We live in Florida, the state with the most drownings per capita (think lots of pools and lots of beaches). We never wanted to do the "safe start" system, where they basically do 10 minutes daily and teach very young infants to learn to float. We wanted to wait until they were old enough to lear to swim properly. We did private lessons for each of our three kids and think it is the only way to go, if it is at all possible for you financially.
Each of my kids did three or four weeks of private lessons (four days of 30 minutes each) the summer that they turned three. ALL of them screamed; they all have HATED to be taught to float on their back, and they cry while swimming to the wall. My daughter probably cried the most, and wouldn't stop kicking when she was on her back, so it took her a long time to figure out the back float. That said, at the end of the lesson, if you asked her if she had fun, she would usually (not always) say yes.
By the end of the summer that they turned three, my older two kids were good swimmers (my daughter, who cried the most, was the best). She was an absolute fish by the summer that she turned four. Before she turned four, she could dive to the bottom of a 10 foot diving well to pick up a dive toy, and was swimming at her summer camp with the 7/8 year olds because she was the only younger kid that passed the test to swim in the big pool. Now, at 4 1/2, she can swim all four strokes (though her breast stroke and butterfly arms are marginal), and is COMPLETELY independent in the water (though of course we still watch her like a hawk).
Anyway, my point is that she was my biggest cryer, but she has no memory of it and we (and she!) absolutely love that she is such a strong swimmer at such a young age. I am not a big believer in letting my kids cry or forcing them to do things that they think they don't want to do, but I have to say that in this case the results speak for themselves. They love the water and are great swimmers.
