October 7, 2025

By Krystle Collins, Turtle Tots HQ

Has it been a few weeks of your first swimming lessons, and your little one just isn’t settling in yet? It’s disheartening when those first lessons weren’t the experience you’d hoped for, but the good news is you’re only at the start of your journey! With the right advice and perseverance it will get better, so don’t give up yet. This is an important parenting opportunity.

In the preverbal stage when babies are very little, it’s difficult to exactly know where it’s going wrong for them, and so when it comes to addressing what’s happening, we need to take a holistic approach.

Once a baby born full-term is 3 months of age, it’s not likely that they’re too young physically for our swimming lessons. When we talk about an age to start swimming, it’s due to the physical demand of being in water for 30 minutes – newborn’s just aren’t aren’t able for a 30-minute session in 30c water, its too tiring for them. Beyond 3 months or age, if your little one is getting progressively more upset as their lesson gets underway, then we need to look at the possible causes, which could be simple or little more complex.

The first considerations are;

• Is your lesson at your little one’s normal naptime, are they overtired?
• Are they hungry?
• Is their swimwear comfortable? A too-snug fit on a happy nappy could be squeezing, or a too-big thermal layer might not be working and they’re cold.

If it’s none of these physical factors, then being that it’s only very early days it’s not likely that they’ve developed an aversion to swimming – after all, they’ve not had much chance to experience it. It’s likely to instead be overstimulation.

Overstimulation

Turtle (3-8 months) takes its pace very slow, and this is fully intended. We want to allow babies time to adjust to the aquatic environment, the first sessions are a lot for babies to take in and process. Babies can very easily get overstimulated, some more than others too. A hotel pool environment is very noisy compared to a quiet home especially if they are the first child, and sound is loud and travelling differently than they’re used to. The lighting is bright, and light can be scary the way it reflects off water. There’s a lot of other people and babies at class, which can be overwhelming. And we haven’t even gotten into the water yet!

Getting into the pool when a baby is already overstimulated is likely to tip them over the edge. Overstimulation looks like fearful whimpers at the start of a class that build in to a full-blown cry after around 5 minutes. It’s a totally normal occurrence for babies and children getting started with swimming lessons, but when it happens it can be very distressing for you and for them. In part, that’s because there’s not much we can do in that moment to recover the situation. Toys or distractions haven’t worked, you’re suddenly the ‘wrong’ parent, and they will roar until the scary things go away (as in, you get out of the pool).

How To Deal With Overstimulation

The good news is that overstimulation is easily dealt with and moved on from once you know what to look for. So, try again next week with the idea of overstimulation in mind, and see if by addressing it you can move past it.

• Arrive at the pool extra early, take your time to get ready and don’t be in a rush
• A small feed at least 15 minutes before swimming would be a good idea
• Head to the pool deck and sit poolside together, but don’t get in yet. Find a quiet corner to take in the sights, sounds, smell and activity. Have a cuddle, do this for at least 10 minutes the first time.
• Make sure baby is calm before you get into the water. When you’re ready, get in slowly, and ease their body in too. The pool feels cold to them and the feel of it on their skin is unfamiliar, so they need time to process the sensation before any extra activity is brought in.
• A Warm In One can really help by both keeping them warm and desensitising the water-feel

Emotional Co-Regulation

It’s important that you lead with calmness. If you feel stressed or anxious (which is only fair when the first few lessons haven’t gone well!) then your body language is probably saying it loud and clear. Babies are experts on picking up how their parents are feeling and will react to it, this is called co-regulation. So, take a moment to centre your breath, keep a smile on your face, and hold on to a belief that everything is going to be ok – because it is! Another tip is to relax your hands and body – nervous parents will have a stiff body and a tight grip which babies will feel and react to. This is one of those times where you really do need to fake it until you make it 😊.

Baby Steps

If that’s as far as you get on your next attempt, and baby stays calm throughout the process, it’s a huge step forward! The following week, you might find you only have to sit poolside for 5 minutes, or a minute or two is needed settle before your class, but before you know it, you’ll be flying. When you do join in, avoid any overexcited classmates, splashy little arms or legs, or loud parents, at least for the first few weeks.

Lastly, don’t be worrying about the other parents and what they’re thinking, that only makes everything worse! Remind yourself that they’re all parents too, and they know you’re doing your best. You’re doing a great job just by showing up! Our lessons are a safe space and without judgment, and absolutely everyone has bad days. Yours just happen to be at the start, but you’ll be so proud of yourself when you see it through.