An infant life jacket can literally mean the difference between life and death. When a small child gets in trouble in the water, their first instinct is to panic and their life vest may be the only thing that saves them from drowning. That is why choosing the right infant life jacket is so important.

The first thing you must determine is if your child is big enough to safely be on the water. According to the US Coast Guard, a child should weigh at minimum 18 pounds to be safe. Babies smaller than this simply will not fit correctly into an infant life jacket and you should weigh your infant before shopping for an adequate vest.

Even if you know that, your infant weighs more than the 18 pounds recommended it is still a good idea to get a proper weight as many infant life jackets are rated by this measurement. Once you have this completed, you can begin to look at the available jackets.

You will want to check all the safety features of the jacket. There should be an oversized float collar on the jacket. This collar is a mechanism put in place to keep the babies face out of the water should they fall out of a boat or get free from a parent. All infant life jackets should also have a strap that goes between the babies legs, keeping it from coming off.

Another safety feature that is helpful to have is a loop sewed into the jacket. This loop should adhere well to the jacket because they were made to give you something to grab onto if your child is floating away from you.

All of the safety features of an infant life jacket are practically useless if the vest does not fit properly. The best way to insure a perfect fit is to take your child shopping with you. Buckle them into the potential life jacket and then pick them up with the shoulders of the vest. Your child should stay securely in the vest and their nose and chin should not slip down. If all of the above is good, you have a correct fit.

Perhaps the most important step in choosing an infant life jacket is how it performs. You can test the vest when you get it home by taking your child out to the pool with another adult and giving it a test drive. Use a shallow pool and be sure to have helping hands close by just in case. Children grow quickly and can outgrow a vest before you know it, this test is especially important if you are using a hand me down vest.