Customer Reviews

Stearns Kids Puddle Jumper Basic Life Jacket

5 star:		(113)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

i purchased this product for my 23-month-old daughter last week. she's a little under the weight requirement of 30 pounds (she weighs 22 pounds), and it still fits her nicely with the belt on its smallest setting. she loves swimming in the puddle jumper. she didn't ask to take it off once while we were at the pool for our first wear, and she had it on for two hours. it increased her confidence tremendously in the water and made the pool experience so much more relaxing for me. no more tired arms and wrists from holding her afloat.
she didn't ever drift face-first in the water wearing the puddle jumper. i was surprised at how well it held her upright. she even floats on her back with glee.
the puddle jumper also dried quickly and was so much less bulky than many swimming aids i've seen for her age group.
best $15 i have ever spent for summertime fun!

This has totally given my son confidence in the water. He started using it around 18 months and now he's 22 months old and can swim all over the pool on his own with it. He even jumps in from the side of the pool, makes a big splash and floats back up. He loves it and is much more confident in the water now. And I don't have to lug a 35 lb toddler through the water. He's also learned to keep his head up, as this floaty keeps his chest and head afloat, unlike other arm floaties or suits I've seen.

I have bought other vests and floatees and this is by far the best product out there. I am much more at ease at the pool now knowing that my 2 and 4-year old are wearing these. Other vests allow a child to go face first in the water if not being held by an adult. This one has no material in the back, except the clip, which makes the child bob with his face out of the water. My 2-year-old girl is confident enough in this to float on her own. It is the best. They come in all sorts of different colors. I would never buy another type of floatee ever again, and would definitely consider buying this one as gifts for friends and family. I love this product! It is easily worth the double the money for the safety it provides.

I think I know bit about Swim Air Floats since I've tested out few of them. I'm a SCUBA diver, swimmer, former water polo player, sail, windsurf, and so on. My son doesn't have an option when it comes to swimming. I got family membership to YMCA so he will feel comfortable in the water age of 25month.

The 1st float I've bought was Swimways Baby Spring Float Activity Center with Canopy when my son was about a year old. We were invited to a pool party and wanted him to enjoy it. It is well built, it's lining that's not rubbery/plastic material and my son liked it. Floats well and after a year it has no holes and still can be useable. Unfortunately it doesn't really help with swimming and restricts movement and probably not allowed in YMCA or gym pools.

2nd Float suit-The Original Swimschool Learn to Swim - Floatation Suit for Girls Medium/Large in boys (Amazon did not have boy version This worked well since it kept my son's head above the water and gave enough buoyancy. Only problem is with this type of material, after about month of 2 in chlorinated pool, it deteriorated and became super stretchy to the point that the foams inside the suit were going over my son's mouth. We got rid of it but kep the foamy pads just in case.

3rd Float Suit-Speedo Begin To Swim Float Suit - (S/M Royal Blue) is level 2 in swimming which means it will not let your kid float all by itself. They'll need to kick in order to keep their nose and mouth above the water. Which maybe fine for older kid but my kid back then about 25 month cannot kick consistently and he drank some pool water and puked. I did stuff 2 foam pad from his 2nd suit in the front which gave him enough buoyancy that his head was above the water but after 2 month in chlorinated pool water, same thing happened as the 2nd suit. Became super stretch and foam was floating around his mouth.

4th Float Suit-Body Glove Childs 2mm Pro 2 Shorty I'm a diver and my 3mm gives me some buoyancy so I figured it was worth a try since I found it in craigslist used for $15. It does not give any buoyancy but it is a sturdy material and will keep my son away from UV rays and keep him warm.

5th is the Puddle Jumper. Only difference I can tell from this and the Deluxe Stearns Kids' Puddle Jumper Deluxe Life Jacket is this one is made with nylon and deluxe is made with polyester. I don't have the deluxe so I can't compare if that material is better but the regular one's durable nylon material is something similar to the orange lifevest you get when you rent a boat- something like thisAbsolute Outdoor Kent Adult Compliance PFD Type II Life Jacket. It's durable won't stretch and so far no schaffing. It is comfortable to wear and take off. It's just one strap and don't need to put the pants on then arm part like wet suit. In the water, my son was floating with his head way out of the water and right away started to swim in correct position. Maybe it's his comfort lever but with the The Original Swimschool Learn to Swim - Floatation Suit for Girls Medium/Large he was kicking his feet while floating vertical. Speedo Begin To Swim Float Suit - (S/M Royal Blue) he was swimming less about 30 degree to vertical even with extra foam pad but with the puddle jumper, he was swimming almost lying flat to the water and he was using his arms. When he was paddling with his arms as well, his mouth can be near the water but he knows to close his mouth. When he stops kicking he'll return to vertical position and is his head is well out of the water especially if he keeps his arms down. And life guards at my YMCA has prevent other kids from using blow up arm tubes but allowed my son to use this. It is coast guard approved.

I have a kids life vest but my son found it too cumberson.

I was leaning toward The Original Konfidence Jacket as my son's 5th float suit but it is expensive, the foams are inside the suit which can make it cumbersome, some reviewers said it didn't keep the kid's head above the water, and final deal breaker was when I found out that the foam pockets are made from same material as the suit 2 and 3...i knew it wouldn't last long in the chlorinated pool.

Conclusion - with the right material, easy to put on and take off, providing correct swim position, coat guard approved, keeps my son's head way above water, this is definite winner for now. If I find something better, I will update.

My Daughter 20 month old always loved the water and was never afraid until 2 weeks ago we were at the lake and we put a swim suit with floats built into it on her. She hated wearing the bulky life vest. She lost her balance and fell face first and could not get her self up and her face keep going under until we pulled her up. She would not go back in the water that weekend. As soon as we got home I went on line to look for a safe alterative and I am so happy that I found the Puddle Jumper
It came rate away and my daughter put it rate on and wore it around the yard for hours. Then when we went to the Lake again she went back in with some reservations but after she realized what she could do with the Puddle Jumper on she was on her belly kicking up a storm. I am going to order more for the lake house so all the kids that come over can have some. Only one reason I did not give it 5 stars the arms need a elstic around the top or bottom to help them stay up when they are runing around.

My two-year-old is big for her age (in the 90% for height and weight). This barely goes on her arms and barely snaps in the back. If your child is 2 1/2 or older and is big for their age, this may not fit them. I wish I had had one last summer when it would have fit better.

I bought two of these for my 5 year old daughter and my 4 year old niece. Neither of them can swim a stroke, but this product allowed them to freely move around in the pool and stay afloat without any assistance. They loved being able to move around without having to be stuck in the 2 foot kiddie pool. This gives them the confidence to begin to learn to swim.

This life vest is so much better and safer than water wings. No parent should ever use inflatable water wings again. Kids love them.

This was the best purchase I made all summer for my toddler. I just wish I'd gotten it at the beginning of the summer! Several of our friends have purchased this after seeing ours, and they love theirs, too. My 16-month-old desperately wanted to get out of my arms in the pool, but obviously couldn't swim and hates sitting in those restrictive float-things. This is absolutely perfect. It is not obtrusive & doesn't ride up around his head like a regular life jacket, but helps him stay above water better than just the arm floaties. This keeps his face out of the water but allows for plenty of movement. He is thrilled because he can float on his own (near me, of course!) and loves the freedom. Even in very shallow pools (1-2 feet of water) he does better with this on because he can stand back up on his own better if he falls down. Besides how practical it is, it's just so darn cute on him!

I got this for my 2 year old son after my wife saw another kid with something like this. It works great. My son can be in the water by himself (of course we don't do that). He feels very comfortable with it and keeps his head above the water nicely so he can kick around and move around. A very nice design