How to Choose and Fit Life Jackets for Children and Babies

The Coast Guard groups life jackets by user weight:

• Infant: up to 33 lb
• Child: over 33 lb up to 55 lb
• Youth: over 55 lb up to 88 lb
• Adult: over 88 lb

Read the label on the jacket for the exact weight range and chest size it fits. Buy for the child's weight today, not "to grow into." A jacket that's too big can ride up over the face or slip off in the water.

Look for the Coast Guard approval information on the label. Older labels list a "Type"; newer ones list a performance "Level" and use new icons. The BoatUS Foundation notes both label styles still count as long as the jacket is approved, in good shape and the right size. Skip anything sold as a "swim vest" or "swim aid" without approval for boating.

For babies, toddlers and young kids who can't swim well, BoatUS's family-boating writer looks for three things, and Safe Kids recommends the first two:

• Head support: a big flotation collar behind the head that holds the face out of the water.
• Crotch strap: a strap between the legs so the child can't slide out the bottom.
• Face-up design: a jacket designed to turn a child onto their back.

Add a grab handle on the collar for lifting a child out of the water, bright colors and reflective tape. Infant jackets should be marked for the infant weight range.

Open every buckle and zipper. Put the jacket on the child, then:

• Close the zipper (if it has one) all the way.
• Fasten every buckle.
• Snug every side strap, starting at the bottom.
• Fasten and snug the crotch strap.

The jacket should feel snug but let the child breathe and move their arms.

Stand behind the child, grab the jacket at the shoulders and lift gently. The Coast Guard says a foam jacket that fits will stay snug and won't ride up above the wearer's chin or ears. If the jacket slides up over the chin or ears, tighten the straps. If it still rides up, it's too big; go down a size.

Try every child's jacket in a pool or calm, shallow water before relying on it on the boat. The Coast Guard recommends trying a life jacket on in the water to make sure the airway stays clear. BoatUS's writer, who raised kids aboard, says to test in a controlled place like a swimming pool first. Watch whether:

• The child floats with mouth and nose well above the water
• The jacket stays in place and doesn't ride up
• The child can relax without panicking (practice makes this easier)

Put the jacket on in the parking lot or at home, not on the boat. BoatUS's writer notes that his kids fell in four times over years of boating, and every time it was at the dock. Safe Kids also advises keeping weak swimmers and non-swimmers in life jackets on docks and at marinas.

As kids grow, recheck the size every season by weight and the lift test. Teens who have outgrown youth sizes move to adult jackets once they're over 88 lb and the adult jacket passes the lift test. Remember: under-16s still need foam jackets, not inflatables, even when they're big enough for adult sizes.

Kids outgrow jackets fast. The BoatUS Foundation runs a free child life jacket loaner program at hundreds of locations nationwide: you give your contact information, staff help fit the right size, and you borrow it for the day or weekend. Many state parks and lakes also have loaner stands at the ramp.

A life jacket isn't a swimming lesson. Safe Kids recommends swim lessons when each child is ready, and lists water survival skills such as getting back to the surface after going under, turning to find safety and moving forward while breathing. BoatUS's writer let his kids pick a new, more comfortable jacket once they passed a family swim test, which made learning fun. Even good swimmers should wear their jackets on a moving boat and follow the state rules.

• Jackets on before boarding, off only below deck or once safely back on land (or in a designated swim area with an adult in the water).
• Kids sit inside the boat while it's moving, never on the bow, gunwales or swim platform.
• Engine off and propeller stopped before anyone swims near the stern or climbs the ladder.
• One adult is the assigned "water watcher" at all times when kids are swimming, with no phone in hand.
• Every adult aboard knows how to stop the boat and use the throwable device.

Before each season and after a hard day, check each jacket:

• No rips, tears, mildew, broken buckles or frayed straps
• Foam isn't hard, shrunken or waterlogged
• The label is still readable

The Coast Guard says foam jackets should be checked at least once a year and that waterlogged, faded or damaged ones should be thrown out. Rinse after salt water, air-dry out of the sun and store them where they're easy to grab, not in a locked locker or plastic bag.