Life jacket for a toddler

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viva

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My 2 year old grandson will be coming on the boat for his initiation to the pleasures of sailing. Can anyone recommend a life jacket? We will be in a very sheltered estuary and light winds only. Stable, gaff rigged cutter
Thanks
 
viva said:
My 2 year old grandson will be coming on the boat for his initiation to the pleasures of sailing. Can anyone recommend a life jacket? We will be in a very sheltered estuary and light winds only. Stable, gaff rigged cutter
Thanks
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http://www.lifejackets.co.uk/products/526/nautic-safe-sailor-orange-foam-lifejacket-10-15kg

this one served me well on three separate events.
In any event which ever one you choose make sure it has a high support behind the head, in case the toddler got hit it give protection and keep the head above water...
 
Catamaran said:
Really? What's the general solution? Waterproof pants or bigger LJ?
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I don't think the problem is increased weight. Water inside a nappy doesn't weigh any more than water outside a nappy. It's like the myth about oilskins "dragging you down" - except that there is a grain of truth in that one because the added drag does make it harder to swim. But a toddler in a lifejacket doesn't need to swim, so a sodden nappy would just flop around him like a neutrally-buoyant jellyfish.

If there is a problem, I would guess it's more about excess buoyancy, until the nappy is fully flooded. A big air-filled plastic bulge on the backside might overcome the righting action of the lifejacket and mean floating face-down.

Pete
 
prv said:
If there is a problem, I would guess it's more about excess buoyancy, until the nappy is fully flooded. A big air-filled plastic bulge on the backside might overcome the righting action of the lifejacket and mean floating face-down.

Pete
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I had assumed that was what Baba Yaga was referring to - Nappies being sealed quite tight onto the body, giving an air pocket that naturally may counteract the buoyancy in the jacket.
 
Yes, I should have been a bit clearer. A boating magazine here made a test some years ago that showed that a dry nappy could overcome the righting ability of the life jacket, so that a small child would float face down.
 
Ah, gotchya.

Thought it might have been something to do with the water absorbent stuff that nappies contain... I think this forms a gel which is denser than water.

Most important thing with a toddler on board is to have eyes in the back of your head, and never take them off the little mites!
 
BabaYaga said:
Yes, I should have been a bit clearer. A boating magazine here made a test some years ago that showed that a dry nappy could overcome the righting ability of the life jacket, so that a small child would float face down.
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How long ago was test conducted? Just curious as modern nappies don't look as if they are that buoyant being roughly 5mm thick and made of a fairly dense material that only expands when it gets wet. Nothing like the big padded affairs of old. Would be good to know if these still posed a risk
 
Chaktoura said:
How long ago was test conducted? Just curious as modern nappies don't look as if they are that buoyant being roughly 5mm thick and made of a fairly dense material that only expands when it gets wet. Nothing like the big padded affairs of old. Would be good to know if these still posed a risk
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It's not what they're made of that causes the problem, it's the elasticated leg seals and "wriggle room" inside which can trap air and conteract buoyancy meaning a toddler wearing a nappy can be “raised at the rear” from the nappy, pushing their face down and causing issues with the lifejacket buoyancy.
 
FishyInverness said:
It's not what they're made of that causes the problem, it's the elasticated leg seals and "wriggle room" inside which can trap air and conteract buoyancy meaning a toddler wearing a nappy can be “raised at the rear” from the nappy, pushing their face down and causing issues with the lifejacket buoyancy.
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In that case may I suggest a beaver tail crotch strap! I was interested in what was being said here having a 2 year old and a bit of research suggests that this design of crotch strap is designed to counter the effect of a nappies buoyancy presumably by squeezing the air out. I gleaned this from some blurb for a helly hansen jacket which looks almost identical to the jacket we use. Ive no evidence to back up their claims but it would seem to make sense if you tighten the strap properly. Would be interested to know what other manufacturers say though
 
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Well my kids grew up. Wearing swimmers. Special napies for swimming. Swam with them on and thier mustang tdler PFDs and survived to adult hood. Or at least teenagers. How they will do from now is no longer up to me.
 
Chaktoura said:
How long ago was test conducted? Just curious as modern nappies don't look as if they are that buoyant being roughly 5mm thick and made of a fairly dense material that only expands when it gets wet. Nothing like the big padded affairs of old. Would be good to know if these still posed a risk
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Don't quite remember, maybe ten years ago or so.
You might well have a point about modern nappies vs. old, the less buoyancy in the wrong place, the better.
 
Would a scared child fill the nappy and negate (I almost wrote "eliminate") the problem anyway? :)

(Not a serious suggestion.)

Pete
 
For anyone interested the HH lifejacket i came across that is designed to be worn by a baby in nappies is the helly hansen baby safe.
 
We used the Crewsafe ones with our kids from the age of about 6 months, then Baltic children's ones from about 5 years, moving up to inflatable ones aged around 10. They seem to have changed the Crewsafe ones a little recently - guess the current equivalent of what we used is the Supersafe one here http://www.crew-safe.co.uk/acatalog/Childrens-Lifejackets.html, though it looks rather different. The basic Crewsaver "Spiral" one doesn't, as far as I know, have a "D" ring harness built into it - we would quite often clip our kids on, and found the harnesses invaluable (the jackets we have had a "D" ring on the front, but also one high up on the back, which was handy). The pic is a montage of our kids at various ages I put together for something else, but it does give you a good view of their lifejackets!

Cheers
Patrick

Sailing Children montage.jpg
 
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Our older son once he started toddling refused to wear a lifejacket, but would wear a harness and line. Not ideal once he wanted to go off on his own but great in the cockpit.

When he was about three we found a wonderful Mickey Mouse buoyancy aid where the big ears formed the collar behind his head. Both boys loved it. I suppose it would not pass modern requirements which is a shame, because a buoyancy aid that a child loves wearing is much more useful than one left down in the cabin....
 
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