*Warm water. Baby will feel much more comfortable when the water is body temperature or warmer. (You can begin in the bathtub with baby when she is very small).

*Be in a calm environment, the fewer people in the pool the better.

*Move very slowly, calmly, no splashing at first. Allow Baby to get a sense of the water and the sensations. Speaking calmly to her all the while.

*Hold Baby around torso, thumbs underneath, leaving the legs and arms free to move.

*Hold Baby at arms-length and at eye level, let her know what you’re about to do, and softly blow on her face. She will take an instinctive inhale.

*Do this a few times, keeping the calm, sweet energy.

*After a few blows, tell her that you will be gliding her under water on the next blow, then after she holds her breath, slowly glide baby’s head underwater, scooping her toward you. Lift her up for breath within two seconds.

*Repeat a few times, prolonging the seconds gradually with baby underwater.

*Baby will start to move her arms and legs instinctively.

After practicing this technique a few times, try releasing your nervous grip a little, until you are barely supporting her body.

Eventually she will need you just to guide her up to the surface for breath, but she will be swimming underwater perfectly. Wear goggles so you can dip beneath the surface with her and watch her – it is incredible.

If you swim her near steps, she will start to swim towards the edge of the pool, and then be able to reach toward the steps and guide her to pull herself up.

She will become so buoyant that soon she will be able to guide herself to the water’s surface.

Teach her how to edge along the side of the pool, so she can always swim to the edge and find her way to the steps to climb out. And to flip onto her back and float, should she become too tired to swim.

Any external floating device will slow this process down by years. Again, this equipment is sold to make our lives easier – not baby’s.