Grand daughter, (6) life jacket advice

[Donside]

My boat is well equiped with adult lifejackets, but I’m keen to persuade my daughter to bring her 6 year old on board. What advice is there on buying a suitable lifejacket?
Do I just go to decathlon, and find their best offering?
Thanks

 

[dunedin]

You need to know the grand child’s weight, as lifejackets are sized based on weight.
The Baltic ones with integral harness are a good option, as can go forward clipped on - Baltic Ocean - 100n Foam Lifejacket with Harness - Crewsafe

As I am sure you are aware, the priority is to get them to want to come back. So ideally don’t go more than 2-3 miles (without heeling) then anchor up to play in the dinghy. Ashore for an ice cream and swings, then a gentle motor or sail back.
Hope everybody has fun.

 

[Roberto]

Do I just go to decathlon, and find their best offering?

At least here in France, Decathlon kid lifejackets are (or were) from Plastimo, IIRC they come in three sizes depending on weight. They have a crotch strap and a big webbing loop on the neck back you can grab; try and hoist the kid and throw him/her in the water they seem to like it.
The outside fabric absorbs copious amounts of sunscreen cream if you ever find yourself in short supply just rub the lj on the kid face

 

[William_H]

Children's life jackets here in west Oz are very plentiful at car boot sales. Simply because they grow out of them. I have about 10 in various sizes simply because I can not bare to see them thrown away. But no little children now.
You need fixed buoyancy not inflatable and can either be life jacket style with buoyancy on chest and behind head or simple buoyancy vest style with buoyancy right around torso. The life jacket style here is required for making voyage legal and will support child without effort even if unconscious. The buoyancy vest style as used by kayakers is far more acceptable to be worn at all times. But does require the wearer to hold their head up and in effect swim.
For adults I carry inflatable type but don vests for normal sailing. Keep you warm when wind comes up.
Or for a crazy idea you can make a vest. You need high density foam about 8mm thick and colored sail cloth or nylon. Velcro and sraps at front to fasten. PM me if you want more clues.
ol'will

 

[oldgit]

Usually an auto inflatable jacket is not recommended under a certain age/ weight and a buoyancy aid should be used.
With my grandkids the youngest is right lump and at the grand old stroppy age of 6 has a proper childs lifejacket.
All of them at some point have had experience of being dumped (in benign conditions ) unexpectedly in the briny , via kayaks and paddleboards etc.
The idea, hopefully, being that they know it is not the end of the world and unduly panic.
They do grow out of them depressingly fast
Why having a Pirate on the outside doubles the price is a total mystery.

 

[dunedin]

Usually an auto inflatable jacket is not recommended under a certain age/ weight and a buoyancy aid should be used.
….

Agree, not auto inflatable for a six year old, but on board a yacht should be a proper lifejacket, not a “buoyancy aid”.
The former has more floatation and lifts the head out of the water, a buoyancy aid (designed for sailing dinghies, kayaks etc) doesn’t. But suspect you were just using loose terminology meaning non inflating.

 

[dunedin]

…..
Or for a crazy idea you can make a vest. You need high density foam about 8mm thick and colored sail cloth or nylon. Velcro and sraps at front to fasten. PM me if you want more clues.
ol'will

As the OP’s intention is to “persuade my daughter to bring her 6 year old on board”, I suspect that offering her beloved 6 year old child a home made Lifejacket would make her run a mile and never return.
Hence if truly want to persuade a slightly reluctant mother, the best quality new stuff may be what is most effective. Plus of course a good, clean and non smelly, inflatable jacket for the adult daughter.

 

[lustyd]

Why having a Pirate on the outside doubles the price is a total mystery.

Price aligns to value, not cost. If you value a quiet life then you'll pay the extra willingly. That's why

 

[Caer Urfa]

What value do you put on any ones life
Do not just buy any life jacket or a second hand one or a car boot sale,and NOT a buoyancy aid

You need to have her weighed and depending on her size I would recommend you take her to a good chandlers and try different ones and make sure it is automatic and has a crutch strap and she wears it correctly
More important make sure she knows how it works

 

[ylop]

I would recommend you take her to a good chandlers and try different ones and make sure it is automatic and has a crutch strap and she wears it correctly
More important make sure she knows how it works

I'd suggest that at 6 she's too young for an automatic inflating jacket. Notwithstanding that most children's jackets are designed for at least 20kg and only about half of 6yr old girls will weigh 20kg or more, not many children could be expected to cope with finding or pulling the toggle at that age if they mechanism fails to activate after unexpected immersion.

Bearing in mind @dunedin's very sensible advice in post 2 then most likely MOB is entering/leaving the dinghy etc. Personally I'd look at what decathlon have available - they have offerings that are £25, probably the right size (15kg+), which look like they have most of the comfort of a bouyancy aid with the extra flotation in the collar needed to right a child. No harness but does have a crotch strap and lifting becket.

 

[merjan]

For crew aged 2-10 we have Decathlon's 100N life jacket or Crewsaver Sport Junior. Age 6 is a bit in the middle. If she is going to be regulars in the years to come, and if the sizing is right then I would recommend Crewsaver Sport Junior. Fortunately we never had to see either serve its purpose but we felt reassured when children had them on. When we felt necessary, we supplemented the Decathlon one with Baltic's harness.

 

[Mark-1]

What value do you put on any ones life
Do not just buy any life jacket or a second hand one or a car boot sale,and NOT a buoyancy aid

You need to have her weighed and depending on her size I would recommend you take her to a good chandlers and try different ones and make sure it is automatic and has a crutch strap and she wears it correctly
More important make sure she knows how it works

I wouldn't rule out a bouyancy aid for a young child. Depends what they're wearing and how much sea swimming they do. We tried ours with life jackets in the sea and they floated terrifying low in the water, unable to help themselves. In contrast with their buoyancy aids they can hold their heads well clear of the water and are well used to being in the water in buoyancy aids.

Clearly if they're going to be wearing thick coats and thermals only a LJ will do.

So I can't offer any advice because I think every parent has to make their own gamble on the right way to manage things, the trade offs are clear enough.

Having said all that, the purpose of the exercise in this case seems to be to reassure a mother and IME she'll be convinced by something pricey from a known brand regardless.

 

[thinwater]

In the US inflatable vests are not approved for children under age 16. I understand they are approved down to 8 years in the EU.

The other factor is also swimming competence/comfort. By 6 I had my swimming certificate (among other things, tread water for 20 minutes) and was getting comfortable in the surf. But the water is warmer here and more people ocean swim and surf. In cold water the main thing is actually the gasp reflex, were a person gasps in water when they first feel the cold. If they have a PFD they stay afloat and probably spit it out. If no PFD they can just sink. Curiously, the cure is getting cold water on your face a few times a year. Winter kayakers and surfers purposely dunk their heads when they first head out to prevent this reflex. It only needs to be cold water on the head to damp the reflex.

 

[dunedin]

What value do you put on any ones life
Do not just buy any life jacket or a second hand one or a car boot sale,and NOT a buoyancy aid

You need to have her weighed and depending on her size I would recommend you take her to a good chandlers and try different ones and make sure it is automatic and has a crutch strap and she wears it correctly
More important make sure she knows how it works

Definitely not inflatable type for a 6 year old. Foam style lifejacket - eg the Baltic ones with harness.

 

[Alicatt]

We bought 2 life jackets for our grand kids when they come out on the boat with us, our youngest daughter had bought 2 "life jackets" for her sons to be safe when out with us, but trying them out in the pool they were buoyancy aids and let the boys float face down in the water without turning them over on to their backs to keep their heads out the water, we showed the difference to our daughter. Weight is not the only factor to take into account our youngest granddaughter is tall and skinny and at 10 years old does not fit in the kids lifejacket any longer even though she is within the weight range of the lifejacket, she has grown too tall for it.
Grandson, 4yo.

Last Thursday we bought a few new lifejackets in bigger sizes for the grand kids and kids

 

[William_H]

I thought I might get some stick from some folks re second hand LJ s or even home made for kids. Things are perhaps a little different here in Oz. It is almost mandatory for kids to be taught to swim and be comfortable in the water. (swimming lessons in primary school) However in messing around with my grandies they actually loved wearing the buoyancy vests in the water. Gives them confidence to jump in to deep water. I have never seen a situation where they did not swim with head out of the water despite them not wearing a "Life Jacket" ie enforced floating on back.
So perhaps a home made or old buoyancy vest will not make mother feel confident they can be a huge bonus when kids play in the water. Where confidence in the water means safety in MOB situation.
I did spend years running a sailing school for kids 9 years up and they all had to wear buoyancy vest. Needless to say with capsizes common they never complained about wearing them. First lesson get them to show they can swim around. Then get dinghy turtled and show how they can dive under and come up inside the up turned hull and then dive out again. All just part io finding there is nothing scary about being in the water.
(but then I am terrified of really cold water) ol'will

 

[dunedin]

I thought I might get some stick from some folks re second hand LJ s or even home made for kids. Things are perhaps a little different here in Oz. It is almost mandatory for kids to be taught to swim and be comfortable in the water. (swimming lessons in primary school) However in messing around with my grandies they actually loved wearing the buoyancy vests in the water. Gives them confidence to jump in to deep water. I have never seen a situation where they did not swim with head out of the water despite them not wearing a "Life Jacket" ie enforced floating on back.
So perhaps a home made or old buoyancy vest will not make mother feel confident they can be a huge bonus when kids play in the water. Where confidence in the water means safety in MOB situation.
I did spend years running a sailing school for kids 9 years up and they all had to wear buoyancy vest. Needless to say with capsizes common they never complained about wearing them. First lesson get them to show they can swim around. Then get dinghy turtled and show how they can dive under and come up inside the up turned hull and then dive out again. All just part io finding there is nothing scary about being in the water.
(but then I am terrified of really cold water) ol'will

Depends where and when the OP plans to take them boating, but there may be one huge difference here - water temperature !!

 

[Neeves]

In addition

We had open transoms, which take seas in rough weather and offer an invitation to explore. We built washboards, over which they could not climb - no foot holds, to contain the younger members.

The recommendation for being a potential MOB is - stay on board (or - keep them on board, life line nets etc) - its the same for children and grandchildren.

Jonathan

 

[RivalRedwing]

get both a lifejacket and a buoyancy aid, they serve different purposes and have different attributes. Don't get an auto inflator for a 6 year old, it will go off either by accident or 'in play' when you don't want it to.

 

[thinwater]

Depends where and when the OP plans to take them boating, but there may be one huge difference here - water temperature !!

If you fall into very cold water (I've been in 32F water with just warm clothes) a dry suit/survival suit/wet suit are vital, and so is a PFD. But I also assure you that being confident in water and swimming efficiently is a major factor. For example, if some one falls off a dock, it is only confident swimming ability and a nearby ladder (do you have one on the boat that can be deployed from the water by the swimmer?) that will save them.

My expereince, above (a $3000 rudder system had come off a boat into the water, it was going out with the tide, and there was no boat available), was not an accident and it was a simple 5 minute swim and scramble, because I can swim well in all conditions, and because there was a convenient ladder. I t felt safe, if very unpleasant, to me. But I knew me.

IMO, every sailor should swim like a fish. But this is off topic.