Stearns Kids Puddle Jumper Basic Life Jacket

I have tried several different types of swim aids with my children: floatation swimsuits, life jackets, life jackets with arm bands, etc. My search ended once we tried Puddle Jumpers. At first, my two year old was very frightened of the water. I would hold her while she'd pull at my swimsuit and scratch at me. When I put her in the puddle jumper, at first she did still want to be held, but within one hour of wearing it, she was floating independently and didn't want me to touch her. The design is fabulous. It is very easy to slip on and off, even while wet. It has only one latch which is on the back., Initially, I was concerned about that being the only strap. I was worried that the floatation device would ride up like so many swim vests do. My concerns were all for naught. The Puddle Jumper stays put around the child's chest. The float itself keeps the child, well, floating! The float is NOT for babies, however, so please do not try it even on larger infants who meet the weight requirement. The design requires that the child have some understanding that he/she needs to keep his/her face out of the water to breathe and the ability to do so. It's not difficult for a toddler, thanks to the design. All they have to do is hold their head up normally. Even when my daughter, who has turned into quite the water baby, tries to submerge herself, she pops right back up. Her favorite trick is lying on her back and sinking just an inch or so, before the floatation device turns her around right back on her belly again and her face is out of the water. Our Puddle Jumper has given my daughter so much confidence. She can now jump in the water, go down toddler sized water slides, and "swim" around the pool under her own power. To me, it looks uncomfortable. However, it must not be, because my daughter is very much a girl and VERY two. If she was the slightest bit unhappy wearing it, she would make it known.... loudly. I am so grateful to have found the Puddle Jumper and equally grateful to earlier reviewers who convinced me that this product was worth trying. I just wish we had known about it ten years ago for our older children!

I bought this life jacket based on the reviews that indicated that it helped in teaching the children wearing it how to swim. I'm so glad I bought this for my 2 (&1/2) year old. This little life vest supports our daughter in the perfect position in the water to allow her to maneuver just as she would if she were swimming without a life vest. The flotation strip across the front supports her chest just I used to do with one arm while trying to teach her the basics. This allows me to have both arms free to demonstrate how she needs to move her arms. Having this vest on her has given her so much more confidence than she had previously as well. It holds her in such a natural position that she is able to roll easily from her back to her front without assistance. Our other life vest, a more traditional boating style life vest that cost nearly $40 had a tenancy to flip her onto her back (as it was designed to do), and made it very difficult for her to recover into a position where she was able to have fun again. After seeing how easily our daughter was able to maneuver and how confident she was in the water while wearing this vest this past weekend, my sister wanted to know where I got this so that she could get one for her 3 year old as well. I have only one complaint with the vest, and the problem I describe may not be a problem at all except that my daughter is a couple of pounds shy of the recommended weight (30 - 50 lbs) for using this vest. Since this vest has only one strap that goes around the back, it can easily be removed by a squirmy child, or even just fall off on accident if the child isn't in the water (for instance at a beach playing in the sand). My daughter was able to (on accident) lower her arms to her sides and the vest would simply fall off her arms and slide down to her ankles while she was playing at the beach near the water. My wife was able to add a (temporary) second buckle that goes over the shoulders and behind the neck (much like a bikini top). I bought this vest on Amazon in May for about $13, but I'd definitely buy it again even for the $18+ price today. It's a great tool, and my daughter has so much more fun at the lake and in the pool now.

I have tried them all and this is the best floatie for toddlers! I wish I had found it for my first two kids instead of suffering through bulky, uncomfortable ones that either tilted them face first in the water or didn't keep them afloat. With this one my two-year old can pretty much float around a pool with me an arms-length away. She has also gone down several water slides at water parks into 2-4 feet of water and as long as I'm there to grab her and bring her to the side of the pool, she's fine. The only thing I might say would be that a persistent child could probably find a way to pull this off if they didn't want to wear it. My daughter doesn't try but I bet my boys might have when they were her age! Still, a great price and a great product!

My daughter is 14 months old and loves to be in the water. Unfortunately, she always started crying each time we tried to strap a life jacket onto her, which meant that she had to be held by an adult at all times, instead of being able to float around alone. Worse: we own a boat, and by law any children need to wear a life jacket at all times. This was a problem for my daughter. When visiting a store, I saw this unique looking flotation device, and figured it was worth a try. I put it onto my daughter, and she liked it immediately the very first time, so we immediately ordered one on Amazon. She likes it so much that she even wears it in the house sometimes! The device allows her to be completely independent in the water (under adult supervision of course). I like that fact that she can freely move her body, and will occasionally swallow some water if she doesn't pay attention. She quickly learned to keep her head out of the water, and her mouth closed. I think this is much better than a device that would not require her to do anything, as she is learning how to properly position herself, and will eventually be able to learn how to swim. As a bonus, the device is coast guard certified and can be used on a boat instead of a life jacket! Note however that this device is intended for children 30 lbs and up, so it's still a little oversized for my daughter (who is 24 lbs). Sometimes one of her arms slides out, and then she immediately goes sideways and swallows water, so constant adult supervision is needed at this time. We will be trying to tie the 2 arms together with a strap in the back, and see if that helps. As she gets bigger, I'm sure this will no longer be an issue, but it could be a good idea for the manufacturer to make a version for smaller children, as there is nothing similar on the market.

We purchased this item for our vacation on the Cape. The first day our toddler wore it, he did great with it! As others have stated, it really seemed to help "train" him how to keep his head and chin out of the water- it encourages a good position for swimming. Our little guy isn't swimming yet, but he gained confidence and practiced kicking with the help of this Puddle Jumper! The fit was good, and our son didn't seem to mind wearing it at all. He is 2.5 years old and about 34 lbs. I'd highly recommend this product!

I was looking for a swim vest so that my 2 year old could splash in the pool without my having to hold onto her all the time. I was confused by all the options out there and all the different price ranges, until I tried this one, which a friend of mind had purchased. My daughter loved it from the get-go and had a blast splashing around. She seems to be very comfortable in it and it holds her up well. I ended up buying our own and it's terrific, especially with the low price! We are probably going to buy another so that we have a spare on our boat.

This is extremely dangerous. My 2.5 year old boy who weighs 30 pounds and is 37 inches was wearing this and it slid off his arms and then off of his waist entirely. It is way too big for his arms and then once it slides easily off his arms he can then push it down off his waist like a pair of pants. I would say your child needs to be at least 40 pounds to safely wear this. Although it says it can be worn 30-50 pounds...that is not true. I am going to buy a Swimways Sea Squirts now instead.

My two-year-old is big for her age (in the 90% for height and weight). This barely goes on her arms and barely snaps in the back. If your child is 2 1/2 or older and is big for their age, this may not fit them. I wish I had had one last summer when it would have fit better.