opinions on puddle jumper life vests?

[ten822]

I am considering what type of flotation device to buy for the summer for my kids-for disney, other summer activities...... I know that a lot of hotel pools and water parks offer free life vests, but, I'd rather have my own. In case they run out, or they are nasty (millions of people use them ). My DD is 5 and DS is almost 3. I saw these Stearns puddle jumper vests in Target and on Amazon. They are cute, the reviews are good. Anyone use them in the world??

 

[Mom2SamandJames]

We took our son's puddle jumper to Disney World last year, and he had a blast with it. He thought he was big stuff getting to be in the big boy pool with his brother. Our son loves the puddle jumper!

 

[MSSANDRA]

DGS 3 loved his last summer. I have not gotten it back out yet this year but
i am not sure it would be big enough for a 5 year old.

 

[summerrluvv]

Tried it last year, hated it!! DD was only 2 though. It didn't keep her head out of the water and a lifeguard even commented on how horrible of a design it was. Maybe she was too little, I dunno. I'm going to try it again this year.

 

[brandylouwho]

We use these with our kids (age 2 1/2 & 5 last summer) and love them for swimming. They keep them afloat better than water wings, but are less hot/cover less body than a traditional life vest. It also helped the 5 yr old to pop back up after going under water at the end of the water slide.

Think of it like a little lifesaver ring with attached water wings. I also think it is easier for the kids to sort of just hang out upright/tread water. They seem to need to be leaning forward or floating backward in traditional vests. One big thing is that it fits tight enough around the child's midsection. If it is too loose, I think it would float up toward their chest/neck area & not be comfy. And the arm ring part needs to be up on their biceps, not on the forearms.

I would not use them as a PFD which is expected to save the life of a young child who fell off a boat or the like--for that purpose I'd want the type that rolls the kid onto their backs & has the extra floatation piece behind their necks.

They are USCG Type III:
Flotation Aid
Usually the most comfortable life vest for continuous wear. Good for calm, inland waters or where rescue is likely to happen quickly.

 

[Mommy2JulietJocelyn]

all 3 of my girls have them & love them, we took them to Disney last yr. am taking them again in 12 days! My youngest didn't have one last yr but has one this yr. SHe wants to walk around wearing it. I think they are easier to pack then the life jacket we had too. I can kind of puzzle piece them into one flat layer in the suitcase and pack stuff on top.

 

[lumpy08]

I have the speedo jackets from target from a few years back. Last year we put in a pool and I picked up some more of the speedo jackets from tj maxx. I got them at Target at end of season really cheap. At TJ Maxx I got them for under 10. What I like about them is that you can take out the foam as the child gets bettter at swimming. I am really not a fan of those arm bands that people blow up. I am thinking of bringing mine as well for this trip.

 

[MyDizneyBoyz]

I've used them for all my kids but I've found that they don't work well until the child is old enough to control themselves a little bit in the water. They work best if your child is comfortable leaning forward so the big foam piece is under their chest supporting their upper body.

If they lean backwards and put their feet up, their head will be level with the water and it doesn't lift them up as high out of the water as there is no foam support underneath them when they are on their backs.

But overall they're good for in the pool for kids that are somewhat comfortable in the water. My two youngest wore them at Blizzard Beach and they didn't take them off all day as they were in and out of the water constantly.

 

[lumpy08]

I was in Marshalls today and they had the speedo vests for 7.99. RIght now at Target I belive they are usually around 20 and do not get marked down to the end of the summer.