How to choose the right life jackets for your boat kids by age and weight
Water safety should be every parent’s primary concern around the water or on a boat. Balancing your kid’s desire for fun with your need for safety can be a tricky yet essential goal to achieve.
The start of each new boating season is the best time to assess whether you have the right life jacket gear for kids. Before boating season is underway – before your kids even step foot on the dock – a review of properly fitting life jackets and potential upgrade of gear is in order.
When it comes to life jackets, size matters. You need to be sure you are choosing the right life jacket for the current weight of children on board your boat.
Life Jackets by Size & Weight
On BoaterKids.com, we try to highlight some of the best life jacket options for kids by age.
Baby and Infants - life jacket should be labeled "under 30" lbs and have heads-up feature.
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Toddlers - jackets include heads up and crotch strap and are using 30-50 lbs.
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Youth - weight is the primary factor and most youth jackets will be 50-90 lbs.
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Older Kids - most older kids are over 90 lbs or even small adult sizes.
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In my recent article in Lakeland Boating magazine entitled “Gear up for Safety: Choosing the Right Life Jackets for your Kids” I shared tips on how to select the proper life jacket for your kids, reviewing the size and style requirements by age.
READ FULL ARTICLE
You can read more about choosing the right life jacket for your boat kids in the full original article (opens PDF) from Lakeland Boating Magazine.
Cruising with Kids Column in Lakeland Boating Magazine
As a boater with two boat kids I am thrilled to share my experiences in a summer Boating Kids column for the regional boating lifestyle magazine Lakeland Boating.
