Infant Life Jacket

Early pool experience reduces drowning risk

A day at the pool

For many families, summer means packing up the kids each day and heading to the pool. When the children are young, however, it's important to take safety measures to ensure the day will be safe. Here are a few tips from Parents magazine:

A day at the lake

When it comes to swimming in lakes, rivers or the ocean, swimmers need to remember that conditions are often unpredictable. Murky water can conceal hazards and depths can be deceiving. Mayo Clinic recommends the following tips for remaining safe while swimming in natural waters:

Don't swim alone. Always have adult supervision when children swim. 

Wear a life jacket. Require children to wear personal flotation devices whenever riding in a boat. 

Enter the water for the first time feet first. Before jumping, check water depth and look for hidden hazards. 

Stay in designated areas. Swim only in areas set aside for swimming.  

Vance Marso was 6 months old the first time he took a swimming class.

Today, the 4-1/2-year-old is still at it, taking swimming lessons with his preschool class at the Rapid City Swim Center.

Vance’s mother, Patti, said friends who lifeguard encouraged her to take Vance to the Mommy and Me class when he was still a baby.

“We do a lot of swimming at lakes,” she said. “He loved it.”

While Marso isn’t convinced the early lessons automatically made Vance a great swimmer, she does think it made him comfortable and confident in the water.

On Wednesday, Vance and his preschool class bobbed and kicked their way through a class at the swim center. Wearing a life jacket, Vance waved and smiled at his mother.

Barb Limbo, aquatic specialist at the swim center, said the early Mommy and Me classes are designed for “water adjustment.” They aren’t designed to make Michael Phelps-like swimmers out of every kid, and they aren’t designed to drown-proof a child.

Life Jacket for 8 mo. old - The Hull Truth - Boating and Fishing Forum

My kids both hated the boat at that age because of that Mustang PFD. Their neck is so short at that age that the top of the jacket damn near chokes them, and rides up over the bottom of their chin and jaw. It just looks uncomfortable. Fortunately, that stage doesn't last long, and they loved the boat by the time they are 3, and the PFD fits better. I use the Mustangs also. I have a 2 year old who is just now learning to swim. The Mustang DOES NOT keep him on his back because he wiggles around too much. Bottom line is that it's a definite risk taking the kids on the boat. The life jacket ups the chances of survival significantly. The Mustang has been the best I found (this is my 3rd kid using them and they've all been on the boat from the time they were about 3 months old). We are in S. Florida and my kids wear their life jackets with no complaints. It's just the only thing they know. There is no alternative so they don't know to complain about it.

The Wilderness Paddler's Handbook

Report from the Select Committee on infant life protection, Together with the proceedings of the Committee, minutes of evidence, and appendix

The Michigan natural resources magazine

Infant life: its nurture and care, by E.N.G.

Canoeing a continent, on the trail of Alexander Mackenzie