Mostly people like to be in the pool or the riverside when it’s summer. Adventure sports like canoeing, kayaking, boarding, and rafting all involve the water. While you go for such adventure vacations in the water with kids in the family, ensuring kids life jackets is essential.
Even if they are well trained in swimming, kids’ life jackets are essential to ensure maximum safety. But it can be daunting to select the perfect life jacket for kids compared to those for adults. And the ideal sizing is crucial to be found for kids.
So, to make things easier for you, here is a small guide to help you find a suitable life jacket for your kid.
Pick a Life Jacket Design
Whether it is for your kid or yourself, choosing a comfortable style and USCG-certified safety is important. Additionally, you should be particular about the life jacket design underneath. Here are three of the designs you can choose from.
- Inflatable: These are the ones that can automatically deploy when submerged in water or can be manually inflated. They are not meant for kids below the age of 16 and non-swimmers. These require extra maintenance and are not for activities involving frequent water.
- Naturally Buoyant: These jackets are made of neoprene or floatable foam and are inherently buoyant as well as durable. They can last with little maintenance and require no extra work to wear.
- Hybrid: These are made with inflatable and buoyant materials and are known as hybrid life jackets.
Understanding the Essential Features
Life previously instructed, choose life jackets for kids that are USCG approved. While you do that, remember to ensure the size and weight of the kid who is supposed to wear the life jacket. Younger kids should be given life jackets with a loop at the back of the neck area and a strap between the legs.
This helps you to lift them out of the water using the neck loop if ever such a situation persists. Additionally, aim for life jackets that have armbands and are wrapped around the kid’s torso. This keeps them snuggly and comfortable.
Find the Perfect Fit for Kids
While finding the perfect fit of life jackets for your kids, remember that different brands make different sizes and, therefore, fit your kid differently. One way to go about it is to buy two other brands of the same size to know which one is a better suit for your kid.
But that can be a problem if the budget is a constraint for you. Therefore, you can instead lift your child while trying on a life jacket using the straps. If you find that the jacket slips their chin or ears, it is oversize.
Ensure that infants weighing 8-30 lbs or kids weighing 30-50 lbs wear life jackets that come with crotch strap, head pillow, and handle. You can select your preferred colour as well. But it is highly recommended to go for colour with high visibility.
Even if kids know how to swim, it is better to let them wear a life jacket as they step into the water or the boat. A life jacket can be significantly helpful in cases where the kid experiences fatigue when you are unaware.
Additionally, during emergencies, adults and kids often lose consciousness. Therefore, kids life jackets are here to do the primary job of life jackets for all, which is highly important and ensures safety. While buying a life jacket, ensure to get the perfect fit, without which it would be almost useless.
