subject: Water Wings V Swim Vests. Which Is Best? [print this page] Nothing says summertime like lazy days by the swimming pool. When you have a young child who can't swim, though, those lazy pool days quickly become filled with stress as you worry about his safety. If you want to keep your children safe as they learn to swim, you have several product options to help.
One of the most familiar products is a pair of water wings, sometimes called arm floaties or swimming arm bands. This poolside staple consists of a pair of inflatable arm bands designed to be worn above the elbow and help keep your child afloat as he works on learning to swim. Some water wings have a single air chamber, while other designs have two separate chambers on each band. Water wings have several benefits. They're cheap, so it's easy to keep several pairs on hand. They come in many colors and styles, so you should be able to find one your child is excited about wearing. They're small and easy to keep stashed in a pool bag. They also don't hinder your child's movement.
Water wings provide some buoyancy for your child, but they also require the child to do some work to keep his head above water. For this reason, they may be more helpful for a child who has made some progress toward learning to swim but still needs assistance. Another drawback of water wings is the ease of removal, meaning your child may pull them off himself. Some styles also have a tendency to leak air during use, further reducing the buoyancy. If you want to use water wings to help your child learn to swim, consider buying higher quality wings from a swim company such as Finis rather than buying the cheaper variety sold in drug stores. With any style of water wings, though, your child may have difficulty moving his arms the way he needs to for proper swim technique.
Another product option to keep non-swimmers safe while they learn is a swim vest. Swim vests are one piece vests worn around the chest like a shirt that zips up the front. They're made of neoprene with removable floatation devices inserted in the body of the vest. One of the most popular brands is the Konfidence Swim Vest, endorsed by professional swimmers and by parents. The benefits of a swim vest include greater buoyancy and increased safety. A swim vest also protects your child from UV rays. They're available in various sizes to fit infants through adults. Another handy feature of the Konfidence swim vest is the ability to slowly remove floatation devices as your child learns to swim, increasing the amount of work he has to do on his own to stay afloat.
The downside of swim vests is the relatively expensive price tag--a child's vest may cost $40 or more. You need to buy a size that fits snugly for it to be safe, but that means you're unlikely to get more than one year's use out of it. Another downside is that some children don't like wearing the swim vests because they're bulky and restrict movement.
In the end, the choice of water wings or a swim vest to help your child learn to swim comes down to weighing your situation against the pros and cons of each device. If your child has no experience around the water, a swim vest is probably a safer choice. A swim vest also may be the better choice if you're working seriously with your child on learning to swim, since you can gradually decrease the floatation assistance. However, if your child is already fairly comfortable in the water and just needs a little extra assistance for your peace of mind, you can probably buy the cheaper water wings. In either case, no child should be left unsupervised while swimming. Be aware, too, that neither water wings nor a swim vest is a coast guard approved floatation device.
