7 Reasons Why Floaties Are A Bad Idea

1. Floaties, also known as water wings can pop, deflate, or slide off leaving your child helpless, scared and susceptible to drowning!

2. They give a false sense of safety and make the child believe it is ok to be near water without adult supervision.

3. They keep the child in a vertical position. This is an unnatural position for swimming. When learning to swim, it is important that they are comfortable with being horizontal in the water. For most children learning to float can be one of the harder tasks for them to learn because it may feel unnatural for them.

4. “Floaties” can make a parent too comfortable while their child is in water. They may feel that the floaties are keeping their child safe and that they do not need to be actively watching them.

5. They make your child believe that they “know how to swim”..Time and again children who are use to wearing arm floatation devices have jumped into the water believing that they have the ability to swim, when they do not.

6. Floaties are not Coast Guard Approved. In short, floaties are considered a toy because they can be blown up and easily deflated.

7. They do not replace swim lessons or proper instruction from a certified swim instructor. Many parents believe that their child will just naturally learn to swim once they use floaties and gain comfort in the water. There are many ways to get a child comfortable in the water that can be explored with swim lessons.