I get asked all the time, “do you recommend puddle jumpers?” As a lifeguard first ,”yes” and as a mother of 4 kids, “yes”, as a master instructor “no.” Safety being my first priority , puddle jumpers that are approved by the coast guard are safe. Meaning I would rather see and pool full of puddle jumpers, instead of Noodles or inflatable anything. Inflatables can stop working or get away from the non swimmer. Life vests are prefered when on a boat or in a lake or ocean, any open water setting.
Why Swim instructors don’t want your kids to wear them.
Why swim instructors think they are dangerous. Puddle jumpers are crutches to help keep your kids safer. They may give your kid confidence that they can swim. That is the main danger of puddle jumpers or any life preserver used all the time. That is the students reality they can float, swim. If your kids have been jumping to someone who catches them over and over, that’s a false sense of security too. Let your kids jump to the bottom of the pool shallow(3 ft deep) end,not your arms. Otherwise , they can be set up to fail and we don’t want that.
Puddle jumpers had just come out when my kids were little(1995-2000 ).
Now I had the choice to use puddle jumpers to going to a swimming pool . Puddle jumpers became my friend. Because it allows kids more freedom of movement on their backs and thru the shoulders. Life vests keep the person in a upright position keeping them from getting the faces in the water, in case the wearer becomes unconscious. Puddle jumpers are made to be worn with a adult around. Puddle jumpers are not going to keep a kid in a rip current or going down a river as safe as a life preserver.
To keep my kids safe around water.
I would work with each of my children one at a time on jumping and climbing out. Building the strength and creating muscle memory so they would know where the bottom and the side of the pool is. Bounce a scoop and also be done with or with aids. “Mommy me catch me” happened over and over. But catching happens after they pop off the bottom and help them back to the wall.
Backstroke and freestyle can be worked on with the jumper, to start and then weaned off. It’s very important to take the floating aids off at least once an hour every time your going in the swimming pool. Reality and life lessons can be learned in safe setting. Using language about how the puddle jumpers or swim muscles help them stay on top of the water. Telling/showing your kids that without the puddle jumpers they would have to bounce and scoop or backstroke back to the wall. I always show kids how deep the water is without the jumper on. In most of the drownings that happen with kids and puddle jumpers, the kids do not have their jumpers on, but they had them on within the last 24-36 hours. It’s a sad situation when anyone drowns, preventable drowning are most challenging because everyone thinks their was something they could have done. All anyone can do is the best they can. So use puddle jumpers as a tool for safety, always keep kids in arm’s length when they don’t have the jumpers on. Think of puddle jumpers like training wheels they don’t stay on forever.
Of course taking lessons in swimming and play with your family in the pool is the best way to become a swim independant.
The goal is loving to swim for life,
Miss Jean