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6 LIFE JACKET TIPS THAT CAN SAVE YOUR CHILD’S LIFE – By: Joe Cole
Jan
6 LIFE JACKET TIPS THAT CAN SAVE YOUR CHILD’S LIFE
Swimming is a very healthy activity and most parents teach their children how to swim at very early age. Swimming not only makes children physically strong, it is also crucial for their development. Many parents buy their little children few water toys but what about a proper life jacket which is more important than anything else because it concerns the safety of the child. Iife jackets are not only used for boating, but they are also used for other activities like when your child is playing near the pool or near the open water.
When we see the actual data, we come to know that drowning in water is the second biggest reason of the death of infants who are under five years old. For this purpose, parents should make strict precautions to ensure the safety and security of their children, and this safety in the water can only be achieved by a life jacket. Assuming that you have purchased a life jacket for your child, here is a list of 6 life jacket tips that you can use to ensure the safety of your child.
- Making Sure the Safety Standards
When you are buying a life jacket for your child, the first thing you need to consider is you should make sure whether it meets the safety standards as provided by the fisheries and ocean departments. You can either buy a lifejacket or a PFD; both of these are similar but have few distinctive properties. The life jacket, as well as PFD, is strapped around the torso; life jackets are designed in a way that they flip a person from face down to face upwards, but, PFDs don’ have this feature.
One thing worth mentioning is that few people think that the water toys that they have bought for their children are sufficient for their safety which is entirely wrong and very dangerous. No toys can replace the life jacket.
- Choosing a Jacket According to the Weight of your Child
You cannot just go in the market and ask for a life jacket for your little child if you don’t know the weight of your little one because life jackets are made differently from one another considering different weights. In different regions of the world, for instance, in Canada, in order to use a life jacket, your infant must be at least 9 kg. If he has less weight than that, he is not allowed to go into the water or to use any life jacket as per the security standards. If you are looking for a life jacket for your child that is highly reliable, you can explore it and many other products on Groupon, use Groupon coupon to save.
You should never buy a bigger jacket for your child thinking that your child will grow in it. It shouldn’t also be too much tight that you find it extremely difficult to pull up the zipper.
- Choosing Right Features
Whenever you purchase a life jacket for your child, you always make sure that you have made some research and you know all the proper features that a life jacket should have. Here are some
- The jackets you are buying must necessarily have a large collar so that it can support the head of your child.
- It should also have a looped strap so that you can grab your child easily.
- The jacket should be durable as well as highly functioning. It should have waist ties, proper zippers, buckles, as well as a safety strap.
- The jacket you buy must have bright colors so that you can see your child even from a distance. If you cannot find any jacket with bright colors, add some extra reflective tape on the jacket.
- Jackets can Never Replace Adult Supervision
Most people think that their child is wearing a life jacket and that is why they are free to do whatever they want and go wherever they like leaving their child near the water which is a highly dangerous thing to do. Adult supervision is extremely necessary despite the fact that your child is wearing a life jacket, and life jackets are a very poor substitute for adult supervision.
According to many security standards, infants with 9 kg weight, even if they are wearing a life jacket, should be kept within arm’s reach, and others who are less than 9 kg must be held by adults.
- Testing the Life Jacket
Before you completely trust your child with the life jacket, you have to test it many times, and it is even better that you test the life jacket every time you use it. Testing the jacket means looking for any broken strap or buckle, and if you find that there are any rips in the jacket, replace the jacket immediately. As your child is constantly growing, you should make sure every summer that your child fits in the previous jacket, if not, you should buy a new one for him.
This guest post is written by Joe Cole, he works at Coupon Goo.
Sources:
http://www.parents.com/kids/safety/other-safety-issues/choosing-life-jackets-for-kids/
http://www.boats.com/reviews/life-jacket-tips-for-adults-and-children/
