Stearns Child Life Jacket with Heads-Up Flotation, USCG Approved Type II Kids Life Vest for Pool, Beach, Lake, Boating & More, Youth PFD

After hours of investigating and comparing different life jackets this is the one I settled on. Bright color, type ll turns them on their back while still allowing some mobility to learn to swim. it has the head rest and handle to pull them out. Bottom strap to protect against slipping out. My twins are 20 month old the are big boys at 31 & 33 lbs so I went with the child size that’s recommended for 30+ lb. it fits well.

Update: I had originally purchased the "child" sized vest for my daughter, and have liked it so much that I just purchased the "youth" size for her as she is now outgrowing the smaller one (she is just over 50 lbs now). We use a more compact vest for fun at the beach or pool under supervision, but I do not think you can beat this vest for boating with a child. I really like the strap between the legs to keep her secure, the pull handle on the back so I can grab/wrangle her if needed, and that it forces her to float on her back with her head out of the water. Original: I purchased this for my daughter who is just over 30 pounds and has just started learning to swim. After some research, I decided I needed a few criteria for a child's life vest: it had to be Type II rated (this makes the person wearing it float face up even if they cannot swim or are unconscious) , it needed a grab handle, and it needed good adjustment straps for a snug fit as well as a strap between the legs so it could not slide up over her head. This product is one of the few I could find that covered all my requirements. I also like the very bright green color for safety visibility as well. We have not used it boating yet, but my wife took the vest with our daughter to her swimming class this morning and the instructor said he would rate this vest a 10 out of 10 for a child's safety. The instructor took her in the water and she floated comfortably on her back with no effort at all. Again, my daughter is just over 30 pounds, and the adjustment straps made for a perfect fit with room to grow (she is just at the bottom of the rating for this vest which is 30-50 lbs). I would not recommend this for a child smaller than 30 pounds, but it does seem perfectly sized for the range it is rated at, with good adjustment range. The vest zips up the front to keep it securely closed, then the three straps (two around the torso and one between the legs) can be adjusted to keep the vest exactly where it needs to be while remaining comfortable. I used the grab handle on the back to pick my daughter up off the floor (which she thought was fun, so it was not uncomfortable) and she did not slide down in the vest at all. The back flotation pad sits across the shoulders, out of the way, but floats up behind the head when in the water.

I get nervous in the water and these feel extremely safe. We took our kids to a lake and these were amazing. The bright color is very noticeable, which I loved. There is a part behind the head that comes out for a safe back floating position. The mobility is versatile - One of my kids is a great swimmer and can still swim well with these. My other kid isn't the best swimmer and this allows them to feel comfortable. These are easy to adjust. The sizes are spot on. I love that they are durable and will last a long time.

I was unsure if I really wanted to get this. We live in a studio apartment with no access to water and go to the beach maybe twice in the summer. Most of the time it's once. So I really was unsure about spending $42 on something my daughter would maybe use once. Plus, I never wore a life jacket on the beach so did she really need it? However, given that my daughter is around water once a year and I haven't gotten her swimming lessons yet (I'm hoping to), I sucked up the money and bought this. Best decision I could have made. I am SO grateful I bought this life vest. I went to Point Pleasant Beach in NJ today with my 3 year old daughter and my friend. The tide was coming in, the waves were rough, and we were standing at the edge of where the water reached (up to ankle deep on my daughter). I was holding my daughter by the handle on top of her life jacket, my friend held her hand. Out of nowhere, a six foot wave crashed four feet from us. The wave was powerful, the water was fast, and my daughter was immediately submerged in 4 feet of rough water. My daughter's hand was ripped from my friend's grip but I had a tight hold on the handle and immediately jerked the handle up. My daughter's head came out of the water within 5 seconds. The bouyancy of the life vest also helped keep her up. The water was still rushing so my friend grabbed my daughter's hand again and helped hold her up even higher. I had just started to process what happened when the undertow came, ripped my daughter out of my friend's hand again, and yanked me forward. I still had my grip on the handle and held with all my might (this time with 2 hands) as my daughter was being dragged feet first towards the sea. I kept a hold on her and eventually we were back out of the water. We immediately went up to the dry sand and checked her over. She was fine and mostly oblivious to the danger (mildly upset that sand was in her eyes). Two 20 year old men that had been next to us (they were standing where the wave broke) literally crawled out of the water coughing about a minute later. One said to us, "That undertow was the worst I've ever been in. I thought I was going to drown. Thank God your kid didn't get caught in it." They left the beach still coughing. I am SO thankful I bought this. Best money I ever spent. I still have my daughter. If I never use it again, it was worth it. If your child can't swim, please buy this and have them where it until they learn how to swim.

It took a while to find a Type II PFD for my nearly 3 year old. Some products said they were Type II (with the head-pillow float) but the reviews said they really weren't. This one truly is. Although I held on to my daughter at all times in the lake, because of her constant moving, she would bob up and down, and her head never went underwater. She could lean back and "float" on her "pillow" as she called it (and when she was tired at the end of the day, she just leaned back on it and fell asleep, so it's not too far off of a description!). It is LIME GREEN... with caps... truly bright. You can spot it anywhere. The handle at the top comes in handy, in case you have to pull them out of the water ASAP (a bonus is that you can hang it on the wall for storage). As for the strap for between the legs... it's as comfortable as it can be. We adults wouldn't like it, but the kids get used to it quick, despite the occasional "wedgie". The "snap" point for it is a bit off center so that it doesn't interfere with the chest straps. The strap's buckle was hard even for me to open, so I had to put her leg through to put the life jacket on. I don't mind it because I know she wasn't going to get it off. The strap has a felt cover that helps against chaffing between the legs. Overall, I'm glad I got this PDF. I knew my daughter was going to be safe at the lake. Definitely would recommended it. As for size, I might say it fits from about ages 2-5, for an average sized child. We'll see how long it lasts... *****UPDATE: YEAR 2. Still love it and it still fits great for nearly 4-year old, 38 lb child******

A few years ago a family friend's grandson was face-down in the river in a Type III vest (from Costco). Thankfully his grandpa got to him in time, but after that I was sure to look for Type II vests for my kids. It's easy to find Type II for infants, but harder for the big kids. I like that this one works up to 50 pounds. I recommend testing it out (throwing the kid in water and telling him to relax to see if it flips him over). In all three cases. All three that we have bought have flipped the kids over perfectly. I also recommend that all of the straps be fastened properly every time, and that parents stay close to supervise. No life jacket is a substitute for good adult supervision. With that said, this life jacket is a little expensive considering that the old-fashioned orange life preservers are also Type II and a third of the price. My kids prefer the comfort of this vest, though, especially for long days at the lake or river and we go often enough that I feel like we have gotten our money's worth. I would (and do) encourage everyone with kids to get a Type II vest instead of a Type III but do not forget to test it!!!

Slender fit but that’s perfect for my 43lb 4 foot tall child. Safety first! Love the bright color

I did some research before buying a life vest for my son, and I appreciated the positive reviews and certifications this life vest came with. It feels like it’s going to last many swim trips, probably more than we are going to be able to go on before my son reaches the 50lb weight limit. It has a nice little cushion on the crotch strap and all of the buckles feel tight and firm. This specific life vest id designed for children who are not yet confident swimmer, so the back headrest helps to keep their heads afloat. I also appreciated the safety cards that it came with, as it just went over the importance of wearing a life vest and shared some statistics, like how 80% of people who tragically died from falling overboard a small boat did not have a life vest of some sort. It truly does save lives. I’d buy this again!

Se nota la calidad del producto, importante seguir las recomendaciones y enseñar a tu niño a saber usar el soporte para la cabeza adecuadamente, el asa extra para los papás es muy útil.

Muy bueno y a muy buen precio de muy buena calidad. Lo recomiendo muy ampliamente para enseñar a nadar a los niños

Muy buen producto, cumple sin problema las expectativas. La recomiendo.