Life Jacket Information

hello N., when my daughter was a year and a half we would always be at the lake. They sell baby/toddler life jackets at Sam's Club. They have them built into the swimsuit. And if Sam's Club has them I would think that Wal-mart will have them as well. oh and the sizes go by their weight, that is how the size will read from the store. Hope this helps you. But they do work great!!! They even have ones that look like a water suit for the boys. Have fun on the water!!!!

we have a boat and 3 1/2 year old twins we have boated with them since they were born. the best thing to do is see if you can borrow some if you are not boating often otherwise shop at walmart and try the vest on them. definitely try before you buy I wasted good money on infant life jackets that were too tight up around their neck after you zipped it up and my girls were very petite. Look at the pound range on the tag and make sure they have the bottom strap so they can't slip out the bottom. The bestones are the swimsuits with the built in life jacket. hope this helps

N., I have taken my 10 month old (2 months at the time) on the water and it is tough to find good life jackets. Make sure to go by weight and check to see if its rated by the coast guard. It should fit snug, but not too tight. Many smaller life jackets have the strap that runs between the legs so the jacket does not pop off if they jump in feet first. Also keep in mind they should have a flap for the head. This immediately rights a child to the face up position without them having to do a thing. Email me if you have any other questions. ____@____.com fun boating!!!

You can buy coastguard certified jackets at Walmart, Sam's, Dick's Sporting, Bass Pro... I had problems finding the right size because I was buying one last year at the peak of the season, so I finally went online and bought one from Cabella's for $20.

I am so glad that you are so determined on the life jacket front, GREAT MOMMY! A lot of times they have the sizes by weight, it should have that on the vest. Some other things to look for is to make sure that it has a strap that goes in between their legs to keep them on tightly. Another option that is good is the Mae west type, which has the pillow behind the head and no floatations on the back. What this does is keep them on their back with their face out of the water, should they ever fall in. I hope this helps.

Hi,
You can purchase life jackets at Dick's Sporting Goods. I believe Wal-Mart might carry them as well. There are suits that come with flotation device in them. Good luck!
C.

The easiest way to fit them is take them to the nearest boat dealer (they usually sell life jackets too) and have them fit your children.

The best thing I could find online was this: http://www.1st-in-boating.com/34807-childrens-life-jacket...

In Oklahoma it's required that the child have a device that would turn them face up. http://www.boat-ed.com/ok/course/p4-7_pfds.htm

Looking up Missouri I found the same page. Since your kids are so little I would suggest extra flotation protection with suits that have them built in

N.,

I would recommend taking them into Bass Pro Shops and asking them for advice.. They have a ton of great people that should be able to help you. Also, you might check with Aquasports Scuba Center on S. Campbell.. ###-###-####. They should have associates that could fit them properly for you.

Have a great time on the boat!

G.

I just bought a life jacket for my 15 month old daugther at Wal-Mart. It was approved by the Coastguard and the cost was $15.00.

Good luck to you!

You can buy toddler life jackets at Walmart and Target. They cost around $10-20. Make sure that it says Coastguard approved for use on a boat/watercraft. They are in the sporting goods area. Hope this helps.

N.,
You want the vest type life jacket. You want them to have room to grow, but you also want to make sure it's not so big on them so you can suck up the straps it will still fit snug and no way will it come over their heads. You can't buy them a vest now that will last until they are 10-12 years old, but remember if you take care of them, they can be passed down to your younger child. Then you only have to buy 1 new one for your older child. We did this for years with my 2 girls. They went to the lake with us from the time they were babies. With good life vest you can all have a good time at the lake, just keep them close to you.
B. C.
www.workathomeunited.com/journey4success

First look for a lifejacket has been approved by the Coastguard. Go by height/weight limits on the jacket.
The lifejacket should have a pad which will help keep your child's head elavated above the water. Also look for one that is designed to keep your child from rolling onto their stomach.
There should be a strap(s) that go between their legs, this helps the jacket from shifting upward.
Once lifejacket is fasten and all straps have been adjusted on your child. Pull up on the jacket, if you can pull the jacket past their chin it's too big. Also pull outward and check to see if there is excess room.
Your child should be able to move in the jacket but it should be fitted too.

Hope this makes sense =)

Let me start off by saying that I have been involved in aquatics (safety oriented) for about 6 years. So with that finding a lifejacket that fits is key to safety. First you definently want one that is US Coastguard approved (they will have a stamp/lable inside then. Second look for the one that fits his size by weight and height (not all of them have hight measurements). Third the jacket should have the adjustable straps that buckle in front and one that goes between the legs. I also agree with the responder that said when the jacket is on the child it should not come up past his chin. Nor should it go down past their waist. It needs to be snug enough that he can move, but the jacket is going to stay put. DO NOT buy one that is too big. That is why I highly recomend one with adjustable straps, so you can fit it to him and there is some room for growing and such. Lastly, shop around because you can spend too much on one, but don't rush and buy the cheepest one either. Hope this helps you or anyone reading your responses. If you have any other questions just let me know, I am more than willing to help.

Hi N.! My husband LOVES to fish, actually he is doing that right now! We have 6 children all different sizes and the only way we could get life jackets for all of them is to go to the store (like Dick's sporting goods or Cabela's) and try them on the kids. The jacket needs to fit snug on their bodies and go down between the legs so it doesn't slip off. A support to keep their heads above the water, kind of like keeping them floating on their backs. They have a tag that gives you an idea of which one to choose, it goes by WEIGHT LIMIT. I am terrified of a kid drowning so I am very particular about the life jackets. Especially since I don't like to fish (and my husband likes to scare me by driving fast with the boat) and the kids sometimes go with just dad and he gets a little distracted and the kids are somewhat fearless when it comes to behaving safely. Our 4 year old loves fishing with dad and it takes some of the worry out of letting him go. Oh, also you will have to upgrade periodically because those kids grow FAST!! Good Luck and have fun!
M.