do your kids wear a life jacket when swimming...?

[bluey1]

do your kids wear a life jacket when swimming...?

 

[Meriweather]

My 6 year old grand son does if in the ocean or somewhere we might be able to see him.
At home, in my pool, he doesn't. Someone is always with him.
DGD (10) does not. She is a fish and can swim very well.

 

[o&smom]

Pretty much, yes. I was a lifeguard and swimming instructor when I was younger. We grew up on a lake and constantly on the water. We always had to wear life jackets when on the water. If I am near my kids in a pool, I allow them to gain strength and confidence in themselves. Panic is a major contributor to drowning, so I work on them feeling comfortable and knowing how to float or push off the bottom of a pool to get air.

 

[bcla]

Not really. At least when my kid was taking swimming lessons, they didn't allow any flotation devices other than standard aids like floatation boards.

We used to go to a water park where they did have DOT approved vests available for complimentary use. I wasn't quite sure about them because they'd were generally in the sun for a while and many looked faded. I was thinking they might come with risk of the materials failing from UV exposure. But my kid would wear them anyways and we'd try to find one that looked newer. The child sizes were considerably harder to find than the adult sizes since adults were less likely to wear them. That wasn't swimming per se as they didn't really allow swimming. I think some people tried swimming in the lazy river, but that had a tendency to splash water everywhere.

 

[kyton]

Not once they are competent swimmers. This was around age 4-5yo. Australians tend to start swimming lessons when kids are approx 1yo (or even younger) so by the time they start school every kid I’ve ever known personally could swim.

There is caveats however - any time spent on a boat / kayak / JetSki a life jacket is mandatory here in Australia. But swimming in a pool, beach, lake or river is always under supervision for us. Even know our kids are teens and will let us know when they are going in our pool. We don’t watch them anymore but at least know to check if it gets quiet all of a sudden.

 

[LoveDaisy]

On a boat yes, just swimming no. My family are competitive swimmers (and lifeguards). I started swimming competitively at 3. The kids were 4 when they started competing but were able to swim much younger.

 

[unrequited23]

Boat and ocean they will wear life jackets. Once they are confident swimmers/can touch bottom they can swim without in a pool but I'm normally in the pool with them. If they start to get tired they have the option to get out and take a break or put on their life jacket--this only happens if we are swimming with younger friends who swim in life jackets the whole time.

 

[QueenIsabella]

It depends.

In a pool, no. They all took swimming lessons since they were little, and are competent swimmers.

On a boat, yes. Anyone could slip and fall off. The ocean is a very different creature, if you will. Currents, rip tides, weather events can all make the ocean a dangerous place.

At the seaside, no, if I know the area. We live coastal, every year you hear about a person or two who over-estimated their abilities and got caught in a rip tide or otherwise drowned. My kids tend not to go out very far, and stay in known safe areas.

I know someone who almost drowned in a rip tide. She's very athletic and been a competent swimmer since childhood. I never would have thought she'd get in trouble--she probably didn't, either.

 

[kdonnel]

My kids never wore any type of flotation in a pool. We were either comfortable with their swimming ability or remained within arms reach when we were not.

When on pleasure craft we always all wore life jackets just like when skiing we all wore helmets.

In the ocean we also did not wear any type of flotation, but we never let the kids in the water unless we were in the water with them. We talked about rip currents and what should be done if caught.

 

[leebee]

Yes. The resident 7-year old cannot swim, so he wears a life jacket whenever he is in or on the water. This is non-negotiable; with drowning, there are no do-overs. I am advocating for swimming lessons, but so far his father hasn't been able to make the arrangements mesh work with everyone's work schedules.

 

[MamaMermaid]

No. My son is almost 6 (in 2 weeks) and has been swimming independently since he was 3. We are Floridians and have him enrolled in swim weekly to maintain skills.

 

[fly girl]

When my daughter was little and before swimming lessons, yes to life jacket in any body of water.

Now that she is a teenager and a competent swimmer, not needed in pools. She does wear one when jet skiing, as we all do.


* edited, grammar

 

[mjkacmom]

My kids had year round swim lessons since 3 until they mastered their stokes. We live an hour from the beach so they learned ocean swimming early (but we always set up shop by the lifeguards).