age of 4 we went down one of the big waterslides at Blackpool's Sandcastle centre.
He was sat perhaps two feet in front of me, between my legs.
As he entered the water I heard the lifeguard blow his whistle to attract his colleagues and saw him dive in to " Rescue " my grandson.
He actually had to swim past me to scoop up my grandson.
There was no need for him to do this as I was in the water even before the lifeguard took his actions.
He wasn't to know that GS was an able doggy paddler and it was comforting to know that he was on the ball.
I passed on my gratitude to the manager after we later got changed.