This is what every instructor I know wants to do with your child’s floaties.
A child who spends ALL their time in a floatation device has a terrifying false sense of safety in the water.
Floaties make children believe like they can swim vertically with their heads out of the water, with very little physical effort.
In a perfect world there would be no floaties.
But… We don’t live in a perfect world and I’m not naive enough to believe that I’m going to convince everyone to go home and stab their floaties for me
So here’s a few Do’s and Don’ts if you MUST use floaties
Choose better ones than these – a good floatation device isn’t easily removed and is self righting – meaning it will keep the head OUT of the water and not submerge a child under the water.
Always give your child plenty of time OUT of their floatation device. An ideal amount of time is 50/50. Children who spend ALL their time in floaties don’t understand the outcome of the water.
They don’t understand that you SINK in the water. The don’t understand that you need to hold your breath when you go under. This false sense of safety in the water is terrifying.
One of my biggest concerns about floaties is actually the false sense of safety they can give a parent.
If you’re using floaties, please make sure you are still within arm’s reach of your child.
A floatie isn’t an excuse for you to stay on dry land. If your child needs floaties, they are not a competent swimmer and still need to be supervised within arm’s length.
If you MUST use floaties, please remember that it’s still possible for a child to get stuck in a face down float. You still need to have eagle eyes on them at all times
So, if you’re not prepared to join me in the stabbing of floaties, please consider the way you use them.