Comfortable vest for toddler

[swc5150]

Has anyone found a comfortable vest for their toddler? I'm having a hard time finding one that isn't big and bulky for our 2 year old. The more comfortable she is, the more water time I can get. A neoprene pullover style would be great, but I haven't found one for a child that young.

[oldjeep]

How much does she weigh? You're never going to find a pullover that is USCG. When our kids were that little (a really long time ago) they didn't have any problems with a standard nylon vest with a happy strap. Neoprene kind of sucks for wearing all day unless you are in the water since it gets so hot.

[swc5150]

She's just over 30lbs. We have 2 neoprene vest for her currently, and she hates them both. I may have no choice but to bring her over to Midwest MC and have her try some on. Does the Bu dealership in the cities have a decent ski shop too?

[Horton]

I am struggling with the same thing. Might call @perfski and see what they say

[h2onhk]

We had similar issues, especially when they were right in between vest sizes. Believe it not not these are actually USCG approved. Kids love them and they are comfortable and safe to wear in the boat or while swimming because they buckle in the back. We don't let them ski or zip sled with them though. They wear a true vest for those activities. Just another option. A happy kid in the boat = a happy parent in the boat.

 

Link

[h2onhk]

@horton, i just realized I totally botched the long link thing, sorry

[Horton]

@h2o.nhk

I fixed it.

 

I have that vest. Buford Danger hates it because her arms are pinned out to the sides

[swc5150]

Thanks @h2o.nhk

I'm going to get one and see if she likes it. Worth a shot, as what we have isn't working.

[h2onhk]

@SWC5150, no problem. Hope it works!

 

@horton, thats a bummer. I understand the pinned arm thing. My kids liked them because they didn't push up around their face and smash their cheeks where they couldn't move their neck.

[swc5150]

The mashed face and cheeks are the reasons my daughter hates her vests too.

[Murrski]

Something I did for my little guys when they were toddlers (3-yrs old and younger)... I created anchor points to the base of the passenger seat. I put two through bolts on the backside of the seat bench support wall and used nylon straps from each anchor wrapped through their car seat which sat on top of the passenger seat. I could snug down the car seat just like you can in your car. By having this anchor system and my toddler in his car seat - I didn't put a life vest on him. I only put one on him when the boat was stopped and he wanted some freedom to move around within the boat so this was a lot less wear time and they both loved being elevated in their car seat enough to where they could see the action behind the boat. Was this legal... no probably not... was it perfectly safe... yes but the exception was a flip over and those percentages are extremely rare and my wife and I were okay with that risk. Food for thought :wink:

[oldjeep]

@Murrski - that could be a heck of a ticket when the water patrol pulls you over. In MN

$1,000 max and or 90 days in jail for a PWC occupant or child under 10 without a USCG jacket on. I think the basic ticket is about $100 but can go up from there.

 

I've had to have that discussion with relatives and friends - if your kid won't wear a jacket then you better get a babysitter because they are not coming out on my boat.

 

[Murrski]

@oldjeep - agreed and a calculated risk we assumed. The public lake that we were usually on didn't have much of a patrol presence so for us... it was solely a safety decision and not a what if I get pulled over decision.

[Orlando76]

My son's 5 months old today. we put him in his vest 3-4x per week, even when at home watching TV. My theory is he'll get used to it and not think anything of it. Part of the time he's in the boat (mainly when I'm skiing) he goes in the car seat, strapped in (which usually puts him to sleep) and we don't fasten the seat, just wedge it in front of pylon and we take a piece of rope tie it to the car seat then to the driver waist. My thought is this way no matter what happens, flipping or just being tossed from the boat, he's always with the driver. I think we all use our common sense when it comes to babies and ski boats, whether it jives with the law or not.

[Murrski]

Another reason I share this is because we joined a ski club on a private site a few years ago so boating laws became a lesser priority for us and I feel other Ballers on private sites could maybe benefit from the idea... I completely understand the concern if you are solely a public waters skier.

[Horton]

On a similar subject i am building a fence so Buford Danger can't get near the water unless i let her.

[oldjeep]

@Horton - invisible fencing so that you don't mess up your view?

 

 

[Skibabette]

We have this Full Throttle Infant Life Vest and we liked it so much that we ended up buying 3! For less than $20 each, why not?! It was the only infant vest we found that didn't look like it was choking our son. We're going to have to get a child vest for him soon and we'll probably try the Full Throttle child vest. Or let Horton's kid be the Guinea pig for child vests and buy whatever she likes ;)

[mmosley899]

I had the same problems with my kids and now my grandson, the vest is bulky in front and pushes up around their neck and into their face where they could not move their neck. The infant/toddler vest have way too much flotation in the front to make them USCG approved. We separated the seam on the bottom of the vest, removed one layer of the foam, then restricted the seam. Still more than enough flotation and a much more comfortable kid, willing to wear the vest. Safety is still intact. And when are they not under your watchful eye? My kids were required to wear their vest in the boat and anywhere around the lake. No other option.

[xrated]

All 3 of my kids hated the nylon horse collar but once we swapped to neoprene we have had zero issues.

 

Never found a way around it pushing up but my theory is that neoprene or some Overtons deal that was Bioprene was softer on the face than nylon.

[keithh2oskier]

We have a Speedo neoprene vest for our 2.5 year old. I think we picked it up at Target. We ski on a private lake so enforcement is not an issue. She LOVES the boat but isn't wild about the vest. We usually don't zip it up all the way which gives her a little bit of breathing room especially when she is sitting. Now that she associates the vest with being on the boat she is getting pretty good about wanting to put it on right when we get to the lake. We also leave the buckles a little loose to give her breathing room.

 

Here she is probably a month or two old wearing it...

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu136/keithncollins/Claire%20Collins/photo-12_zpse48838b8.jpg

 

[WBLskier]

They sell a non uscg approved swim vest at target or sports authority that zips up with a crotch strap and is super thin. Not uscg approved but we were fine with it for wearing in the boat. This is for when they can keep their head out of the water. My 6 and 9 year olds still wear them. They can wear them all day and not even notice.

[blagrata]

Stohlquist is what we have for our 2 year old. Great vest...very comfy. When he was and infant we had him in a salus baby bijoux. That one is made in Canada ...it's transport Canada approved... But not USCG approved. Only vest I could find that is truly designed for the kids comfort.

 

[mbabiash]

Sorry for the long link, couldn't figure it out.

This is the best I've found. She's 2 and loves it.

Miami ski nautique

Performance has similar ones too.

 

[mbabiash]

I guess the link worked!

[mwfillmore]

We use Stearns Puddle Jumpers. My kid wears it all day long and loves it and it's uscg approved, but not for skiing. 15 bucks on Amazon. Then I switch it out with a neoprene ski jacket when he goes behind the boat. The rest of the time he's in the puddle jumper and has been for the past 2 years

 

[mbabiash]

Sorry it's a hyperlite my son has a liquid force one that's basically the same that came from perfski

 

Wish they weren't wakeboard brands but........

About 40 $ though.