Water safety and its importance has been drilled into me since I was a child. Growing up spending summers at the lake, there were very strict rules we had to abide by or risk being scolded by my grandparents or worse, forced to stay inside the cottage on a nice day!
There were two rules, and they were simple. First, no kids allowed on the dock or in the water without an adult. And second, no kids on a moving boat without a life jacket.
At the time, I remember being frustrated by these rules and thinking they were silly. I didn’t want to wait for an adult to finish their coffee in the morning before I could jump in the lake. I practically slept in my swimsuit! I also didn’t want to wear an uncomfortable life jacket while we were on a lazy evening pontoon boat ride around the lake. We weren’t even going fast!
Now, as a parent myself, I get it. There could be up to 15 kids under the age of 10 running around and these rules were the only way to ensure our safety.
With the purchase of our own cottage, we’ve put a lot of thought into the water safety measures we want to enforce with our own children.
We love to boat with them and always make sure they are wearing a life jacket while doing so.
It’s one of the best precautions you can take to keep your baby safe on the water and buying a life jacket that is appropriate for your baby and the activities you plan to do with them is a critical component of its effectiveness.
When Should a Baby Start Wearing a Life Jacket?
This may come as a surprise for many, but there is a life jacket age requirement mandated by federal law. The law states the that any child under the age of 13 must wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket that is appropriate for their age, height and weight while on a moving boat. This law is the nationwide minimum, but some states and localities have life jacket laws even more extreme than federal requirements.
This means that no matter where you are located in the U.S., from the day a baby is born, he or she needs to wear a life jacket on a moving boat. To put it plainly, whether your baby is a newborn, 6 months old, 12 months old, 18 months old, or even 2 years old the answer is YES! Your child must wear a life jacket on a moving boat !
You might be thinking, what trouble can a baby get into on a boat? The answer is simple: you can control your actions but you can’t control anyone else’s. In the event of a boating accident, an infant without a life jacket could suffer serious or even fatal injuries.
Life jacket age requirements, and life jacket laws in general, are there to protect us and following them is simple for both yourself and your babies.
What Safety Features Are Important in a Life Jacket?
We’ve established that the life jacket age requirement demands your child must wear a life jacket when on a moving boat. Before you purchase the one with the cutest pattern, be aware that not all life jackets are created equal.
Understanding the most important safety features will help you to choose the best life jacket for your little one.
Type II PFD
There are three main wearable PFD (personal flotation device) types for everyday recreational boat usage. They range from Type I, being the most protective but least comfortable, to Type IV, being the least protective but most comfortable.
Type I (or Type 1) life jackets are generally recommended for use on remote and rough water (think deep sea fishing, boat racing, etc.) where babies should not be anyway, so you will not find many, if any at all, Type I infant or toddler life jackets.
Type II (or Type 2) and Type III (or Type 3) PFDs are similar safety-wise in most ways, but a key difference between them is that Type II PFDs are designed to keep the wearer face up and Type III PFDs are not.
This is an extremely important feature for babies as they are not strong enough or coordinated enough to independently turn or keep themselves face up. You always want a Type II life jacket for infant children and toddlers.
Type II life vests are easily distinguishable by their large neck collars that support the head like a pillow, but make sure to confirm the Type as there ARE some Type III Infant PFDs that look like Type IIs.
There are also Type IV and Type V life jackets which are not recommended for boating.
Solid Fill
Crotch Strap
All life jackets, regardless of the age of the user, have straps that buckle around the chest or waist. For infants and toddlers, it’s critical that there also be a strap that goes from front to back between their legs.
This is to prevent the baby from sliding out the bottom of the life jacket and in general keeps the life jacket from riding up too much.
Waist Strap
A life jacket that does not fit snuggly may not be safe for your baby as they could easily slip out.
In recent years, some life jacket manufacturers have attempted to replace waist straps with “one size fits all” bodies that zip up. While these may look cute and and comfortable, without a way to tighten the life jacket around little one they could easily slip out.
Avoid infant life jackets without waist straps.
US Coast Guard Approved
The USCG puts life jackets through rigorous testing to ensure they are completely safe for the intended wearers. Make sure you the life jacket you select has received this stamp of approval.
Rescue Handle
A rescue handle is a looped strap that makes it easy to pull a baby out of the water should they need to be pulled out of the water in an emergency situation. It is usually attached to the neck collar.
Brand New, NOT Used
Life jackets don’t expire, per se, but are subject to normal wear and tear like anything else that gets used frequently. The material that makes a life jacket buoyant can lose its buoyancy over time – if you’ve ever used an old pool noodle, you know what I mean!
The fabric can also deteriorate and if the life vest has been mended or altered in any way, its ability to keep your baby safe has been compromised. Infant and toddler life vests are relatively inexpensive and the stakes are high enough that you should always buy new.
We would also recommend buying your life jacket from a reputable seller. When you buy something in a store you can be confident you are not purchasing second-hand or knock-off goods. When you buy online, especially from retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Target and others who allow 3rd party sellers on their platform, make sure the product says “Sold By” or “Shipped By” either the manufacturer’s name or the retailer itself.
Appropriate Size
Be 100% sure that the baby life vest you are buying for your infant or toddler will fit them! Manufacturer’s must include a size chart that will help you determine what size to purchase for your baby given their height and weight.
Generally, life jacket weight classes for small children are under 30 pounds for and between 30 and 50 pounds. Most babies fall into the under 30 pounds classification.
A Bright, High Contrast Color
This is a good general rule of thumb for life jackets being used by babies, children and adults alike. A neon life vest will make it easy to locate your little one, or any loved one, in the event of an emergency.
On high traffic lakes and other waterways, this will also help protect them from being injured by another boat. This is especially important for children and adults who ride jet-skis or go wakeboarding, skiing and tubing behind a boat. It’s very common to fall off during those activities and have to wait in the water alone while recovering the jet-ski or waiting for the driver of the boat to turn around.
Our Favorite Baby Life Jackets
When it comes to boating, ultimate safety in the event of an emergency is our top priority.
For that reason, we only recommend Type II life jackets that have all of the aforementioned key safety features and come from established and reputable brands. See our favorite picks below.
Best Budget
Stearns Infant Classic Series
Our favorite baby boat life jacket is the general purpose Stearns Infant Classic Series life jacket. It’s an inexpensive, no frills, Type 2 life jacket with a foam fill, rescue handle and crotch strap.
In our opinion, this is hands down the best life jacket for most infants and a must have if you’re a family who likes a variety of water activities like boating, swimming and fishing. It’s also a great life jacket to buy “extras” of in case you plan on hosting friends and family with babies who may not have their own. We keep a few of these on hand at our home for infrequent sailing, canoeing and beach days in the city.
In our opinion it’s best suited for mobile babies, so likely those who are over 6 months and 15 pounds, but it is technically approved for smaller and younger babies as well.
Stearns is a longstanding and highly reputable brand that is really the gold standard for life jackets for both children and adults which are all US Coast Guard approved. This one comes in both blue and red, but we would recommend going with red as it will have better contrast with the water.
A similar option that we also recommend is the Airhead Infant’s General Purpose Life Jacket. This life jacket is almost identical to the Stearns one in every way, but is officially recommended for babies 15 pounds or more. Your decision will probably come down to color preferences and the size of the baby you intend to use it with.
Best for Small Babies
Connelly BabySafe Life Jacket
Newborns and infants under spend a lot of time laying on their backs, sitting on laps and laying in arms. While typically styled life jackets may fit the tiniest of babies, they likely won’t be comfortable for them or the adult responsible for them.
When looking for life jackets for our twins, who at 6 months were only about 13 pounds and not quite sitting on their own, we had a few features in mind.
First, we wanted something that was backless to help keep them cool and not have a lot of bulk that would make it difficult to hold them or for them to lay down on the boat. Second, we wanted something with a shorter body so that it would not bunch up (as much!) around their necks.
The Connelly BabySafe Life Jacket checked all of those boxes for us. We think this is the best newborn life jacket and it served as the perfect life jacket for our twins during their first year of life. We are currently using it with our son who is 6 months and about 20 pounds and have been doing so since he was a newborn.
We think this life jacket is the best one out there for infants who are not yet super mobile, anywhere from newborn age up to one year old, although it does grow with them and continue to be used up to 30 pounds. Our twins wore these as their primary life jackets until they were 2 and 1/2 years old and then to 30-50 pound toddler and young children life jackets.
The Full Throttle Infant Baby-Safe Vest life jacket is also very similar to the Connelly BabySafe Life Jacket and offers a few different colorways. Either of these are good choices as a life jacket for newborn babies and non-mobile infants.
Best Splurge
Stohlquist Infant PFD Life Jacket
Stohlquist, like Stearns, is another established and reputable brand that has been making US Coast Guard approved life jackets for decades. This Stohlquist Infant PFD Life Jacket has all of the same features and function as our budget pick but for a little over twice the price they have optimized for comfort.
The open back and low sides improve arm mobility and comfort while seated for the wearer. The double collared neck also acts as a soft cushion for the head when floating and the neck opening is cut wider to prevent bunching. It is also made of a more flexible and slimmer foam than other jackets.
If money is no object, this life jacket is our upgrade pick from the no frills Stearns Infant Classic Series Life Jacket and will assist in helping you make sure your children actually wear their life jacket since you’re sure to get less complaints on this one from your baby.
The Full List
- In the interest of being excessively clear, there are many life jackets that we DO NOT recommend for children while boating. Here are some popular life jackets you will come across that we advise against purchasing if your primary intent is to have your child wear them while boating.
Keep in mind, if your intent is that your children wear these while supervised by an adult swimming in a pool or other body of water, that’s a horse of a different color!
WBAC Approved for Boating
- Stearns Infant Classic Series
- Airhead Infant’s General Purpose Life Jacket
- Connelly BabySafe Life Jacket
- Full Throttle Infant Baby-Safe Vest
- Stohlquist Infant PFD Life Jacket
- Stearns Infant Classic Series Life Jacket
Not WBAC Approved for Boating
Stearns Infant Puddle Jumper Hydroprene Life Jacket is not recommended as it is a Type III life vest which means it will NOT turn an infant face up
The Bottom Line
Remember that every baby is different and what works for one baby might not work for another. Take bottles, for instance – maybe your baby accepted the first bottle you gave them, or maybe you had to buy a dozen different types of bottles before you found one that they liked.
If you are looking for something that will be comfortable for your newborn but also grow with them into early toddlerhood, then the Connelly BabySafe Life Jacket is your best bet.
If you have a bigger and older baby who is more mobile or you need something on hand for infrequent use by you or a guest, then look no further than the Stearns Infant Classic Series life jacket for an affordable, basic and highly reliable option.
If you don’t mind paying a bit extra to guarantee that your baby is completely safe but also as comfortable as possible, choose the Stohlquist Infant PFD Life Jacket as our upgrade pick from the no frills Stearns Infant Classic Series life jacket.
Choosing the right life jacket for infant children is imperative and you can’t go wrong with any of our recommendations. The best infant life jacket for your child is the one that they will consistently wear.
