Whats the best lifejacket for a 3 year old?

[mjkinch1]

We are going to take our Granddaughter out on our sports boat around coastal waters of Anglesey, nothing too far out, and hopefully only on fairly calm seas. I want to get a lifejacket, but there seems to be quite a few variations from a buoyancy aid (which I don't think I want), to a foam version, to a auto inflate version.

My gut feel is a foam style like the Crewsaver Children's Spiral 100n Lifejacket, but would be interested in any feedback or recommendations before I go ahead and purchase. Crewsaver alone have 3 or 4 variations. If she accidentally fell in, then it must keep her upright and safe.

Has anyone gone through a similar process?

Thanks

 

[richardabeattie]

For a three year old, and however good a lifejacket may be, I would suggest you stick to a properly adjusted lifeline - short enough to keep her in the boat! Have you tried manoeuvring your boat to pick up a three year old? With a propeller turning near her?

 

[Daydream believer]

For a three year old, and however good a lifejacket may be, I would suggest you stick to a properly adjusted lifeline - short enough to keep her in the boat! Have you tried manoeuvring your boat to pick up a three year old? With a propeller turning near her?

A lot of use if you have to take them to the boat in the dinghy!As for picking them out of the water it is no different to collecting a fender except you would probably have to deal with a hysterical screaming mother running up & down the deck trying to get off the boat to the child whilst cursing YOU & YOUR Bl..DY BOAT as well!!!

 

[richardabeattie]

No, he said a sports boat so probably not moored off shore and so no dinghy transfer. What sort of lifejacket keeps a three year old the right way up? If the prop cuts up a fender you have a cut up fender.

 

[Momac]

Have you tried manoeuvring your boat to pick up a three year old? With a propeller turning near her?

As a grandparent thats a very scary thought .
Presumably one of the child's parents will be on board too.

 

[Daydream believer]

No, he said a sports boat so probably not moored off shore and so no dinghy transfer. What sort of lifejacket keeps a three year old the right way up? If the prop cuts up a fender you have a cut up fender.

Our club safety ribs have been picking cadets out of the water for years without incident. Admittedly the youngest is about 5 years old, but still would be bad if a prop hit a person. Provided the helmsman cuts the throttle once alongside there should be no problem. A RIB is no more or less manouverable than a sports boat --one would expect
The comment made earlier about a tether for the child is valid because violent turns or bounces whether deliberate or not can result in people being unbalanced & some thrown over the side. My wife has been overboard from the RIB 3 times in 10 years whilst doing safety boat duty in various conditions

 

[thinwater]

Simple question, all sorts of answers.

Yes, that looks like a fine choice. I had something similar for my daughter.


On this day it was about 36C with no wind, so dash the regulations.

A harness is also a good idea. Full-body is required since little kids have no shoulders. It also goes without saying that someone will be assigned the sole responsibility of watching the child.


It must have worked; 20-years later she still sails with me.

 

[Tranona]

Childs lifejackets are sized by weight with the cutoff usually at15kgs, so weigh the child as a 3 year old is probably around that weight. The type you have described is spot on, and if you have a lifeline as well it will never be needed and you will be able to sell it "as new" when she grows up and needs the next size up, and then around age 9 or 10 will need to move to an inflatable 100n type, and a further 5 years on to an adult 150n.

 

[mjkinch1]

There is no dinghy, it's just for emergency when we are at sea or moored up in the boat. Good idea about the line, I will look at that, but I still need a life jacket...

 

[thinwater]

Here's a question for you.

If a 3-year old falls in, is an adult immediately going in after them? I'm pretty sure the answer is yes, so you ought to figure out who that is going to be and whether they are prepared. My point is that it is unlikely you are going to be recovering a 3-year old as a single MOB.

Now to make it more fun, at what age does that change? Weather conditions? Adult non-swimmer without a PFD?

 

[William_H]

I have been taking my Grandies out on races now for a couple of seasons. They were 3 and 5 when they started sailing. Yes they always wear life jackets the type with buoyancy behind the head and a crutch strap. I always insist their father also wear a buoyancy aid and he be prepared to jump in after any that fall in. No we don't use a tether. We don't have life lines as such. They can climb up to the bow but usually set at the stern hanging on to the pushpit. They learned pretty quickly to climb into the cabin unaided and that the small boat can lurch unexpectedly.
However now days the older girl especially will insist on jumping in the water to swim with Dad to the shore rather than ride in the dinghy after pack up. Indeed often before we are ready. Young boy is not so keen.
An essential accessory for their sailing is an iphone set for their favourite cartoons and a fully charged battery.
Last sail of the season 2 weeks ago we had 7 kids spread out over 2 short races. Photos became a feature of the club news letter. Yes we have collected small foam life jackets from car boot sales and at last count had some 10 in various sizes. Last 2 bought were 2 squid each. Good condition could not buy them. Enjoy the kids olewill

 

[Tranona]

Here's a question for you.

If a 3-year old falls in, is an adult immediately going in after them? I'm pretty sure the answer is yes, so you ought to figure out who that is going to be and whether they are prepared. My point is that it is unlikely you are going to be recovering a 3-year old as a single MOB.

Now to make it more fun, at what age does that change? Weather conditions? Adult non-swimmer without a PFD?

You can imagine all sorts of scenarios, but the reality is that the probability of a toddler drowning from falling out of a boat like the OP has (or even just falling out) is close to zero. The lifejacket is primarily for assuring the parent (mother?) you will look after the child. The addition of a tether is a good thing, as is netting around a sailing cruiser

 

[JumbleDuck]

My gut feel is a foam style like the Crewsaver Children's Spiral 100n Lifejacket, but would be interested in any feedback or recommendations before I go ahead and purchase. Crewsaver alone have 3 or 4 variations. If she accidentally fell in, then it must keep her upright and safe.

We had a Crewsaver - I can't remember which model, but it looked like the Spiral except that it had a tether attachment as well. I may still have it lying around somewhere, in which case a small donation to the charity of your choice, plus postage, will secure.

What sort of lifejacket keeps a three year old the right way up?

Any properly designed one should. Asymmetric buoyancy and a bit collar, basically. When we got ours we tried it in the local swimming pool, a dodge I recommend to get the child used to wearing it and less scared of the possible effects. It turned out to be possible to enter the pool by steps, submerge gradually and float upright, but the slightest movement resulted in an instant flip to front-up, face well out of the water, and no efforts by the wearer could change this.

 

[JumbleDuck]

You can imagine all sorts of scenarios, but the reality is that the probability of a toddler drowning from falling out of a boat like the OP has (or even just falling out) is close to zero.

The probability of any of us drowning from falling out of a boat (or even just falling out) is close to zero.

Of 241 accidental drownings UK-wide in 2017, 2 happened to sailors and 10 to motorboaters - tiny, tiny proportions of the participating population. Of course that probably reflects the care most of us take to avoid it.

That said, I think the main reason for lifejacket use in children is that life around boats provides many enticing places - piers, quays, docks, pontoons and so on - for the small.

 

[Iain C]

To answer the OP's question, IMHO it is "the one that fits the toddler the best". In short, go with the little one and try some on. Had a similar thing with my son, and where some were OK, other designs were much more uncomfortable and restrictive, in terms of bulk around the body and also around the collar.

Also, not all of them have a tether point, but I quite like the ones which have a tether point pretty much between the shoulder blades.

 

[JumbleDuck]

To answer the OP's question, IMHO it is "the one that fits the toddler the best". In short, go with the little one and try some on.

Excellent point. It also gives them a sense of ownership of the LJ, reducing protests about wearing it.

My crew is on an adult "medium" now ... at age 12. Eek.

 

[mjkinch1]

Thanks everyone, some great advice, particularly about the swimming pool and trying it out first. Its only 'just in case' and they will be under the extra watchful eye of a grandmother or mum/dad, both good swimmers, and we in the years we have had boats no one has yet fallen out!

Having done all this, the boat we were purchasing has just fallen through today, I had a survey done (nearly didn't get one) even though it looked immaculate condition, the surveyor rang to say the boat had sustained some sort of side impact, that has cracked the gel coat in a number of places, and he thinks the gel coat may have lifted slightly. it could be something or nothing, but its not a risk I want to take, so we reluctantly cancelled the sale and got a full refund of the deposit. I never noticed it, and the boatyard never noticed it, so a good investment of a surveyor.

 

[bitbaltic]

Excellent point. It also gives them a sense of ownership of the LJ, reducing protests about wearing it.

My crew is on an adult "medium" now ... at age 12. Eek.

I know the feeling, the eldest turned 12 two weeks ago, is 5’7”, and has been wearing an adult 180N since last season.
He’s on halyard sweating duties this year

His sister is 13 months and wore a Baltic baby foam jacket last season, this season she will need the toddler version which we bought at the same time. They are impressively well made and the baby version was tested in the bath, needless to say not at sea. Second the votes for the teather.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Our club safety ribs have been picking cadets out of the water for years without incident. Admittedly the youngest is about 5 years old, but still would be bad if a prop hit a person. Provided the helmsman cuts the throttle once alongside there should be no problem. A RIB is no more or less manouverable than a sports boat --one would expect
The comment made earlier about a tether for the child is valid because violent turns or bounces whether deliberate or not can result in people being unbalanced & some thrown over the side. My wife has been overboard from the RIB 3 times in 10 years whilst doing safety boat duty in various conditions

Presumably, people driving safety boats for kids dinghy sailing will have attended a safety boat course......?

 

[Ruffles]

Tip for toddler life jackets. Don't tell them they have a whistle!

We found the crewsaver supersafe ok. Foam collar came in handy on a number of occasions.