Kayla Franklin

My daughter shows traits your post talks about. I got the puddle jumper because it said it can help them learn to swim, and it’s coast guard approved. But she is always staying vertical no matter how many times I coach her to be horizontal. She kicks with her feet but does nothing with her arms, even though I’m constantly coaching her and showing her to paddle with her arms. She’s terrified of the water going on her face even though she was fine with it before and used to put her whole face in the water (although not her entire head). 

I’ve put her in swimming lessons but she still hasn’t learned how to swim. I try the things I’ve found online about how to teach your child to swim, but it doesn’t work or she doesn’t listen. I don’t know why she’s so afraid of her face going in the water. She knows how to hold her breath and has done it many times before. She loves getting in the water and playing and “swimming” but only with her puddle jumper on, or another flotation device that keeps her upright. She fights to keep from being horizontal whenever I try to show her.