The summer is so fun! You get to spend time outside with your kids, and that’s even more fun when you introduce water. I even get to try out that luxury swimwear I was saving for. But yikes, with that comes the stress of keeping them safe. It takes all of the excitement away when you’re made to feel that you need an extra set of eyes on your tots around any type of water source. And if you plan on getting on a boat, forget about it; my anxiety levels goes to 11, and I’m on high alert the entire time. The day usually ends with me wondering why my neck and shoulders are in agonizing pain. Were all of my muscles in a vice grip along with my nerves? That’s no way to spend the summer.
My solution has always been to force my girls to wear uncomfortable life vests. You know the kind – plastic-y with a seam right around the collar that stabs the neck. The material not only sticks to skin, but it essentially forms a straitjacket. Without fail, there’s a lot of argument when I make my kids put them on, then some sort of negotiation during which I agree to bottomless ice cream sundaes…that they later throw up. Did I say summer is fun?
Puddle Jumpers will save your summer and mine! Coleman, the parent company of Stearns, has just come out with a new collection of life vests called Puddle Jumpers. They sent me, along with other amazing tot bloggers, to Miami to test out the Puddle Jumpers on a very posh luxury yacht where the kids played freely in the open waters of Biscayne Bay. This would normally be my nerves’ worst nightmare, but once my girls put on the life vests, they didn’t want to take them off. They are super comfy because they are made from Hydroprene fabric, which is like neoprene only it’s buoyant and won’t take in water. The interior is polyethylene foam. This feels like memory foam, but is very lightweight and also won’t take in water. The vests zip up, then are secured with adjustable buckles to keep them from riding up when you jump in the water. While the child version has a leg strap to keep it down, the youth vest doesn’t since riding up isn’t an issue for older children.
I was able to relax and let my tots be free of my laser attention. I even let them wakeboard and go on a floating chair all by themselves in the open ocean! Even though my kids are pool-safe, the ocean is a whole other animal. I don’t care if they are amazing swimmers; everyone needs to wear life vests when they go out on a boat in open waters, especially if you’re participating in a sport. And that, of course, applies to the youngest of us. For infants, Puddle Jumpers has amazing vests with headrests, and for toddlers in pool settings, there are chest bands with arm floaties to keep them feeling confident as they learn to swim. Stearns has always carried adult life vests, but now with these new additions, the entire family can enjoy, relax, and be safe. That for me is the biggest gift of AHHHHHHH!!
Infant Jacket (on Amazon for $25.48)
Kids Chest Band and Floaties (on Amazon for $20.32 – $24.25)
Kids Jacket (on Amazon for $37.22)
Youth Jacket (on Amazon for $39.99)
Adult Jacket (on Amazon for $16.23 – $24.99)
Photo Credits: Luke Sydow, Coleman
