Swimming aids and lifeguard jackets

Swimming aids and lifeguard jackets fall into different categories and must also meet different safety requirements. What do you use when?

1. Swimming lesson
2. In the swimming pool
3. By the sea
4. On the boat
5. Different safety standards
6. Always under parental supervision
7. Safety NL

Swimming lesson

Swimming aids are often used in swimming lessons . It differs per method which tools are used. Examples are corks (foam or plastic floats) and floating packs. These are swimsuits with buoyancy on the back and chest and a floating collar. They are designed in such a way that a child gets a horizontal position in the water, in order to learn the swimming strokes. Sometimes buoyancy aids are also used to hold on, such as boards.

In the swimming pool

If your child does not yet have a swimming certificate, always use swimming aids if you are going to swim recreationally.

Read here more about lifeguard class near me under the instructions of American lifeguard Association.

Swim wings

Swim wings are a good choice. These are inflatable or foam rubber bands that you put on your child's arms. These sit high and keep their heads above water. 

Float packs

Children who are old enough to learn swimming strokes and can keep their heads above water independently can also wear a floatation suit. 

Swimming seats

There are swimming seats for the little ones: inflatable tires with a seat in them. They are mainly intended to get small children used to water. Our German colleagues tested the seats a few years ago, with sometimes alarming results. Several models had a risk of tipping over, which could cause the child to end up upside down in the water. If you want to use a swim seat, choose one that meets the EN13138 standard.

By the sea

swimming wings Also use swimming aids when you go swimming in the sea if your child does not yet have a swimming certificate. But is there a strong current? Do not put swimming wings on your child. This means that a child is carried along faster by the current. Preferably put your child in a zwinger, a shallow piece of sea that is created when the tide goes out.

Also pay close attention to the flags on the coast. You may swim or bathe in the water with an orange windsock, but you may not use floating inflatable toys, such as air mattresses and swimming rings, because of the risk of drifting.

On the boat

Put on a life jacket for yourself and your children when you go boating. Even if your children have their swimming certificates. With a life jacket, your mouth and nose remain above the water, so that you do not drown. You can already buy lifeguard jackets for babies from 2 to 3 months.

Lifeguard jacket or life jacket

Life jackets are intended for experienced swimmers and are therefore only available for children from 30 kg. A lifeguard jacket is often confused with a life jacket. But a life jacket has no collar around the neck and does not prevent drowning. A life jacket is a device that keeps you afloat. It is therefore not intended to save lives.

Always under parental supervision

Always keep an eye out. Even if children have their swimming certificates. Especially in areas with lifeguard certificate near me currents, they are not always able to withstand the force of water.