As popular as they are: Water wings give the illusion of safety. If a small child stumbles and dips their face into the water, they freeze and remain motionless. The wings can also slip off or the air can escape. Children who are not yet good swimmers should not be in deep water - even with water wings, they should only be in belly-deep water at most.

Water wings are also not suitable for learning to swim, as they block the arms and the children move vertically in the water. I personally recommend avoiding buoyancy aids attached to the body whenever possible. If there is no other option, it is better to use swimming aids with back cushions or swimming harnesses. These do not restrict freedom of movement and the children move horizontally in the water. Keep children who cannot yet swim safely not only in sight but also within reach.

Life jackets are a must for every boat trip. They are a safety aid in the event of an unexpected fall into the water, but are not suitable for moving forwards and learning to swim. I only found this out for myself last summer on a canoe trip: As the canoe could not be turned round after capsizing, I had to take off my life jacket to reach the shore.

Funny XXL floating animals and inflatable fruit are all the rage. However, just like air mattresses, these rubber animals can quickly capsize. What's more, the floating animals can obstruct the pool supervisor's view of the water - a huge safety risk. For this reason, inflatable swimming toys and air mattresses are banned in many swimming pools. If you want to swim far out onto a lake away from the pools, you should not be accompanied by a rubber duck, but by a real boat. Because even the best swimmers are not immune to muscle cramps.

Now we finally come to aids that can really help with learning to swim. In my parent-child courses, I show how pool noodles and swimming boards can be used optimally. We work in prone and supine positions and at different levels of difficulty. While two-year-olds practise balancing, holding on and gliding, older children can already move around on their own and practise correct breathing. However, the use of swimming aids requires full concentration and the help of parents. The learning progress compared to independent swimming with water wings is enormous.

I give my own children diving goggles as soon as they can swim one lane in the pool without help and open their eyes under water. In general, swimming and diving goggles are only recommended once a child can open their eyes under water and orientate themselves. If a child falls into the water, they must be able to find their way back to the surface - even if they lose their goggles. It is therefore imperative that children learn to open their eyes under water. In addition, swimming goggles are not suitable for diving as they can create negative pressure in the eye.

Give your child time to learn to dive. They may be ready at the age of two or seven. If diving - without goggles - is learnt out of self-motivation, the feeling of success and enjoyment is all the greater.