Children Lifejacket

[Speedling]

3 kids, ages 4, 3, and 8 months currently.
Life Jackets for the older two are on BEFORE they get on the boat and stay on until they get out of the boat to get into car. Docks, they are on. Anchor, they are on.
Our exception is the little one. The infant life jackets are horrid. haven't found a good one yet. They keep him safe, I'm sure, but the zipper stuff is stuck up into his face so badly that he either has to chew on it, or get rubbed raw. So, once we are at anchor, and no boats are around on that day, we have taken it off so he can crawl around on the bottom of the boat. Believe me, I am quite alert during these times as DNR patrols often.
Don't know what the rule is while at anchor, but my kids will jump off the boat to go swimming with or without it so they will ALWAYS have it on.

 

[SCSTWG]

For very young children, I highly recommend life jackets with a handle behind their head that an adult can grab if necessary to hoist them out of the water if needed.

Not necessarily recommending this particular jacket (grabbed photo from the 'net), but this is the type of handle I described above (black loop at top of photo):
View attachment 11714

I was going to say the same thing. For little ones, I like the ability to handle them by the collar. I also like the type that has a strap through the crotch area for really small children.

 

[biglar155]

...I also like the type that has a strap through the crotch area for really small children.

I think most, if not all, of the "child" PFDs have this strap nowadays. Once you hit "Youth" they don't have them anymore - so make sure your kids are wearing them snug enough! I usually pick them up by the shoulders of the vest to make sure they aren't falling out.

 

[jetboater4life]

My kids, 9, 8, and 6 and friends they bring along, wear their life jackets the moment they step out of the car as we are loading up the boat at the ramp until they hop off the boat just before getting back in the car. My oldest two can swim in the no touch zones of the pool but two many crazy things can happen when jumping off a boat into the lake to not wear them. We have the sterns neoprene life jackets from Walmart. No complaints from the kids so far. Sometimes they will get a red rash under the arm near the armpit which is quite painful when washing up in the bathtub. I apply some Vaniply ointment and that takes care of it. A few weeks back they tried to wear their life jackets upside-down like diapers. Talk about a drowning waiting to happen. I explained why that wasn't a good idea and ended the shenanigans.

 

[cane.mba]

Lanier is up to 160' deep at the deepest point, visibility is on average 3-5' tops. No matter how well kids swim, stuff happens, and I'm not willing to lose one of them because they are uncomfortable. We do have neoprene life jackets, and I will let the boys take them off while we are anchored, however, the rule is if your butt is off the seat, you wear the jacket. The basic rule is that the boys put the life jacket on as soon as they walk onto our dock. They are not allowed to take them off until they leave the dock. We have found that wearing swim shirts helps reduce the irritation (and reduces chances on sunburn)


http://www.georgiawildlife.com/new-boating-regulations-2013

• New Boating Under the Influence (BUI) Law, Effective May 15, 2013: Known as the "Jake and Griffin Prince BUI Law," this law lowers the blood alcohol concentration for BUI to 0.08, mirroring Georgia's DUI law. The change is effective May 15, 2013.
• New Life Jacket Requirement, Effective May 15, 2013: Requires that children under 13 years old wear a personal flotation device (PFD) when aboard a moving vessel on Georgia waters.
• New Boater Education Requirement, Effective July 1, 2014: Known as the "Kile Glover Boat Education Law," this law requires that anyone born on or after January 1, 1998 who operates any motorized vessel on Georgia waters must complete a boating education course approved by DNR prior to operation of such vessel.
• 100-Foot Law: Prohibits people from operating any vessel at a speed greater than idle speed within 100 feet of any vessel which is moored, anchored or adrift outside normal traffic channels, or within 100 feet of any wharf, dock, pier, piling, bridge structure or abutment, person in the water, or shoreline of any residence or public use area. It is also illegal for watercraft operators to jump the wake of another vessel within 100 feet. This law has been in effect, but is still commonly violated by boat and watercraft operators on Georgia waters.

 

[Wayloncle]

I've always told my son the law says 12 and under has to wear one, then I read that in FL it is 6 and under! I didn't tell him that, not that it matters what the law says, I'd still make him wear it.

 

[mattbaker]

And that's a good thing! Forgetting about what the law says and focusing more on safety is the greatest decision. The safety is much more important for toddlers as they can't help themselves in the water, and for them, the Stearns Infant Classic is a great help.

Source https://lifejacketexpert.com/best-life-jacket-for-toddlers/