Swimming aids

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Can anyone recommend a swimming float - currently use arm bands with DS (3yrs) but am wondering if he would be better with one of those vest / float things. Which are best for helping teach children to swim?

We use a swim vest with DD, who has just turned 4. Been using one for past 9 or 10 months I guess, although only go swimming, on average, once a month. DD gets on with the vest really well and finds it better than arm bands. Holds her better int he water and she is then free to swim around on her own with it, much more so than she could with arm bands. We also have a float which she holds out inf ront of her part of eacht ime we go swimming (no vest on) to get her used to holding her own weight up int he water.

Have just bought a vest for DS as we go on holiday soon and wanted him to have one for extra safety, he liked it but was a bit unsure at first but will get used to it.

We used floatsuits for both ds and dd, from about age 2y6m. The stripey long-legged sort, with lots of little floats that fit into pockets around the torso. We thought they would be more comfortable than a float vest that might ride up under the arms. The suits are also UV rated (but oddly don't cover the shoulders much). The children loved the suits, and having lots of little floats meant that we could adjust the buoyancy fairly precisely for each child. The trick, we found, was to give them just enough buoyancy that their heads were above water, but not their shoulders. That way they could go under as well, if they chose, or swim on their backs, yet didn't topple over. The only drawback to the suits was that the high lycra content (like any swimsuit) and the fact that we wnet swimming every week, meant that they wore out within 12-18m. Still, I'd recommend them.

OTOH, since dd's wore out we haven't replaced it, and she just uses armbands and is very happy with them.

They are expensive though aren't they? Ours cost £26 from mothercare and they cost the same at ELC.

Yes they are. I am looking to get DD a new one. I sold her age 2-4 years one for £10 plus P&P and it went within an hour or so of putting it on ebay. Now need to replace it!

Yes, they were about £23, IIRC. But OTOH they replaced swimming trunks too.

Ooops, I was referring to cost of the vsts, rather than the suits. We buy seperates - DD likes to wear a costume in an indoor pool, but I like her to wear her UV sets outside, especially on holiday.

This is just a vest with 8 buoyancy floats inside it.

Ah - confused again! LOL, that is what I meant too :)

thanks - think I will get one and see how he gets on with it.