Swim Vest question?

[EnchantedPrincess]

OK..I bought my kids each a speedo swim vest last year for our trip last year, but we never did get to use it. I just took it out for our trip in a few days and notice that the buckle on the strap of my dd's vest is missing. Her vest looks like this one here:

http://www.swimoutlet.com/product_p/1841.htm

It is the strap that you see hanging from the bottom of the vest - what is the strap for anyways? Can the vest be used without using that strap? If it is a safety concern, I will buy her a new one before the trip.

Thanks!

 

[smschex]

I don't know if there is a technical name, but we call it the "crotch strap." Life vests for small kids almost always have one. It keeps the life vest in proper position as the child floats in the water in an upright position--so it doesn't float up too much around their neck and head. I think it might be uncomfortable for a small child without one. I sometimes wish my life vest had one!

 

[wifey1220]

My boys have swim vests that look just like that one. We bought them about 3yrs ago at target. But niether of them have a strap just the zipper going down the front. Are you staying on disney property? If you are they have swim vest to borrow at the values. I would think all the hotels do. We never take are own swim vest just use the hotels. It saves room in the suitcase.

 

[Minniemouse07]

Dd always hated swim vests (as well as the suits w/ the built in floats). We swear by a "bubble" that we picked up from our local YMCA. It is a series of four flat pieces of foam w/ a belt threaded through it. The bubble fastens around the center of the child's torso and as they become more comfortable in the water, you can remove pieces of foam.

Our bubble is on kid number 2 now. We originally purchased it for dd who is now pushing 7yo and can swim 50m of freestyle, breastroke and backstroke!

 

[all4fun]

The crotch strap prevents the child from "submarining" out of the vest from the bottom. If you are staying on Disney property all the resorts have similar vests you can borrow. That is what we do and it saves us from packing one more thing. At some of the resorts, you can sign it out to borrow for the LOS, other resorts just have them by the pool to use as needed.

hth

 

[nosy parker]

I have these exact same vests. I LOVED the first one so much that the following year I bought a new one and passed the first one down to little brother. For some reason the smaller sized one came with that crotch strap, the larger size does not. My friend has the same one as well and her's does not have the strap either. My sons always found that strap annoying anyway, so I never used it. I don't know how young your child is, but I never had any concern that my kids would slip out of these vests as they were quite snug. Besides I never leave them unattended when they're swimming anyway.