Which are better for a 3 year old? Life vest or Arm Floaters

[Tiggerlovinggrandma]

I see a lot of young children using floaters on their arms in pools public and otherwise. My DGS is 3. I was wondering if he would do better with them as oppose to a life vest. Of course he always has an adult with him but he uses a life vest now when he's in a pool.

Are all floaters the same safety wise or is one type better than another?

Do Disney resort pools allow them?

 

[seelyt2]

Hi - I'm more of a life vest person myself. My kids had both, but I always felt more secure with the vest for some reason. Maybe it's because it was around their torso and I was always afraid that the floaties would pop or fall off, even though I was always right there! That's the worry wart in me! Anyhoots - we always stayed on a Disney property (CSR, AKL and SSR) and they had life vests there for us to use, free of cost. It was great!

 

[SmallWorld71]

I see a lot of young children using floaters on their arms in pools public and otherwise. My DGS is 3. I was wondering if he would do better with them as oppose to a life vest. Of course he always has an adult with him but he uses a life vest now when he's in a pool.

Are all floaters the same safety wise or is one type better than another?

Do Disney resort pools allow them?

The vests are definitely safer. The arm floats can pop and should never be used in place of good supervision. That said, many kids, including my own when they were younger prefer the arm floats. They give the kids more flexibility. DD7 preferred them when she was younger because she could go under water with them on which she couldn't do with the vest.

 

[Luvchefmic]

Absolutely another vote for the life vest

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I find arm floats to be quite dangerous and a false sense of security. They do make swim vests with inserts that can be removed as the child gets more confident.

I'd stay away from arm floaties!

 

[bumbershoot]

The vest.

I was posting about this experience on the "drowning doesn't look like drowning thread"...my son was wearing arm floaties, and he tired a bit. His arms went up above his head, and he went under. He was in arm's reach of me, but I had turned my back to him to talk to my brother. He couldn't get his arms to move because the floaties were above the water, and he couldn't pull them down so he could get any purchase in the water. As they said in that thread, it was absolutely silent, and THAT is what made me turn around just as my brother (facing DS but on the opposite end of the pool) started to react to what he was seeing.

We got rid of the floaties that evening, and the next day bought a life vest.

DS absolutely LOVES the vest because his arms are free to move around in NORMAL swimming movements. With the floaties, his arms were way away from his body, and he couldn't try a swimming stroke. But with the vest, now that he's been in lessons for around 10 months, he can practice his swimming, build his arm strength and endurance, but also be in the water much longer (which is his goal when we visit my brother).

And during the hour or so that he's out of the vest (this year, not last) and I'm right there as he practices his real swimming, that's when he can go under the water if he wants to.

 

[nchulka]

I like the swimsuits with a flotation device built into the shirt of the swimsuit. They are less restrictive than a life jacket. The added bonus for you DGS is that his chest is covered and protected from the sun. The sun is much more dangerous than water IMO

 

[tenn06]

What we use for our 16 month old and my nieces and nephews that they really seem to like is called a puddlejumper. it is like an old ski belt that is filled with foam just on the front with floaties sewn to the ends of it. My DD wont swin in anything but it. They have them at target, walmart, and bass pro shops for around $20 and offer alot more movement that a vest.

 

[jodifla]

What's best is teaching your child to swim. The arm floaties are terrible because they give a child a false sense of security. My neighbor's daughter drowned because she climbed back into their above ground pool while the mom fed the infant sibling a jar of babyfood. The mom thought the ladder was out of the pool, and the little girl THOUGHT she could swim because she used those blasted floaties. The funeral was terrible.

From the time my child was around 15 months, we did swim lessons, and I shadowed him in the pool EVERY time he went in and used no artificial help. I wanted him to gain his comfort in the water, BUT be very clear that if he fell in, there was nothing to hold him up -- he'd have to do that. You learn more respect for the water if you have a little fear of it.

DS did fall in when he was almost 3 and we were in Mexico. I was heading to the bathroom, and he tried to race after me and fell in the pool. All the parents jumped to help (my back was turned, my DH was watching him) but DS did instinctively exactly what he'd been trained to do: Turned around, grabbed the wall, and pulled himself out.

I only suggest life vests if you have more than one child to watch. Other than that, the best thing for a child is nothing but their swimsuit, and the parent within 3 feet of them at all time, watching only them.

 

[Crazy4Disney72]

Speaking as a former American Red Cross certified lifeguard and water safety instructor, my kids did not ever wear arm floats. I have seen situations like those described in other posts where the floaties come off or the child's face is in the water and the arms are almost over the head.

My kids did actually not use anything, if they were in the pool, I was RIGHT THERE with them. Our pool had steps, so when they were very little they stayed and played on the steps. Off the steps the water started out at 2.5ft deep, once they were tall enough to stand with their heads above water there, they could go off the steps, again, with me right there. This is the best way for kids to learn to swim, with no flotation device holding their bodies at any artificial angle. Now, this was a pool, the few times we were at a lake, they wore Coast Guard approved life vests. I would never depend on anything that was not Coast Guard approved, and in fact, many pools no longer allow flotation devices that are not CG approved.

 

[Silverscreen]

What we use for our 16 month old and my nieces and nephews that they really seem to like is called a puddlejumper. it is like an old ski belt that is filled with foam just on the front with floaties sewn to the ends of it. My DD wont swin in anything but it. They have them at target, walmart, and bass pro shops for around $20 and offer alot more movement that a vest.

Yes, these are very popular now. and they ARE USCG certified. They are not the blow up water wing things, They also have the buckle in the back so a child cannot slip/fall out of them.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Speaking as a former American Red Cross certified lifeguard and water safety instructor, my kids did not ever wear arm floats. I have seen situations like those described in other posts where the floaties come off or the child's face is in the water and the arms are almost over the head.

My kids did actually not use anything, if they were in the pool, I was RIGHT THERE with them. Our pool had steps, so when they were very little they stayed and played on the steps. Off the steps the water started out at 2.5ft deep, once they were tall enough to stand with their heads above water there, they could go off the steps, again, with me right there. This is the best way for kids to learn to swim, with no flotation device holding their bodies at any artificial angle. Now, this was a pool, the few times we were at a lake, they wore Coast Guard approved life vests. I would never depend on anything that was not Coast Guard approved, and in fact, many pools no longer allow flotation devices that are not CG approved.

I am in no way contradicting your advice, but I find it interesting that I did things kind of the opposite as you. We live by the beach, I can see it as I type, and I've never used anything with the kids at a beach/ lake/ pond environment. (Nor does anybody I know.) The beach is where we stayed by our kids and they learned to swim. On the other hand, whenever we went to any type of pool, that is where I felt the need for a good life vest and used them with my kids.

For the OP:
I do agree with the PP's who recommend swimming lessons. All my kids participated in them.

As far as Disney goes, they have life vests that you can use free if charge. No need to bring anything with you. And while I think that you should always watch the kids, I find that the crowds at Disney pools can be overwhelming at certain times of year and I always felt more comfortable with me in the pool AND the vest on if they weren't solid swimmers. But, I've never been with only one child.

 

[bear_mom]

Speaking as a former American Red Cross certified lifeguard and water safety instructor, my kids did not ever wear arm floats. I have seen situations like those described in other posts where the floaties come off or the child's face is in the water and the arms are almost over the head.

My kids did actually not use anything, if they were in the pool, I was RIGHT THERE with them. Our pool had steps, so when they were very little they stayed and played on the steps. Off the steps the water started out at 2.5ft deep, once they were tall enough to stand with their heads above water there, they could go off the steps, again, with me right there. This is the best way for kids to learn to swim, with no flotation device holding their bodies at any artificial angle. Now, this was a pool, the few times we were at a lake, they wore Coast Guard approved life vests. I would never depend on anything that was not Coast Guard approved, and in fact, many pools no longer allow flotation devices that are not CG approved.

This is what I was taught also (former RC lifeguard and swim instructor).

Things have changed though. I have two dds who have taken RC swim lessons and was surprised when they started with float belts and used pool noodles. I asked the aquatic director about it and she said that RC changed their teaching methods after research showed the children learned better/faster and were more comfortable all around when they used floatation devices. They use them through level 3.

Emily

 

[DCbride]

We use the same life vests that are found at the Disney pools. The kids were never allowed past the pool gate unless they had them on. DD3 will say, I need my swim diaper, bathing suit and jacket whenever she wants to swim. (she is just potty trained and will wear a swim diaper the rest of this summer most likely)

The older ones used the same type of life vest when they were little.

 

[minniebeth]

This is a really eye-opening thread, which somewhat addresses your question:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2504179

 

[Brancaneve]

Speaking as a former American Red Cross certified lifeguard and water safety instructor, my kids did not ever wear arm floats. I have seen situations like those described in other posts where the floaties come off or the child's face is in the water and the arms are almost over the head.

My kids did actually not use anything, if they were in the pool, I was RIGHT THERE with them. Our pool had steps, so when they were very little they stayed and played on the steps. Off the steps the water started out at 2.5ft deep, once they were tall enough to stand with their heads above water there, they could go off the steps, again, with me right there. This is the best way for kids to learn to swim, with no flotation device holding their bodies at any artificial angle. Now, this was a pool, the few times we were at a lake, they wore Coast Guard approved life vests. I would never depend on anything that was not Coast Guard approved, and in fact, many pools no longer allow flotation devices that are not CG approved.

Your neighbors situation is just so sad.

 

[my3sons77]

My youngest uses the vest AND the arm floaties.

Better safe than sorry. If I take the arm floAties off he freaks out. He likes to be totally above water. We are taking baby steps with him around water. Last year he wanted nothing to do with the pool. If I would get in, he would reach out for me and scream, "Noooooo! Dooooon't!!" So...baby steps LOL This year he loves the pool but doesn't like to jump in or be thrown up in the air.

I actually love how cautious he is around water.

 

[almburr]

Get rid of the arm floats. If you get a jacket get one CGA. Also get one that has the strap the runs between the legs. Life jackets these days are very thin and not as cumbersome as they once were.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

I saw a girl at the pool wearing this and I thought it was a neat concept for little kids learning to swim.

http://store.speedo.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product6_10651_10202_79926_-1_94858_94856_Y_79927#

 

[jodifla]

I am in no way contradicting your advice, but I find it interesting that I did things kind of the opposite as you. We live by the beach, I can see it as I type, and I've never used anything with the kids at a beach/ lake/ pond environment. (Nor does anybody I know.) The beach is where we stayed by our kids and they learned to swim. On the other hand, whenever we went to any type of pool, that is where I felt the need for a good life vest and used them with my kids.

For the OP:
I do agree with the PP's who recommend swimming lessons. All my kids participated in them.

As far as Disney goes, they have life vests that you can use free if charge. No need to bring anything with you. And while I think that you should always watch the kids, I find that the crowds at Disney pools can be overwhelming at certain times of year and I always felt more comfortable with me in the pool AND the vest on if they weren't solid swimmers. But, I've never been with only one child.

That's interesting....the pool has the advantage that you can constantly see the child, and you don't have the salt water issue. I would think both of these would make it easier for swimming.

Why use a lifevest at a pool? Why not just stay with the child like you do on the lake and ocean?