Experts are finally starting to agree that water wings are a bad idea for children's water safety. At Janes Aquatics, we do not allow children to wear water wings and encourage you to do the same when you have your kiddos at the beach or pool.
As you can see in the above photo, one of the biggest dangers of water wings is the possibility that they will come off of a child's arms, or deflate. This would, obviously, leave your child in a VERY dangerous situation. Newer styles of water wings have a band across the chest which helps prevent this problem, but the risk of deflating remains.
Another issue with water wings is the false sense of security they give. Granted, all flotation devices give some false sense of security, but water wings do so in a very bad position, which we will get into later. With fully inflated wings on, children cannot, and do not feel the need to use their arms. They also cannot put their face in the water. They are essentially crippled, and forming bad habits for the future.
Finally, and in my opinion, most dangerously, water wings put your child in a totally vertical position in the water. Imagine your body is like a boat...do you really want it to be vertical in the water??
A head-up feet-down position in the water is a drowning position. From this position, it is nearly impossible for a weaker swimmer to kick themselves into a horizontal swimming position, and the weight of their head slowly pushes them down.
A good fitting life vest is an excellent flotation device, but it is designed to keep you slightly on your back with your face toward the sky. While it will save your life, it is not a good position to swim from. Janes Aquatics recommends an adjustable float suit to help your child stay safe while helping them learn to swim. As they get better in the water, you can begin removing the floats (starting with the front floats to avoid the vertical position mentioned above). This will help them stay safe, get used to their face in the water, and gain confidence with good swimming posture. The amazon link below is a good example of such a suit.
Have fun this summer and stay safe, but remember that the best water safety is knowing how to swim and self-rescue, and nothing beats a good set of eyes watching little ones in the water.
Coach Jeff
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