Swimming can be pretty basic topic. We think of the subject as limited to certain issues: learning how to swim; dealing with water fears; being more safe around water; and stroke development. But there is so much more in between about swimming that instructors and parents don’t look close enough at. Here are my Top 5 overlooked swim issues:

#1: Group lessons are often a disappointment. To your hopes of safety. To your child’s swim progress. To the instructor who cannot spend as much time with your kid due to a higher ratio. Private one-on-one as opposed to group lessons are an issue about deciding if you want quality versus quantity. Payout in group lessons is delivered to families with a unique set of criteria.

#2. Swim ability isn’t relevant to age in the ways we think. Let’s say you have a water frighten 5-year old and a 3-year old who is something likened to a dolphin. Sounds backwards, right? Suddenly the older child takes off and within 4 lessons, is doing the backstroke across the pool — extremely common progress expectations at this age no matter how long it took beforehand for your kid to love the water. Yet the 3-year old who has been swimming solo longer is limited by their coordination and development issues, unable to do the strokes as well. Who is the better swimmer now?

#3: Goggles deliver immediate confidence. Kids feel better when they can see what they are doing. If the only way we can learn to swim is by putting our heads in the water, give ‘um a good reason to do so with a pair of goggles. Kids will say ‘I don’t like to wear these’ because they say that about anything they haven’t put enough experimentation into. I don’t think anything that can ultimately increase your water safety is a crutch.

#4: Grabbing for help is never okay. It’s not okay for a child to grab a parent or a kid in the water for any reason at any time, and you’ve got to break this habit early. Instead, to help your emerging swimmer, teach them to flip over on their backs when they need assistance. You can assist them by holding onto the back of their head and towing to safety. This is a great activity to do with babies. Also, create pool games that involve grabbing the side of the pool or toys, but not people.

#5: Thrashing isn’t swimming. I’ve had parents tell me their child is ready for stroke development when they cannot swim the shortest distance or width of a pool without being freaked out. We cannot push our kids on this issue because safety is such a concern. The best way to tell how comfortable your kid or student is in the water is to ask them to float on their front for a few seconds and then calmly roll over onto their backs and float for another moment or two. Body language says it all with swimming.

Swim lessons seem like a luxury in today’s economic climate. I fully agree. They aren’t cheap, and food or clothing is a better priority. So much is built into the cost, from firing up your pool (if hiring private home lessons) to the instruction costs.

Aside of swimming, parenting (and product review writing, like new cars), I also write about personal finance. In general, I think the main motivator behind any of my articles is a message about consumers finding the best deal. Here’s how I break down the true cost of learning to swim.

Bathing suit and goggles: $25. Old Navy works fine, but their goggles don’t — get a good $12-15 Speedo pair made of silicone, which is soft and refrains from leaks. Goggles encourage putting a child’s face in the water.

Initial 1/2 hr. private lessons: $40-320. I live in the Bay Area, so keep in mind all my estimates are likely a third to a full half higher. You can start with one lesson ($20-40 depending where you live) and get an estimate of where the teacher thinks your child is at. However, it is extremely difficult for any teacher to say just how many lessons it would take your kids to swim, which makes it harder to budget for it. If your kid can swim independently without you, move on to group lessons. If more nurturing is needed, sign up for 6-8 privates ($320 is 8 privates total).

1/2 hr. Group lessons: $15- 185. Group lessons can save you tons IF — and only IF — your child is not afraid of the water. Otherwise, you are seriously flushing money down the toilet if you think your timid child is suddenly going to blossom amidst aggressive (or other frightened) swimmers and an overwhelmed teacher. Instead, you child will regress. Which is why I always recommend the initial estimate above. Hey, only the rich can afford to buy cheap because they can afford to buy something over and over again. The $185 should buy you around two weeks or $15 x 8 (1/2 hr. lessons).

Time with you in a pool: priceless. Not because of the memories, but because of the swim time they will get in. Take advantage of every opportunity. Maybe the pool your kid takes lessons at allows parents to get in after. Maybe a friend or neighbor has a pool and you can exchange tomatoes or something for swim time. I can ALWAYS tell a kid who practices versus one who doesn’t.

1/2 hr. group of private follow-ups: $40-200. Swimming can be a forgotten skill. Retention and strength to swim depends on the age — the older they are, the more likely they can get by on memory and muscle. Best to conduct this in the early month in an indoor pool around April. A minimum of 3 lessons ($40 x 3 = $120) should not only tell you where your child is at but even deliver them stroke skills if their swim retention is strong enough.

TOTAL TRUE COST OF LEARNING TO SWIM THIS SUMMER: $370 (group) & $465 (private)

Of course their are more variables: demographics, electric bills, lost or ruined swim suits, pool memberships, swim toys. (A lot of my clients would tell me they spent a lot more on me than this!) But think of this estimate as the no-frills approach when learning to swim.

Also, isn’t it interesting to see just a $95 difference lies between private and group instruction. Your child won’t be in the pool as much, but will get better time in the pool. So what is more important — quantity or quality?