Learning to Swim...

Tyler has always been a very apprehensive child. He is usually very nervous to try new things. Swimming is one of those things that scare him. He loves sitting on the steps by the side of the pool and playing with water toys, but he really has no desire to venture any further. He doesn't even really enjoy swimming while we hold him. Since opening the pool for the summer (a month ago), he made great progress during the first few days. He sticks his head in the water a lot and will play a few swimming "games" in the water. Since then, he hasn't gotten any more adventurous. He feels very insecure because he can't touch the bottom. So, I purchased some swimming floaties--the cheapest ones at Wal-Mart--and they hold him up really well. He is still very, very nervous in the water, but I think the floaties increase his potential of feeling more confident. I'm actually surprised. In a situation like Tyler, I think these floaties will help him learn how to swim, not hinder him. When he is wearing them, he is learning how to paddle and kick. He's not really using them to just float. He's too nervous right now to relax and realize he can just float in the water.
Here's our bathing beauty...looking as cute as ever!
After forcing Tyler to use the floaties for a while, we let him do what he enjoys most--playing with the water toys on the steps.