4 Best Swim Floaties for Toddlers Reviews
Are you a parent and you want the safest swim floaties for toddlers to build their confidence in the swimming pool?
You have come to the right place. Something to note though, is that, even before you read further, these are not safety devices.
They are just swimming aids to help them float better and have more fun in the water with confidence.
Thus, please make sure your child is under your observation all the time they are in the water. Also, ensure they wear their PFD for swimming.
In another article, we looked at the best swimming pool toys for toddlers. They enhance the children’s fun in the water.
Here, we look at the safest floaties that can help your baby have fun in the water safely and with courage.
Unlike what many people have thought for a long time, babies cannot swim instinctively. They still need to be trained.
Also, you need to stop toddlers from drinking pool water. One way to do this is to keep the child’s face out of the water.
So, what are the best swimming floaties for toddlers? Keep reading!
1. Body Glove Paddle Pal Swim Life Jacket
The Body Glove Paddle Pal swim floatie for kids has many good things going for it. But the biggest confidence booster is that it is approved by the US Coast Guard. It is also approved by Transport Canada. This means it is safe for children to use for different water sports.
While most other swim floaties are made of nylon, this is made of polyester. It is made to prevent chafing. It is also made in a multi-panel design, so it can fit your baby nicely.
This is a very safe vest for young children to swim in. It has a weight rating of 33 to 55 pounds and an age rating of 2 to 6 years.
If you have a kid within those age and weight brackets, this is easily one of the best and safest swim floaties for toddlers to get.
To enhance the safety of your baby in the water, the swimming floatie is made with some features. For instance, it has a shoulder harness.
The benefit of this harness is to hold the vest in place so that it is not easy to slip off. Remember, before a child can get used to wearing this, it will feel a bit invasive and they might want to take it off. With this harness and safety, toddler-proof buckles, the vest is impossible for them to take off.
On the back of this vest, there is a strap with a childproof buckle. A child cannot undo this buckle without the help of their parents.
Finally, we must mention the colorful graphics and designs that this swimming jacket for kids comes with. It is appealing to toddlers so you will have less trouble making them wear it.
Pros
- Good for all water sports including snorkeling, kayaking and boating
- Hard for the children to remove
- It does not pinch, chaff or hurt the skin in any way
- Colorful designs
- Good for training a child how to swim
Cons
- Unfortunately, they run small, so order one or two sizes bigger
2. Chriffer Swim Vest: Safest floaties for 2-year-old
If your baby weighs between 22 and 66 pounds, they can use the Chriffer swim vest life jacket. The age rating for this swimming pool floatie is 2 to 7 years of age.
Children will love the big dinosaur pictures on the floatie, especially boys. If you are training your child how to swim, this can get them in the right mood and make your training sessions much easier.
Once your kid wears this floatie, it will be hard to take off because it fits like a vest. It has a space for the neck and it has sleeves.
There are different colors for boys and girls. For instance, if your girl loves yellow or pink, they are available.
The blue color looks stunning on boy toddlers. When your kids are wearing these vests, they do not need to wear any other personal flotation device. This is enough for them.
The vests can fit nicely over the swimwear that they wear to the pool. Because of the minimal weight of these swimming floaties, they do not hamper the swimming ability of the children.
Your children can wear these chlorine-resistant swim aids in all types of swimming pools. They can wear them in both saltwater and chlorine swimming pools and they will not sustain damage from the pool chemicals.
The shoulder straps are wide and comfortable. The safety buckle is childproof, so you can be sure that your child will not unbuckle it.
Because of the design and the nylon material, this swimming floatie can help your child to learn to float on the back in water.
Pros
- Floaties available for children of different ages
- It will give your children confidence in the water
- Different animal pictures like dinosaur, dolphins, sharks appeal to kids
- The price is not bad
- Helps to improve floating ability
Cons
- Armholes can feel a bit tight
- Runs small for bigger framed children
3. Ricoco Toddler Life Jacket
If you are on a low budget and you still need to get the best swimming accessories for kids, you might want to get the Ricoco swim floatie for 1 year old.
The way this floatie is designed, it is going to help your child keep their head out of the water when they are swimming.
This is important for how to breathe in the water. It is made with high-quality polyester material, which encloses PE foam. The foam is for helping with the floating.
Even with the simple design, you know, with the shoulder straps and all, this is a very durable swim floatie.
The seams are three times stronger, so they are not likely to fall apart soon. Since this is not an inflatable PFD, there is no danger of having it punctured and deflating.
The weight rating for this swimming floatie is 20 to 50 pounds. It is also perfect for kids who are aged between 1 and 6 years.
For a perfect fit, there is a buckle at the back, deliberately positioned so for the safety of the kid. Only another person can get to this buckle so your child will be safe all the time. The buckle can also be adjusted to fit differently-sized children.
The bright colors of the graphics used on this vest make your child easy to spot in the swimming pool. You can also choose the type of color and graphics you want for your kids.
Pros
- Manufactured to the highest quality and standard
- It lasts long and does not fade
- Easy to keep clean and dry
- Comfortable shoulder harness
- The price is good
Cons
- They don’t run true to size – some run big, some small
4. Stearns Original: Floaties for toddlers under 30 lbs
The Stearns Puddle Jumper swimming floatie for toddlers have the approval of the US Coast Guard. It is categorized as a Type IV personal flotation device.
One of the characteristics of such devices is keeping the face above water. It does not turn the wearer upwards, only the Type II life vest is able to do that.
The choice of the material ensures that the child does not experience any chaffing or skin irritation.
Even if your child wears this floatie for long hours of water fun, they are going to be okay. It is made of nylon material, which is durable, easy to clean, and keep dry.
The buckle of this floatie is at the back, so it is pretty hard for a toddler to reach. It is also hard for another toddler to undo because it snaps in tightly. When your child is having fun in the above ground swimming pool, you know they will be floating.
This vest has been designed to the highest standards. It meets most of the requirements for use in sports like boating, kayaking, paddle boarding, and others.
If you live near a large water body, this is the best type of vest for your toddlers. Having the right gear enables you to engage in regular fun activities in the water.
The Puddle Jumper swimming floatie comes in two versions. There is the standard one, which we are reviewing here, and there is the deluxe version.
The latter is costlier, but most people who have used the standard version say it is good enough, so they don’t see any need of getting the deluxe.
Pros
- Adjustable so they can fit differently-sized toddlers
- Good material that does not cause skin irritation
- It keeps a toddler upright and doesn’t inhibit movement
- Comes true to size
Cons
- Your child easily falls forward if they tip their face forward
Best swimming aid for 1-year-old: Get a floatie
A one-year-old toddler takes to the water fast. But still they need all the help you can give them. This means getting him or her the right swimming gear. Of utmost importance, you want to get something that can help a toddler keep the face out of the water.
There are many buoyancy aids for swimming, which include life jackets, and now, swimming floaties for toddlers.
There are also buoyancy aids that come in the form of armbands. Others are tied to the waist. However, the one that beats all is the swimming floatie for toddlers.
These floaties are perfect for a 1-year-old because of the following:
- They are impossible to get off so your child will not remove it
- Are made of high quality materials like nylon or polyester shell with foam
- Some are USCG-approved for safety in the water
- They are practically maintenance-free
- They do not fade due to exposure in the sun
- They fit nicely and they do not inhibit the movement of your child
There are floaties for one-year-olds, three-year-olds, two-year-olds, and so on. You just have to order the right one.
They come with great graphics, lively colors that children find so appealing. These wearables boost your toddler’s confidence in the water.
Floaties for toddlers under 30 lbs
There are so many of these on Amazon.com, which actually make the bulk of the swim floaties that you can buy there.
If you check the product description before placing your order, you will see the weight rating for that item. For instance, the ones we have brought you here have a weight rating that starts at 20 pounds to 66 pounds.
If you buy a pool floatie with a weight range of 20 to 55 pounds, you might wonder why the range is so wide.
It comes with an adjustable safety buckle at the back. Therefore, you can make it fit big, medium as well as small toddlers.
Children under 30 lbs are usually aged 1 to 3 years. If you buy a high-quality vest, your kid can grow with it until they outgrow it.
Besides, chlorine, or the UV rays of the sun do not damage these floaties. They will remain intact for a long time.
Are floaties safe for toddlers?
Floaties are generally safe for toddlers. However, irrespective of how safe a swimming item is for a child, you should never leave children unsupervised in the pool.
Floaties are important pool safety devices for toddlers. One of their safety features is that they do not come off easily. Only a bigger person can unlock the safety buckle at the back of the floatie.
The swimming pool floaties are also vital because they help the toddler to float on water easily. They keep the child upright in the water. If they are not dunking their face in water, they won’t be afraid to swim.
When you are buying pool floaties, consider the features before the price first. Are the shoulder straps wide enough for comfort?
Is the material good, smooth, and soft such that it does not cause chaffing on the skin? It also needs to be hypoallergenic, so that it doesn’t affect the delicate skin of the child.
Remember, a pool floatie won’t help your child keep safe. It just keeps them afloat. Stay at the pool; watch over the children as they swim.
The Verdict
Choosing the safest swim floaties for toddlers is not hard at all, as you have seen four of the best of them here.
Floaties are wearable and the toddler will not be able to remove it. Therefore, it is an important part of the safety gear for swimming, for children.
These floaties are lightweight, so they are not going to hinder the movement of the toddlers when they are in the water.
If you take good care of these items, they will last a long time. They are not inflatable, as they come with a nylon or polyester shell, with foam blocks.
If you are training how to swim, a pool floatie is perfect for your child. It is a confidence booster.