Life Jackets for Infants and Children

Accidents happen in the blink of an eye, whether at the dock or when the boat is underway. Life jackets can be the difference between life and death when you're around water, and that's especially true for children. Children panic when they fall into the water, causing them to violently move their arms and legs. If your child is wearing a correctly fitted life jacket, the odds of survival are greatly increased.

Typical size ranges for children's life jackets are Infant (up to 30 pounds), Child (30-50 pounds) and Youth (50-90 pounds). The majority of states now require all children to wear a correctly sized life jacket that has the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) approval label or stamp inside the jacket. Make sure you are aware of the requirements in your state before selecting a product for your child. Click on the following link for PFD state laws: http://www.nasbla.net/referenceguide/index.php?queryID=4.9

Those states that don't have a child life jacket law are covered under a federal law. This specifies that children 12 and younger must be wearing a USCG approved life jacket at all times, not simply have the jacket available somewhere in the boat.

Infant life Jackets

The most important consideration when shopping for an infant life jacket is to buy a USCG approved infant life jacket with a Type II rating. A Type II Infant Life Jacket will have a head pillow (or float collar) design that will keep your baby's head up and out of the water if your baby is floating in the water. An infant life jacket should also be equipped with a grab loop so you can easily reach your child and lift them out of the water.

In addition to the head pillow, it is essential for an infant life jacket to have a crotch strap to prevent the life jacket from slipping up and off. You can test this by putting on the jacket and picking it up by the loop in the head pillow near the neck. If the jacket slips off, you have the wrong type of life jacket, or the crotch strap isn’t fastened correctly.

Weigh your baby. All USCG approved life jackets will have an approved weight range for that jacket. The Coast Guard recommends waiting until your baby is about 18 lbs. before taking them on a boat or other watersport activity. But most importantly, you must be sure you know the life jacket you have works for your infant and that it will float their head out of the water.

Check the fit every time you take your child near the water. Children grow quickly, so it's important to know for sure if your infant life jacket is the appropriate size. You can safely test the life jacket in a swimming pool, with you or another responsible adult close by. The life jacket should fit snugly, and you should be able to pick the child up by the shoulders of the jacket and not have his chin or ears slip below the neck of the jacket.

Above all else -- Safety should not be compromised when buying a life jacket. Swim diapers, rafts, inflatable toys or any other flotation devices are not compliant with the law and are not safe for infants. In addition, the Coast Guard recommends NOT strapping babies into a car seat in your boat or using any other non Coast Guard approved device.

Child Life Jackets

A rated Type II life jacket is recommended by the USCG for both infants and children. However, there are USCG approved Type III life jackets for children weighing between 30 and 50 pounds and many children in this weight range may like the improved freedom of movement that a Type III child life jacket provides. Most children in this weight range, especially those who cannot swim, should continue to wear a Type I or Type II child life jacket. In either case, a life jacket for a child less than 50 pounds should still have the safety crotch strap to keep the jacket from slipping off.

When deciding between a Type I or II and a Type III life jacket for your child, it is important to take into consideration your child’s proficiency at swimming, the type of water sports your child will be involved in, and the level of close supervision. Many families that participate in waters sports on lakes or rivers, and their children know how to swim, use the Type III child life jacket without the head pillow since it is possible for a quick rescue on a lake or river. For more aggressive white water rafting or open ocean activities, or for children that are not good swimmers, a Type I or Type II child life jacket is necessary so that the head pillow will keep their head afloat, particularly in rough water or open water where rescue may take a long time.

The most important thing is that you make sure your child is always wearing their life jacket at all times when near the water. As children get older, I can personally attest to their persistence with complaints and reasons why NOT to wear their life jacket….just this one time. But I can also attest to the reality of how quickly something can go wrong. Your child’s life is worth putting up with a little complaining.

Three simple things you can do when purchasing a life jacket for your child to minimize their opposition to wearing it are:

Select the most comfortable life jacket you can find. The more comfortable it is to wear, the more likely they are to quickly forget they even have it on.
Without compromising on safety, have them help pick out the life jacket that they like. If they like the way it looks, they are more likely to wear it.
Lead by example. If everyone wears a life jacket, regardless of age, they will know that not wearing one is not even an option.

To learn the difference between a Type I, Type II or Type III life jacket, read our article U.S. Coast Guard Life Jacket Ratings.

To shop for an infant life jacket, see our Infant Life Vests category.

To shop for a child life jacket, see our Youth & Child Life Vests category.

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Disclaimer: Information on this website is provided only as a guideline, and not to be used for any other purpose. While we strive to obtain accurate product information, we cannot guarantee the accuracy, completeness or timeliness of any product information. We recommend that you do not solely rely on the information presented on this website and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions and other information provided with the product before using a product. For additional information about a product, please contact the manufacturer. The buyer is responsible for choice, fit, and use of any life jacket purchased from Savvyboater.com. By purchasing through this site, the buyer acknowledges this fact and accepts the waiver of any liability against Savvyboater.com. Please boat safely and always wear your life jacket.

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