Customer Reviews

Stearns Kids' Puddle Jumper Deluxe Life Jacket

5 star:		(241)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Last year, we almost lost a grandchild. She had been wearing the popular water wings. The parent was distracted just for a minute. That is all it takes; a second, a minute. She pulled off the wings and jumped right in. We were lucky - there were people trained in CPR in the area and she was revived. This year, we are smart. We bought these wonderful puddle jumpers. Not only is it coast guard approved as a life jacket, but it is not removable by the child wearing it.

We purchased five different life jackets for the 20 month old twins. The traditional styled ones rode up at the shoulders. The Swimways Power Swimr System was difficult to get on and did nothing to keep the babies' heads above water. Nor did the Speedo UV 50.

We put the Stearns Kids Puddle Jumper on the first baby and she jumped into the pool for the first time in her life and paddled happily around for hours (see photo). The second twin took a little longer learning how to stay upright and she didn't want to take it off.

I dinged it a star, though, because it's so tight in the arms that it is hard to get on and off. It's easier if you get both the jacket and their arms wet first. However, neither twin complained once they got it on and there were no marks on their arms afterwards.

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The twins are now three and can still wear their jackets although they take them off for swimming lessons. Their younger brother is a bit stouter and we have to grease up his chunky arms to get his on him. Another grandbaby on the way so I guess I need to buy a fourth one.

I bought this for my can't-swim-but-loves-to-jump-into-the-pool 2-year-old. I need him to be safe around our yard. I was attracted by the USCG rating and the reviews.

My son is a skinny little dude, barely 30 pounds, and there is only about an inch of the belt hanging out when we cinch it around him. I don't know how a 50-lb kid would ever be able to snap the belt around him. My son was able to pull his (dry) arms right out of the sleeves when we put it on. I don't think that he would be able to slither out of the other part, but that was a disturbing revelation.

Still, something is better than nothing, so we proceeded to the pool. My son quickly got the hang of it and was able to flip back to his tummy every time he inadvertently bobbed onto his back. This PFD does NOT (and does not claim to) keep your child's head out of the water. He must be able to do that himself. The chest part of this rode up to my son's armpits/chin whenever he was floating (as opposed to standing or sitting on the step). It didn't seem to bother him but it seemed uncomfortable to me. He kicked about with confidence. I suppose if his arms were longer, he'd have been able to "swim" "normally", but I don't know how he could do a freestyle stroke with those sleeves on. His arms never slipped out while he was in the pool. The belt across his back stayed snug while he was in the water and didn't loosen up as he played.

This vest really gave him confidence and freedom in the pool. He loved the turtle design and I loved that I could tow him all over the pool without tiring myself out by having to hold all his weight. He eschewed pool toys and wanted merely to paddle around the pool and explore the skimmer and chlorine tablet floater. When we got out, the vest slipped off without a lot of pulling, even though (or maybe because) he wears a rash guard in the pool.

So, overall, it's great for us, but I'm not sure it would work for a much larger kid.

Length:: 0:29 Mins

[Edit 6/29/2011: Adding the video for those who would like to see the Puddle Jumper in use on a young toddler who had no previous swimming experience. At the point this video is taken (6/24/2011), he is 17.5 months old, 27lbs, and had a total of 1 week and 5 days of Puddle Jumper experience, with no swimming experience before that at all. So it's not a review, per se, just a quick example of how a young toddler at the low end of the weight range experiences the product. He is treading and learning how to do a basic dog paddle. Note that the Jumper doesn't ride up under his chin the way other reviewers report.]

My 17m (27lbs, 35" tall) son didn't have any pool experience at all really before these last three weeks. But summer season is starting, so I bought him the Deluxe Puddle Jumper , namely because it becomes quite a constant strain to always be providing all of the buoyancy and support for a bouncy, active toddler in the water. We bought the Blue Turtle, it's very cute and very similar to the product photo.

Before I give my review (we are very pleased), I thought I'd give some additional sizing info for those who are interested.

Sizing on the Light end of 30-50lbs recommended weight range: My son is exactly 27lbs (35" tall) at the moment (I just weighed him), and he can wear the Puddle Jumper over his wetsuit with the Puddle Jumper belt cinched up as tight as it will go. I wish I could cinch it up a little bit tighter on him actually, there's still about a 0.5" of give, but that seems fair as the starting weight range is stated as 30lbs. The belt, fastened at the back, goes around his lower torso + suit, mid-chest. He measures about 19.5" at that point, over the wetsuit, 4-5" down from his armpit, where the Jumper goes across. I'd say if the child were much smaller than, say, 25lbs, that the Puddle Jumper would probably be just too loose.

Sizing on the upper end of the product usage, ie. With the belt let out all the way: OK, I got out the measuring tape, and have written all of this in a Product Discussion forum post, for those who are interested. The short version is: It seems to let out to a final chest measurement of 23.5" fairly snug, so I would think that's the max chest measurement you should consider if you are just buying this product. According to wetsuit guidelines that I recently have been researching, this is likely to be around the low 40-something lb mark for a child. Anyways, in the Discussion forum post I explain my method.

Background and "Testimonial": I wanted a flotation aid that would provide some more buoyancy for my 17m old non-swimmer son in the pool so that I wasn't his only source of flotation: It wears on you after a bit. Obviously, I would still be constantly holding him. I have to say, I am so impressed, the Puddle Jumper has ended up being so much more than a simple flotation aid. I find it easy to use on him because I can put one hand under the front foam section at his chest, and hold the strap on the back with my other hand to kinda "fly"/swirl him around in the water around me. I should note that my son wears a wetsuit so that he does get some additional buoyancy there.

After three times in the pool with it on (so, a full 60 mins. playing) he started learning how to tread water for several seconds on his own (we're right there beside him). After a cumulative total of 120 mins. of playing in the water with it on, now he can tread water for about five-10 seconds on his own, and then control how he shifts his center of gravity more horizontal and flips onto his front at which point he slightly kicks his legs to do a rudimentary dog paddle (we are right beside him, we are always two inches from him). To summarize, on the Monday my 17m old had zero swimming skills, and by the end of day Friday, five days later of swimming with the Puddle Jumper on, and he can do a rudimentary swim (while wearing the Puddle Jumper), after having taught himself. (Again, we're within two inches of him.) My husband and I are just average level swimmers, we're not instructors or anything.

Ease of pulling on: Very easy (for a child at the start of the weight range, at least). Even my wiggly toddler manages to stay still just long enough for me to pull on one arm, and then pull on the other arm, click the belt at the back and cinch it up. It takes about 15 seconds. It adjusts for cinching/loosening very easily, you don't have to inch the belt through the clasp or anything, so you can easily adjust on the spot for a different sized child to start using it. Another reviewer noted that they wet their child's arms to put it on, however at 27lbs, we didn't need to do that, it pulls on fine.

Floating up to chin factor: Other reviewers have noted that the Puddle Jumper floats up to and sits just under their child's chin. I don't find this on my 17m son, it doesn't seem that close to his chin at all. But he wears it over a wetsuit, and that may help keep it positioned correctly, as it gets a certain amount of grip to stay in place. And he's obviously not going to be as active in the water as an older child. In any case, he doesn't experience that as a problem.

Difference between the Deluxe Puddle Jumper and the Basic Puddle Jumper: My research shows that the Deluxe Puddle Jumper has an outer covering of woven polyester while the Basic Puddle Jumper's outer covering is nylon. I couldn't determine any other difference. I bought the Deluxe Puddle Jumper because I thought that the polyester material sounded easier to pull onto my son's arms.

Compare to Speedo Begin to Swim Classic Swim Vest (which we also bought at the same time): I wasn't sure what product would work for us, so I ordered both the Deluxe Puddle Jumper and the Speedo Begin to Swim Vest in size Medium (weight 30-40lbs). In short, we tried the Speedo Vest once in the pool with swimmies on his arms, and it's just too big for my son who has a 19.5" chest (Speedo website states chest size for the medium vest is 22"). On the Speedo Vest, only the between-the-legs strap part can be adjusted, not the actual vest itself in terms of girth. Also, the child has to exert a fair amount of treading effort to keep afloat, as it is a swim trainer. My son as a rank beginner couldn't stay afloat at all. At this point, I have no other comment on the Speedo vest, other than we kept it to use next season. It's my opinion that the Puddle Jumper is a better choice if your child is a few pounds under the 30lb mark, and has a chest size a fair amount under 22".

In summary, at 27lbs, 35" tall, with a 19.5"chest measurement, my son just fits into this product on its lowest setting. My estimate would be that the max. chest measurement would be around 23.5". I'm very pleased that the product allows the child enough support to keep them floating with some kicking/treading and encourages them to start developing early swimming skills.

I bought 3 of these for my grandchildren - 2-year old twins and a 5-year old. They loved them and were able to really enjoy our hot springs vacation. I felt comfortable knowing these qualify as Class 3 Personal Flotation Devices.

I want to start by saying I think this product is really good & if your child fits in it then it is a great item & for many reasons you won't find anything better. Water safety is so important & from all of the reviews & the one I purchased this item seems to be of very good quality. My low rating would come in how it fits. The weight shows 30-50 lbs, but there is no way this is accurate. I tried it on several children of various weights & the one's that weighed 35 lbs couldn't even get the arms up to where they are suppose to be worn. THE BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT is the clasp in back. Due to this NOT being big enough for a 35 lb child, when you clasp it shut it digs into their back & is very uncomfortable. We could barely get it clasped & after seeing how tight it was & uncomfortable they were we took it off.

Again, I'm not reviewing the quality/safety of this item as I think they are superior. I am wanting to make sure others know how this will fit. Don't be surprised if your child is w/in the 30-50 lbs & it is way too tight.

Why don't they make this bigger? I don't mind buying bigger, but I bought the largest available for 30-50 lbs, but according to our experience this would only fit up to 35 lbs (you could probably make it work above that, but not comfortably). I wish it fit bigger b/c I think it is a good & safe product.

Our pool only allows US Coast Guard certified flotation devices (even inflatable arm floaties are banned). After one too many slips and dunks in the baby pool, I did some research online and came across this product and decided to try it out with our 18 month old (~30 lbs).

I am amazed by this flotation device. It took my daughter only a minute to get used to the floatie once in the water. She loves wearing it (inside and out, I have to hide it when we're home).

The thing that makes this item so wonderful is that is has perfect balance. There is no foam on the back of it (just the strap), so if she loses her footing the natural direction for her body to go is on her back--the safest position for children in the water. The foam on the front is small enough that she can "doggy paddle" comfortably in deeper water yet still keep her head up. I can now take my daughter into the deep pool and let her swim around like a fish--she is able to control her position (on belly with head out of water, treading water, or on her back) with minimal effort. It gives her a lot of control in the water, and with that a feeling of security. Not to mention the peace of mind that if she does slip when we're in the water before I'm able to get to her, this device gives her the control to be able to find her footing or position herself in a way so that she can float on her back.

I recommend this flotation device to anyone who has a young child that participates in water activities. It is simply a must-have item.

We purchased this for my 17 month old, who weighs 25 pounds. This fits him just fine, and keeps him above water. He can slip out of the arms easily, but he will keep them on. I do like it despite the ability to slip them off.

I bought the puddle jumper for my 4 yr old daughter. Her current vest always puts her face down in the water so I can't let go of her for even a second. Thanks to the puddle jumper I no longer have to hold my daughter while in the pool. I stay within arms reach, but it's great having freedom from holding her the whole time and she actually loves the vest. The first day she wore it she was so excited and said "I can swim now!" She loves kicking and moving her arms trying to swim now. I only wish I'd have seen this swim vest sooner! My daughter is on the small side for her age, but 35 lbs. The vest fits just perfect, the arms are snug. I've had several Mom's at the pool ask me about the vest and I'm sure they will be buying one for their child. The picture online (at least on my monitor) is a shade off. The vest is kelly green with blue crabs. I thought it was more of a blue green color.

This puddle jumper is awesome. My 3 1/2 year loves it, he can't wait to put it on at the pool. It's just right in that it keeps him a float but that he has to still kick and paddle to keep his chin/neck above the water. I really think with this we are fast on our way to getting him comfortable in the water and teaching him how to swim with confidence.