J.W.
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Hello ladies,
I am looking for Type 1(the one that flips them onto their back if they fall into the pool) life jackets for my 17 month old twin girls that weigh about 20 lbs. I want something that is fairly comfortable that they can wear for extended periods of time. Thank you!!
Thanks for all the info!! It looks like I will be doing some shopping this weekend=)
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We've always used these ones as a water family (US Coast Guard Approved for small children)... they're also what the Disney Parks use... and you can get them on amazon.com as well.
http://www.125west.com/p-5175-super-soft-child-life-vest....
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3...
But I STRONGLY recommend trying any vest and out.
The BIGGEST mistake people make with life jackets, is that they fit them loose. Any of them should be so tight as not to slip or ride up at all. One of the reason we love the Texas Rec vests is that when fitted, they actually stay on and don't slip.
Reasons we love TexasRecL
- Fit
-They're INCREDIBLY buoyant. At the lake my 70lb (and very strong swimmer) kiddo cannot get his head under the water even when wearing the XXS (which looks like a bizarre bra, because he's a size M in those vests).
- They're waterproof, and conserve body heat (most vests are fabric, and as such get quite cold)
- They "stick" to the skin, rather like a wetsuit... so there isn't the problem of rubbing/raw spots/ abrasions.
- They're very very easy to "swim" in (aka kick about and move arms freely).
R
I was able to find a good selection at West Marine (boating supplies) for my daughter. There's also Boater's World. I've seen some life vests at Costco, but I think that a boating supply store would really carry the best selection of the different Types that you need.
I believe that I had the Stearns ones. The nice thing about them is that they zipped up the back and had a zipper cover (no way they could sneak those puppies off), covered their full fronts and backs as well as had "sleeves" that came down almost to the elbow. Cut way down on missing spots when applying sunscreen and the lifejackets must have been pretty comfortable since no one bugged me about taking them off.
Good luck!
You can buy Stearns "heads up" life jackets at Walmart in the outdoor section for $12-$20 (depending on if you get one with a character or plain). They are coast guard approved. I had my daughters wear them when we were at the ocean when they were little, and they didn't mind at all!
Be prepared to have them try it out, then be able to take them back if they don't work! You are looking for the ones that have the hoodie-flap in the back...but be warned...they don't all work like they are supposed to!
You really have to try them out and see for yourself, if they are able to flip your kids, like they are supposed to!!
My daughters is pink and purple...and I got it at Target...$25, works great! I had to take back the $50, we got at the sporting goods store because it didn't actually flip her over...scary stuff!
I second trying them out! Many public pools have some (at least around here) so you could go for a swim, see what they have and give it a try.
I had one for my daughter (I think it was O'Neill) that DID NOT WORK at all. It fit well, but she could not move well with it one (barely walk or use her arms, if she sat down or fell she could not get up by herself again) and it did not flip her on the back in the water like it was supposed to. If was good quality and USCG approved... she wore it like 3 times before I gave up.
We're not boaters, so I just watch her closely when we go for a swim.
Good luck!
