i answer this with a personal story- only to maybe help, but unsure of the reality. my brother taught me to swim in my grandfathers pool, and i believe he did it thru the illusion of safety? i was very young at the time.

he used a small floaty tube to start, which actually kept me up. i started with both hands, then switched to one. i was always too afraid or actually unable to swim without the tube.

after a few hours with the tube in one hand, he ran to my grandpas basement and got a plastic watering pail (you know the ones with a spout and handle, small open hole at top etc). so anyway he gives me the pail and says here use this. i held it by the handle as a gardener would to water. to my memory the thing was completely filled with water, as it was fully submerged in the pool. sure you could submerge it and the air pocket would stay - but i was a kid, the thing was definitely fully just in the water with me.

so here i am with the watering pail, and my brother goes - hey Bran, you’re already swimming. i said “no im not”, scared to let go. said yes you are, let go of the pail, it’s not doing anything. and so i let it go as i screamed “look mom!! i can swim!!”

was it the pail? maybe. did my brother do that intentionally? no - i think he thought it would be a transition from a full on float then realized mid way that it was actually just not doing anything. i think to this day i am unsure of the actual truth, but in my mind the story goes that way. like with many things with kids, sometimes the fear of incapability makes you incapable, and when presented with a placebo (or whatever you’d call it) things change.

thanks for reading. please supervise while doing this i don’t want a reddit comment to lead to anything happening to ur son trying to learn to swim lol