okay I have a 2 yr old daughter (33 inches and 36 lbs [may have them backwards cant remember) and last year we got her swimys but she did not wear them at all and we are trying to figure out something to get her for the pool this year. I know she wont sit in a baby seat float thing and i am at a loss of what to get her. Any suggestions?
Add: We have our own pool but i want to instill in her that she has to have a float device on when she goes on to the deck rather she is going onto the pool or not so if something happens it wont be as bad because we already had an accident with her this year ( she was putting her feat into the pool while dad cleaned it right beside her and she slipped in)
we got her a puddle jumper and we used it yesterday and she is still getting used to it. She hated it at first when we put it on her but got used to it pretty quickly and we will be putting it on her every time she is by the pool rather she is dressed or in a bathing suit to install in her head she has to wear it when she is near a pool. but i think she will get used to it pretty easily. I let her just float without me holding onto her to see how it reacted (her and the puddle jumper) and her head stayed above water and kept her vertical. I will be teaching her how to swim this summer once she gets used to the water as much as possible
Both my 1.5 yo and 3 yo use the Stearns Puddle Jumpers and love them. They're supposed to be from 30-50 lbs, and my younger is only 22 lbs, so it's a bit large on her, but she still is able to float around on her own. They are an approved life-jacket pfd, but I still watch both kids like crazy when we're in the water!
When our son was 2 we used a standard life jacket. It paid off too as he slipped and fell head first into the pool while walking on deck. We were right there but it was one of those slow motion falls. The jacket brought him head above the water and face up in less than a couple of seconds before we could even grab him. He also used it to get confidence in swimming.
Get a life jacket. My niece nearly died because she slipped out of a pool noodle and no one noticed.
Consider getting a net installed over the pool. They're more effective than fences.
Hi R.! I strongly recommend getting one those things that looks like a girls bathing suit but has a built in inner tube around the middle. Usually they're yellow. If you can't find them at Target or Walmart try some websites like One Step Ahead. Also, if you do get one of these, get the one that looks like a complete bathing suit, not just the top part. The kid still needs to wear a suit underneath b/c the "tube" is real loose, but I noticed the ones that had the tops only rode up a bit much (sort of like life jackets, which I've always personally hated because they look like they're strangling the poor kid!) Both of my girls wore these tubes (as we called them) and they work GREAT!! When my girls were 3 and 1 I wasn't nervous at all being at the pool alone with them b/c they had these things on all the time. The child actually needs to do a little work too - if they don't kick their legs a little bit then the tube can cause them to roll back just a bit. NOT under water at all, but most kids don't like it. So, the first time mine wore them I made sure I held onto the back of the tube until they figured it out (didn't take long - one trip to the pool) They can paddle pretty easily with their arms too. I don't know if the tubes had anything to do with this, but both of my girls learned to swim on their own at a very young age (between 3 1/2 and 4) I think you'd really like the security of these tubes. Mine wore them all over the pool deck when not in the water - they're not cumbersome at all. Good luck!!
When my youngest was that age I bought him a nice coast guard approved life jacket. Probably spent around $20-30 for the neoprene skin type. He's worn it practically every summer since he was two. He learned pretty quick that if we were going to the pool, he had to have his life jacket on. Last year he wouldn't go anywhere near the pool without it - to him it was just like putting on his swim trunks. This year he'll be 6 and we'll be working more on him swimming without it.
You could do swim classes, but I found with my three that they didn't really become that good at swimming until they were 6/7 yo. We would do swim classes and if they hadn't been in the pool swimming for even 2months they forgot skills - not everything, but enough so that I and my husband were no longer comfortable with them in the pool without a life jacket or something.
We love the Stearns brand Puddle Jumpers. You can find them at Walmart or Target and my oldest used them the summer he turned 2 and the summer he turned 3. He'll be 4 this summer and I'm sure we'll use them again! BTW, they are coast Guard approved, so you can use them at water parks, public pools, ect...
I would get her swimming lessons, honestly, and a foam pad trainer to help keep her safe in the meantime. You can get one for about 10 bucks at Walmart, OP makes them. There are several pads in it, and as the child's swimming skills increase, you can remove them, one by one, until they no longer need the help. Unlike floaties or rings, this also keeps the child in a natural, horizontal swimming position.
Floaties & rings can come off &/or become deflated. They also force the body to be vertical, & in an unnatural position for swimming, so kids automatically start swimming with their bodies & limbs in the wrong positions when they wear them too much. You will have to correct that, on top of teaching them how to actually swim.
Of course, no swim aid is a substitution for proper supervision.
Your DD is more than old enough to learn how to swim & she needs to learn that life skill ESPECIALLY because you have a pool in your backyard.
When my kids were little, we got them near-shore life vests (the kind for lake boating, check the tags as there are several kinds) for whenever they were near a pool.
But remember, nothing replaces the need for close adult supervision :)
floaties and baby floatie seats are NOT safe. The only thing that you should have on her is a life jacket. Those other little plastic things only give a false sense of security. If you have your own pool, then you should be able to teach her how to swim now. My kids learned by the time they were 3. She is also old enough to know the rules of being near the pool.
I have the arm floaties, around the pool my kids HAVE to wear them, always, not optional for them. They do work well for my two year old and they worked just fine last year when she was smaller. Just look for the small ones. I buy them at target and other times I buy a bunch to always have in stock from a dollar store.
In our toddler swimming class, they have the kids use the swimming noodles. You tuck them under their armpits and they sort of lean on them. Sometimes they tie it in a knot for the parent to hold. We use this in our pool. Obviously, we are right there with her, but it prevents us from having to constantly carry her in the pool and it gives her a feeling of freedom in the water. Plus using the noodles like that helps position her into a swimming position.
The other option is a life vest. We don't use it for a few reasons. Mostly because life vest for the little ones usually have the flap on their back to keep their head out of water. Great for a boating emergency, but uncomfortable and frustrating for her in our pool. In swim class they also mentioned that kiddos get over reliant on the life vests and they hold the kid vertical, so you can't practice swimming maneuvers.
There are also the swim suits with the flotation device sewn in. They look bulky and uncomfortable to me. But I imagine they must work.
I've read in several places that arm floats are not safe because they give a false sense of safety. But then I'm not sure what you mean by floats or swimys.
I recommend using a swim suit with a float device inside but only when she is closely supervised. My daughter put her toddlers in life vests. Because he 7 yo still hasn't learned to swim he still wears one.
It is so easy for a toddler to drown. I'd be very careful choosing the safest method available. And I would not let her be near or in the pool without some sort of attached floating device as well as a conscientious adult.
