What to look for in children’s life jackets
There’s a huge set of factors to consider when it comes to a piece of gear designed to save children’s lives—or, at the very least, keep you afloat. We narrowed our selection criteria down to the 7 most important ones.
Price
While we think your child’s life-saving device isn’t something you can give up, we’ve weighed the cost versus durability of each PFD feature to choose the best options. After all, kids grow out of PFDs, so knowing you might have to buy a few, we think it makes sense to be price sensitive. We’ve also included our Best Budget Life Jacket, with kids’ sizes and prices as considerations.
Coast Guard Rating and Float Weight
Although every PFD, life vest, and life jacket we reviewed had to be Coast Guard approved, we also considered flotation weight (or the amount of added buoyancy). Generally, the more flotation weight, the better. But flotation devices with high flotation weights tend to be bulky, losing the mobility benefits of a thin PFD for certain activities, or for older, more active children.
Swim Vest vs. Life Jacket vs. The Puddle Jumper
It is important for parents to note that a swim vest is NOT a life jacket or PFD. It is a swimming resource. The swimming vest has a little movement. Swimming vests are designed for calm waters, such as pools. They can go further than a life jacket (good for practice swimming in a pool), but they are not the safest option for children in lakes, rivers, or other water.
A puddle jumper is a combination of a life jacket, a swimming vest, and a swimming aid. It has a wing-like arm = which floats above the vest/lifejacket section over the chest at the back. Designed for babies in the 30-50 pound range. While Coast Approved as a type iii jacket, the Puddle Jumper has more mobility than life jackets. The Stearns Puddle Jumper is the best in the market. The Stearns Puddle Jumper is also known for its kid-friendly designs, including (at a premium) the more affordable Stearns Youth Life Jacket that we recommend as our budget pick.
Flexibility
This was not true, but it is undoubtedly the most important point. The flexibility in the PFD allows one piece of equipment to fit a wide range of body shapes and sizes, ie important for children. The adjustment allows for life-saving, close-fitting PFDs, which are only practical and practical types of PFDs. We looked for PFDs with multiple adjustable straps and other features to allow for a greater range of consumer fit
Comfort
Little Johnny won’t go out in the water if his life jacket isn’t loose. We made sure to find PFDs that were comfortable in and out of the water for even the most special child.
Design (“Life Preserver” Vs “Pfd”)
Obviously, we want our children to be as safe as possible. But the question of comfort and mobility comes up when choosing a safety device for your child. Although life jackets are designed to keep a child’s head above water and bodies afloat, a Type II life preserver may hinder an older child’s abilities in the water. To learn more about what Type I and Type II mean, see our stories on Life Jacket vs. PFDs again What are the 5 types of approved life jackets and PFDs?
Choosing whether to get a life preserver or a PFD comes down to knowing your child, knowing your job, and knowing your involvement with your child in the water. You may want full Type I or II monitoring, or you may want to go Type III. If you’re only going to be in the pool, a swim vest may be a better option (but we don’t recommend taking a swim vest to a lake, river, or natural body of water). Know the design you want before you buy.
Strength
A PFD that wears out quickly is less important. We’ve researched PFDs for durability—read: kid proof—to make sure our picks can stand the test of time (and fall!).
Sizes
We all have different body types and body weights, but with the way children grow so quickly, a variety of sizes is important. We’ve researched PFDs that offer a wide range of sizes available to accommodate all small water enthusiasts, regardless of age or size. Read below to find out more about how to size a baby jacket.
Visibility and Features
Depending on where you use your jacket, material or other visual features can be important. This is especially true in open water, when you want to be seen by boats and other watercraft, and in case a rescue is necessary. Most life jackets designed for use at sea will at least have reflective details, while this is not the case for PFDs designed for rafting or other water sports.