It was on our trip at Pop Century in December that I noticed life jackets available for use. It was
this jacket (not sure of the size/weight). Now, I am sure all hotels have at least some available.
I am a infant/toddler and preschool swim instructor at the YMCA. I'm going to share the information we pass along to parents in our program.
If you are looking for a true life jacket (because you will be going on some type of small watercraft in the next year) this is the type of
life vest I'd recommend.
First you will select your life vest by your child's current weight. You don't want to buy it big for them to grow into. Next make sure it is US Coast Guard approved for the type of water you will be in (pool, near shore, far from shore). Here's some info from the
USCG about that. We recommend Type II or Type III. Next we like the vest with the 'head pillow' and the handle on the pillow. This allows for an easy grab should the little one fall overboard. Look for a vest that has at least 2 preferably 3 clips across the chest. The strap between the legs in so important to keep little one from sliding out when wet or grabbed. Lastly, please don't buy a blue or dark colored vest, look for bright/neon colors that would make it easiest to be seen in water.
Now, if you are only looking for something that will be used in a pool with you close by we use the
Aquajogger Jr. until toddlers develop the ability to paddle/kick on their own. This is what my DD started using in parent/tot swim lessons at 14 mo. It provides a lot of floatation and will help keep them in a verticle position versus horizontal in the water. Once they have learned to float and keep themselves upright, they can also begin horizontal strokes using this.
The next step we move kids to is this
trainer float. This is a great inexpensive option that can be used for a longer time. It comes with 4 removable floats, 4 providing the most buoyancy and you can take off 1 at a time as the child progresses. For a 1 year old you'd still have to hold onto her/him, but you probably would anyway. But it's a great float for a great price and you can use it for many years.
Sorry if this is way more info than you were looking for!
HTH!
