While the water is hands down one of the best ways to have fun with the whole family, it is also one of the leading causes of accidents for children. According to the World Health Organization drowning is the third leading cause of death in children aged 1-14. Anyone would agree that one of the best ways to prevent drowning in a non-swimmer is a life jacket.
In the past I have just thought of life jackets as a bummer. They are bulky, uncomfortable, and not flattering or fashionable. I couldn’t even get my son to put one on last summer when I tried to go on the boat on the Fourth of July. However, I recently received the Edge Brand Batman flotation vest in the mail for my son, and we both instantly fell in love with this thing. With its superhero logo on the front, stretchy sides, and design that makes my son look like a muscle man, my super hero crazed four year old had the biggest smile on his face all day. The company which sells out of Toys R Us, also makes a Superman vest, which you could order if your child is more of a Superman fan. The vests retail for $19.99 at the store, which is about the same price as two action figures.
The float is designed for kids who are in phase 2 of the learn to swim stages. In this stage children cannot swim, but need something to keep them afloat so they can learn to paddle. It is recommended for kids in the 33 – 55 pound weight limit. If you need an estimate of weight, my four year old in the 50% percentile, weighs 34 lbs, so this will fit him for awhile. Probably even the whole time period that he doesn’t know how to swim.
My boyfriend recently won day passes to a local indoor water park and my son immediately said, “I am going to bring my BATMAN vest!” With a big smile on his face. He was so proud of his vest and was showing everyone including strangers his really big muscles.
Normally my son is super fearful of the water. He does not like it getting on his face, and it is a little bit of a struggle to get him to go into a pool at all. However, this vest gave him the excitement and confidence that he needed to go into the pool and actually give the water a chance. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw my little boy zipping down water slides alone and in the lazy river with a smile on his face.
With its double sided floats and superior buoyancy, my son was able to splash around without fear his head going under water. I was able to stand back a little bit and actually enjoy myself as well in the pool. Which was a nice change.
As you can tell from the pictures of my son, he is very fair skinned. I recall one checkup the pediatrician even went as far as describing my sons skin color as “practically translucent” . He even gets sun burnt riding in the backseat of the car with the windows down. A major selling feature of this product to me is that it offers 50 + UVF protection against the sun.
If I ever forget my son’s rash guard at home this will provide him with extra protection from the suns rays. No more putting aloe lotion on my son’s burnt shoulders before bed with this vest around!
This life jacket seems to be made of quality material. It still looks new after a whole day of swimming and getting tossed around in the trunk of my Jeep. I imagine it will hold up for many years. The material on the vest is surprisingly soft for a life jacket and the elastic on the sides are super stretchy to fit around your Justice League member’s body. After swimming I put it in a plastic bag and took it home with me. I was kind of worried about how long it would take to dry, but to my surprise in the morning it was completely dry and ready for another day of swimming.
While my son really seems to like his vest and says it is comfortable, he was complaining about the buckle that goes between his legs. In order to keep the vest not riding up on his neck in the water you had to have the strap between his legs pretty tight. There was a little bit of padding on the butt area of the strap, but none for the front which seemed to bother my son. He kept wanting to unbuckle that part even after we loosened it. My mom even asked me “Are you sure this is made for boys and you didn’t just get a girls one?”
This vest would honestly be perfect to me if it didn’t have that strap. However, I still really do like the vest despite that design flaw.
Weeks after receiving this vest, my son still loves it and feels like a superhero in it. He even begs to take it in the bathtub with his superhero action figures. I can’t wait to try it out at local pools as well as at the beach this year. I’m grateful for the confidence that it gives him in the water and the peace of mind I get when he wears it.
Visit Toys R Us to get your own Superman or Batman life vest so your kids can feel like superheroes at the pool this year too.
5555 Townline Rd., Vernon Hills | (847)367-0029
6170 W. Grand Ave., Gurnee | (847)855-5961
1610 Deerfield Rd., Highland Park | (847)831-5500
Disclosure: The writer received a Edge Brand Batman Boys Life Jacket to facilitate this review, all thoughts and opinions are her own and no further compensation was received.
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