The 7 Best Infant Life Jacket Picks

As soon as the weather warms up, kids would give everything to be near water. They love playing in it, building sandcastles, and just run around while the water soaks their feet. However, if your child is still too young to learn swimming or simply isn’t the most secure swimmer yet, it can be terrifying to a parent to just leave them unattended near a body of water. Yet, I have just the solution for you: an infant life jacket.

Even if your little cutie isn’t quite ready for swim lessons yet, there is no reason for you to guard them every step of the way or not let them anywhere near water and basically not let them have fun. They can still enjoy a day of sailing or playing in the shallow waters as long as she’s wearing the right infant life jacket.

The thing is, drowning is a genuine danger to children and while that may scare you, being out in the open in the sun playing and having fun is very healthy to a child, plus how are you able to enjoy your holiday without letting your child near water?

So, the best way to ensure their safety is by having them wear a baby life jacket.

But with so much choice, picking one can be tricky, to say the least. And not only because of the vast infant life jacket selection on the market but because some can be bulky, some uncomfortable, and kids often may refuse to wear them as well. Nonetheless, choosing the right toddler life jacket is just one way to keep your infant safe while you’re canoeing, boating, or sailing.

Luckily, I have picked the 7 best infant life jacket models available right now. However, before we go to the list, there are few more things essential to know concerning the safety and well-being of your little one.

With that said, here’s what you need to know about buying the best infant life jacket — along with recommendations for the best, most comfortable ones on the market.

Regulations over baby life jackets

First off, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states clearly that all babies should wear a life jacket whenever they’re near a natural body of water (for example, a lake, an ocean, or a river), even if they don’t go in the water and you don’t plan on sailing, paddle board or swim with them. This is especially important when considering that the open waters can be dangerous, especially for babies and young kids who can’t swim.

Different Types of Life Jackets

Before going any further, it is vital that we make a distinction between the several different types of infant life jacket designs. As these can sometimes be confusing yet vital to the security of your child, it’s better to explain this now and get it out of the way for this article later on.

With that said, there are a few different types of children’s life jackets, and here’s what you need to know:

• Type I: These life jackets are intended for offshore ocean use, where the water tends to be rough and unpredictable. They’re very effective for flotation, but tend to be bulky and uncomfortable. It’s difficult to find Type I jackets for children.
  
  
• Type II: When purchasing a life jacket for your child, this is the type that you’re most likely to come across. Type IIs are designed for use in calmer water and used when boating or fishing. They’re less buoyant than Type I but also less bulky, making them more comfortable. They’re not suitable for rough waters.
  
  
• Type III: These are less buoyant than Type II. They’re most appropriate for well-supervised water activities where a rescue would be immediate, and they don’t flip the wearer on their back upon falling into the water. These are widely available in all children’s sizes.
  
  
• Type IV: These are throwable devices (like life rings/life preservers) that are tossed into the water to a person in distress. They’re not appropriate to rely on for children as they’d need to tread water and swim before being able to access the device.
  
  
• Type V: These are specialized jackets designed for particular water use. If you’re casually shopping around for your child, you’re not likely to purchase a Type V.

So, How To Choose the Right Infant Life Jacket?

For starters, if in the U.S., only buy baby life jackets that have been previously approved by the U.S. Coast Guard. To learn if they are, check the vest itself for a printed approval directly on it.

Additionally, here are some of the most important aspects of buying a good infant life jacket:

1. Buy a “Type II” toddler life jacket. This is recommended because Type II life jackets can turn some users’ heads from a face-down position in the water into a position in which they can breathe. This way, your child has an extra head and float support.
   
   A “Type III” life jacket, on the other hand, is recommended for children who already know how to swim and can keep their heads above water.
   
   
2. Choose an infant life jacket specifically designed for your baby’s weight. Each manufacturer will have this stated on their product, but as a general rule, infant life jackets tend to be intended for babies that weigh 33 pounds or less.
   
   However, as I said, specific weight ranges for life jackets can vary based on the manufacturer, so always check the label to make sure the vest matches up with your child’s weight.
   
   
3. Make sure you check the fit of the baby life jacket. No matter the size stated on the label, it’s best to also try the fit before putting your child in water (and I will tell you all about doing a safety test before using the life jacket just below in the text).

How to do an out-of-water test

It’s important to pick the exact fit, so strap the life jacket onto your child, and then lift the jacket at the shoulders. “If the child’s chin and ears slip through the neck opening, it might be too big. If the life jacket straps cannot be buckled, zipped, or tied, it may be too small.

Additional safety measures when buying an infant life vest

• Look for a neck collar. A neck collar will give your child some extra head support.
  
  
• Opt for life jackets with a strap between the legs. This will keep the vest from riding up.
  
  
• Make sure it has a grab strap or a “handle” that can be used to pull the child out of the water quickly.

And always remember that a life jacket isn’t a substitute for adult supervision. Most importantly, caregivers should watch children when they’re around water without being distracted.

Why Does My Child Need a Toddler Life Jacket?

Infant life jacket as a protective water gear is extremely important when we consider that drowning is the number one cause of accidental death in the world. To make things worse, drowning deaths are most common among children aged 1-4, followed by children ages 5-9.

I don’t mean to frighten you with worse case scenarios, but it is essential to know that life vests combined with adequate adult supervision when your child is in or around the water are the best protection against drowning.

Even if your little one knows how to swim, wearing a life vest while in a pool or boat is a good idea since they aren’t as experienced as swimmers yet, and they may panic more easily if something happens in the water. Additionally, if your child experiences fatigue without you noticing, a life jacket can prevent them from slipping beneath the water.

Also, while paddle boarding, kayaking, or boating with them onboard, if an emergency were to happen and you or your child were to lose consciousness, a suitable flotation device can keep them safely afloat. And as said with the Type II infant life jacket, it can even flip them face-up until help arrives.

In addition to providing life-saving protection to your child, it’s also the law.

Namely, the U.S. Coast Guard requires that all children under the age of 13 wear a jacket if they’re on a boat that is underway (an excerpt taken from the official website). Also, individual state requirements may be more stringent, so you may want to check the law in your particular state.

Even if you aren’t in the U.S., still an infant life vest will allow your child to experience all the fun and excitement the water has to offer so they can develop water confidence in a safe way.

You see, as your child grows and becomes old enough to learn to swim, you want them to be well-acquainted with water and to love it — not to be afraid of it. Wearing a life jacket in the early years will not only keep your child safe but allow them to expand their horizons safely.

How Does a Life Jacket Protect My Child?

An infant life vest can protect your child in many ways. Here are some of the most significant ones:

• Buoyancy: They’re filled with a very buoyant material (usually foam) that displaces a large amount of water concerning its size and weight, keeping the wearer afloat.
  
  
• Visibility: Depending on the color you choose, a baby life jacket can keep your child visible in the event of an emergency. You should only choose red, orange, and yellow as the colors of the PFD. Stay away from blues, grays, and other dull colors.
  
  
• Head Protection: Some infant life jacket models like the Type II are designed to flip children on their backs to keep their faces above water. These are ideal for infants or potentially dangerous water sports that could result in the user becoming unconscious and unable to flip over.
  
  
• Security: Unlike unapproved flotation devices, most infant life vest models come with a crotch strap to ensure they don’t slip off if a child falls in the water.

Alternative Infant Life Jackets and How They Work

There’s an alternative to each type of life vest, whether for children or for adults. So, in this part, I will be explaining each type of flotation device for children.

Type I – Inherently buoyant, recommended uses and features:

• When cruising, racing, and fishing offshore, when boating alone, or in stormy conditions.
  
• Minimum Buoyancy: 22 lbs. for adults. (11lbs. for child size

Additional Information:

• Best for open, rough, or remote water where rescue may be slow to arrive. This life vest will turn MOST unconscious wearers face-up in water.
  
  
• The type I offers the best protection but is somewhat bulky and uncomfortable. It does the best job of retaining body heat, as it has additional foam and fabric and keeps your head higher above water.

Type II – Inherently buoyant, recommended uses and features:

• Inland day cruising, fishing, and sailing. Good for boating in light craft.
  
  
• Minimum Buoyancy: 15.5 lbs. for adult size.

Additional Information:

Type II is good for protected, inland water near shore, where chances of immediate rescue are good. However, it isn’t suitable for extended survival in rough water.

This life vest will turn MOST unconscious wearers face-up in water.

• It performs poorly in rough water, and it often requires you to tread water to keep your head above water.
  
  
• More comfortable but less buoyant than Type I. It provides far less flotation than a Type I.

Type II – Inflatable Recommended uses and features:

• For serious inland and nearshore cruising.
  
  
• Minimum Buoyancy: 34 lbs. for adult size.

Additional Information: Not guaranteed to turn unconscious wearer face-up.

Type III – Inherently buoyant Recommended uses and features:

• Supervised activities, such as sailing regattas, dinghy races, water skiing, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and for personal watercraft operation.
  
  
• Minimum Buoyancy: 15.5 lbs. for adult size.

Additional Information: Good for protected, inland water near shore, where the chance of immediate rescue is good. Not suitable for extended survival in rough water. They are not designed to turn unconscious people face-up in water.

Type III – Inflatable Recommended uses and features:

• For boating inshore and nearshore and for supervised activities such as sailing regattas, dinghy races, canoeing.
  
  
• Minimum Buoyancy: 22.5 lbs. for adult size.
  
  
• Additional Information: These are not guaranteed to turn an unconscious wearer face-up.
  
  
• Advantages: more comfortable than a Type III Inherently Buoyant jacket.
  
  
• Disadvantages: one manual inflation mechanism only.
  
  
• Inflatable PFDs are not meant for children under the age of 16.

Type IV – Throwable personal flotation device Recommended uses and features:

• Intended Use: Designed to be thrown to an overboard victim or to supplement the buoyancy of a person overboard. It is not to be worn.
  
  
• Minimum buoyancy: 16.5 lbs. for ring buoy or 18 lbs. for boat cushion.

Additional Information

This device can be a square style, or a ring buoy or horseshoe buoy mounted on the deck. A Type IV is not for unconscious persons, non-swimmers, or children. Although these devices are often referred to as seat cushions, you should never use it as such. This degrades the foam and reduces the amount of floatation that is provided.

NOTE – Type IV devices must be IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE for use. You must have one at arm’s length to throw over the side in an emergency. Having one in a locker under the driver’s seat isn’t considered “immediately available.”

Type V – Special use life jackets Recommended uses and features:

• Intended Use: Type V is restricted to the particular use for which each is designed, for example, sailboard harness, deck suit, paddling vest, commercial white water vest, or float coats.
  
  
• Minimum Buoyancy: 15.5 to 22 lbs. for adult size.

Additional Information

Must be worn when underway to meet minimum U.S. Coast Guard requirements. Simply having a Type V PFD on board will not meet the USCG carriage requirements.

Type V – Automatic inflation models Recommended uses and features:

• Only to be used as a belt pack, deck suit, float coat.
  
  
• Minimum Buoyancy: 22.5 to 34 lbs. depending on style.

Additional Information

• Must be worn to meet federal requirements.

Not guaranteed to turn an unconscious wearer face-up. Some manufacturers claim Type II performance. Some models feature a combination of CO2 inflation and built-in foam and provide 15.5 to 22 lbs. of buoyancy.

Type V – Hybrid Inflation: Recommended uses and features:

• This model is recommended for boating activities where rescue is nearby and must be worn when underway.
  
  
• Minimum Buoyancy: These have 7.5 lbs. of built-in foam buoyancy and can be inflated to 22lbs.

Additional Information

• More comfortable to wear than Type I or Type II, but are inadequate for unconscious overboard victims.
  
  
• Inflation Mechanism: When activated, a CO2 cartridge is pierced, releasing gas to inflate the device. Water-activated models inflate automatically when submerged in water. Manual units are activated by yanking a pull-tab. Both types of inflatables feature blow-tubes to provide a back-up method of inflation. It is essential to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for checking and maintaining your inflation mechanism.

Inflatable PFDs are not suitable for children under the age of 16.

Buying an infant life jacket Quick Summary

A little summary and a quick run-through of the most important things to look for when buying an infant life jacket before moving to the actual list of products.

When looking for a children’s life jacket, make sure you note the following:

• The label of approval. On the inside of any life jacket you choose, there should be an indicator that it’s approved for use by the U.S. Coast Guard and the conditions for which it is approved (recreational watercraft, personal watercraft, commercial use, etc.).
  
  
• Appropriate weight. The weight limits are also printed on the inside. Choose one for the current weight of your child; don’t be tempted to buy one for larger children with the expectation that you can use it for longer. Safety is paramount, so the jacket must meet the immediate needs of your child.
  
  
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