Inflatable Baby Water Floats

If you want your baby to learn to love the water, the first key is to provide a secure and safe water environment. Watching Mom and Dad and siblings have a good time in the water from a safe spot helps babies get excited about being in the pool and eventually even learning to swim themselves.

Youngsters who aren't walking confidently yet love the fact that they can't fall when they're in the water. Baby water floats give baby a wide support perimeter that completely surrounds the body, offering a real sense of security in the water. Because their legs float free babies can get some experience with paddling and kicking their feet to turn the float. Many water floats include a water-filled play space so toys can't float away, and many include a canopy for sun protection.

When you purchase a water float for your baby, keep these important guidelines in mind:

• The water float should be designed to hold more than your baby's current weight. Check the manufacturer's specifications. Your baby will continue to increase in height and weight throughout the swimming season, so allow for growth.

• The baby seat should be made of strong fabric, yet be comfortable against your baby's legs. Thin plastic will tear easily, putting your baby in danger of falling through the seat. The seat is the most important part of a baby float. It is also the part that receives the most wear and tear as you put baby in and out of the float.

• The baby seat should sit low enough that your baby cannot lean forward and tip out over the top of the float. A baby who tips forward into the water will not be able to right himself. A drowning can occur in only seconds.

• The outer flotation ring should be low enough that the baby can easily see and reach into the water over it. When the baby can't easily reach over the tube into the water half the fun is missing.

• Dual inflation chambers protect the baby if one chamber of an inflatable water float should spring a hole and deflate. However, under no circumstances should you leave your baby's water safety completely up to the float. No baby should ever be out of a parent's reach when in the water.

• If your baby water float has a sun shade, it should be adjustable. A non-adjustable sun shade will be ineffective unless positioned very exactly, which is impossible without constantly adjusting the position of the float.

• Check out how difficult it will be to lift your baby in and out of the water float if the sunshade cannot be removed. It may require more than one person to get your baby comfortably into and out of a baby water float if the sunshade is in the way.
 

NEVER LEAVE YOUR CHILD ALONE IN OR NEAR THE WATER