DS2's first time to beach...lifejacket needed?

[mom2aiden]

We are going to the beach in august with my DF, DM, DSis, DN11, DN7. It will also be my DH and DS who is 2. This is the first time I've gone to the beach and had responsibility for a little one!

I told DH that we may need to get him a lifejacket. He thought it wasn't necessary since we won't leave his side and there are 3 other adults there to watch.

Do you guys usually put on a lifejacket on a 2 year old at the beach? Do they seem to care about it, they seem to be bulky and uncomfortable. If I do need one, any recommendations?

TIA

 

[Kies99]

We do it! We wouldn't even think of NOT doing it.

We have DD's (4 and 5) and we've always had them wear something. When they are on the blanket and playing far from the water, we don't have them wear it. If they get up and want to go near the water we have them put it on. They've never complained about them. 5yo is in swim lessons now and we are planning for the beach next year (we go every year) and we will still have her wear one when she's in the water.

We use the ski-vest type jackets.

 

[nemonoah]

I would do it. I put the life vest on my 2yo when we are in the pool! he doesnt seem to mind it at all, he knows that in order to go swimming he has to wear it.

 

[Kies99]

I thought I'd post this as a new one so you'd see it, but we use this exact same one for our 5yo who has some swim lessons under her belt:

http://cgi.ebay.com/GIRLS-SPEEDO-SW...ryZ36269QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

We also have used Safe T Seal products and have been happy with them. We see a lot of kids wearing something like this and will be getting one for our 4yo as her strap just broke (it's about 6 years old): http://www.holidayarts.com/teachmetoswim/step-2.asp

 

[gris gris]

Not at the beach, but my DD is 4 1/2 and an excellent swimmer. DS is 1 and he just hangs around the edge of the ocean or at low tide walks around the mud flats. In a pool, I'd have a bubble on my DD and a life vest on DS.

 

[powellrj]

yes, it only takes a second for something to happen even with lots of adults around.

 

[mom2aiden]

Thanks guys for your experience and suggestions. I've found a couple online that I'll choose from. I agree to be safe rather than sorry.

 

[LISAVWL]

YES! We do a beach vacation every year and my kids -- DD5, DS3 & DS2 -- aren't allowed near the water w/o their life jackets. FWIW -- A lifeguard mentioned to me last year that they are only allowed to have the ones that are US Coast Guard approved , I just got this one for my DS2:

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.htm...8/601-2308412-0432917?ie=UTF8&asin=B000R9LSRI

 

[NotUrsula]

Yes, absolutely.

We were at Ft. Myers beach fishing pier back in April when a commotion arose on the beach; a 3 yo who was with her parents had drowned. She was wading and encountered a rip current while her Dad was occupied with a sibling. He turned around and she was gone. She was found by a lifeguard about 20 minutes later, about 200 feet from where she was last seen.

Rip currents in only a foot or so of water can take a small child right off their feet. Even if they know how to swim, a child that age is likely to panic or tire very quickly if they encounter strong current, and you would NOT hear a child's cries over the sound of the surf unless you were within arm's reach.

 

[mom2aiden]

Whew!! Glad I checked in with you guys. My family never put lifevests on us and my sis didn't use them with my nephews, so I never thought too much about it, until my DS came along.

I'll definitely get one and make sure that DH uses it too if I'm not on the beach.

 

[Princess Roo]

I think it's also a good idea to get them used to it when they're younger so that it's a habit.

But PLEASE be aware (and I think you are, as you say that you won't let him out of sight) that even a ifejacket is not a substitute for supervision at that age. A 2-year-old in our neighborhood drowned over 4th of July weekend in a lifejacket. Both parents thought the other one was watching her and she ended up face down in the water.

 

[Forevryoung]

I would highly suggest putting it on your 2 year old in a pool several times and letting go so that they get the feel of what it is like to float and not be able to stand.

You also want to teach them to float on their back with it on. At that age I would not encourage them to float or "swim" with a lifejacket on their stomach- they might not be able to pick their head up out of the water well enough especially in a current or with waves.

 

[my2minnies]

I think it is a good idea, but I live in a beach community and I have to say that I have never seen anyone put life vests on their children at the beach. I take my kids ages 2, 2, 4, and 6 to the beach all the time by myself and have never put one on my children. They are not allowed to go in past their thighs (older ones) and the twins are not allowed in the water unless I am there.

Maybe because I go to private beaches where people are so used to being at the beach that they become complacent. On the other hand I make my 2 year olds wear floaties around our relative's pool. I am much more nervous around pools than the beach for some reason.

I know it only take a second for a child to go under, so it might be a good idea.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Other people have given you advice which may be good but I'll just throw something else in as food for thought. I live right by the ocean and my kids and I walk there quite frequently. It is a large public beach and I've been going to it all my life. As far back as my memory goes, I have seen only 2 or 3 children out of thousands wearing life jackets. Unlike a pool, which is a closed in space, the ocean is limitless. The general opinion around here is that a life jacket is very dangerous in the ocean as it gives kids confidence that they can go out deep and children end up going over their heads that way and could be carried out by the current. The general rule around here is that older ones can not go out past their belly button and little ones may not go past their knees. This can change to less if the currents are strong or the waves big that day. I think life jackets are great at the pool, and I use them there, but at the beach they give both the parents and child more security than they should have. I think you are much better off without the life jacket and going in the water with her and beginning to teach her about beach water safety. JMHO

 

[NotUrsula]

At that age I would not encourage them to float or "swim" with a lifejacket on their stomach- they might not be able to pick their head up out of the water well enough especially in a current or with waves.

If you buy the right kind of PFD, floating face-down in calm water should be impossible. USCG certified PFD's for toddlers have collars that keep them upright at all times. Of course, it won't be effective in high swells, but a toddler shouldn't be in the water then, anyway.

As for skipping the PFD and teaching water safety *instead*, I strongly disagree. A PFD is integral to open-water safety at that age, and the PFD and the water-safety lessons go together. Neither one is a substitute for the other. FTR, I grew up in a beach community, too, and my Dad the commercial fisherman insisted on the PFD any time I set toe in the water except for during actual swimming instruction, and continued to do so until I was a strong open-water swimmer. Before we were school-aged he also required it on the beach any time that the child-adult ratio was any greater than 1:1.

 

[kmjmom]

We have spent a couple weeks at the beach in Maine every summer with our three children and never used a life jacket while at the beach. We would only let the kids near the water if we were with them. They were quite happy "swimming" on their tummies in the water that was up to their ankles. By the time they were craving the waves, they were already competent swimmers from lessons in our backyard pool. We were very fortunate to have kids that never wandered. I think it definitely depends on each individual child as to whether you would feel comfortable with/without a vest. I can't say that I ever observed any life jackets at our beach either.