Anonymous wrote:In terms of what to have, I'd strongly recommend a swim parka--they're heavy and they insulate even when they're damp. SwimOutlet often has sales, and child sizes can have good prices. Or you can try to adopt one from an older kid if DD is young enough not to care about the color and style. And fwiw Uggs were originally developed to warm up the wet feet of surfers and others participating in water sports.
In terms of what to do, depending on DD's age, OP, I'd start stepping back and staying out of it. You could get several small microfiber towels so that there is always a dry way to dry off during summer swim (but DD will have to keep them separated as they are used). But if DD is old enough for summer swim, she's old enough to be encouraged to shower, dry, and dress on her own--which in turn will help her come up with her own ways to keep warm too.
+1 for the swim parka. My son was on the low end of BMI when he was 8 and under and did the whole purple lip thing when he got out of the water. We had the swim parka and gave him 3-4 towels, 2 to dry off with and 2 to wrap up with. He grew out of it by 11/12, but it was hard to watch.