Posts Tagged ‘swimming’
Float Suit
Thursday, December 16th, 2010
What is the best type of floatation device to use with a child learning to swim?
My daughter is 3 and learning to swim. She does fairly well, but I would prefer that she still wear or use some sort of float. I want something that won’t hinder her movement but will still keep her head above water. Do those float-suits work well? Or maybe a basic life jacket?
Body suits and life jackets give a false sense of security to a child learning to swim and actually hinder their progress. I recommend close supervision or arm-band swimmies.
The swimmies work in a way that support the arms/head without hindering movement and also let the body sink enough that the chhild must kick to stay higher out of the water, as with swimming. Also, you can graduate down to one swimmies and slowly deflate it bit by bit as she gets stronger.
The key factor to flotation devices is that you want your child to be aware that they are there. A body suit is often forgotten by a child as they play and float around, whereas swimmies are constantly involved with her movements.
Good luck, I am sure she will do fine!
Swimsafe Combination Sun Protection Floatation Suit
