Children's life jackets for boating and swimming

[Paul (SA)]

Hi folks,

Does anyone know of a decent product that can be used by children for both boats and swimming?

I can recall seeing some that fit like a vest for young children, but I can't remember the name of who sells them.

Cheers, Paul

[POD]

http://wahu.com.au/category/products/swim-vests-pfds/

[D4D]

Good for boating https://pfdsales.com.au/shop/kids-yoke

[evolution]

G'day, not sure if you are aware of the regulations regarding PFD's in boats, but a "swim vest" such as the Wahoo one linked here is not only illegal but dangerous also.
A PFD for boats must be classed between 1 and 3. 3 being for enclosed waters such as a river or lake for instance and 1 being for open water such as the ocean.

A swim vest on the other hand is designed to give a child aid in buoyancy for easier swimming. It is certainly not a life preserver by any means.
The link D4D posted is great if your child is already a capable swimmer or understands water to a degree but will not aid in assistance swimming due to automatically inflating once contact with water occurs.

I have a young child and another on the way. I am also a boater (ski boats, tinnies and cruisers) and have a multitude of PFDs for my child for different uses. I also have a separate swim vest for swimming in the pool or close to shore on the lake.

Whilst I understand this may be impractical for most people, its only a couple of hundred for the appropriate safety gear for your child/children.
The reason behind a separate swim vest is that an actual PFD is rather bulky for "fun" swimming....

For a young child on a boat
http://www.chsmith.com.au/Products/Oceantot-Infant-Baby-Life-Jacket-Level-100.html

for a larger child on a boat
http://www.chsmith.com.au/Products/Triton-Child-Life-Jacket-Level-100.html

Swim vest that we use
http://www.swimways.com/swim-vest-p-278.aspx

Whilst I understand some say that it is better to not use swim aids so that your child does not become dependent on them, I think that for piece of mind its a no brainer.

Cheers
Evo

[Marschy]

When we use to ski regularly and the kids where small, they weren't even allowed to paddle in the water without a proper pfd. When skiing kids are often in close proximity to boats coming into the area where the kids use to paddle.

In the Murray if a child goes under the surface of the water, you can't see them. It used to scare the crap out of me, and we would watch them like a hawk. Too often you hear of kids drowning in rivers and most often it's because of parents not realising how dangerous a tranquil setting such as a river can be.