When playing in the surf with our 2 daughters we make them use a life vest. the 9 year old can swim and loves to boogie board. Our youngest 5 can't swim yet. This year in Buxton on the beach we didn't see 1 child wearing one. Last year in Rodanthe we saw several children using them. just wondering everyone else's opinion on them.

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My children always wear life vests in the ocean and I recommend this to others, but I can tell you that not many do. I rarely see other kids wearing life vests. My kids just think of them as part of the ocean routine, along with bathing suits and sunscreen. I don't think a small child has much chance of surviving a rip current without a life vest.

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When my daughter was younger we made her wear one. She is 12 now and we no longer make her wear it.

It is all a matter of personal opinion with no real right or wrong answer.

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We never used life vests, but none of the kids went in, or near, the water alone. Plus, I never get in the water with them, more than waist high, without my fins.

With that said, I don't see anything wrong with using one. Especially if you think theres a chance they might slip away from you. I agree, without a life vest a toddler would have little chance in a riptide. Unfortunately, many people drown trying to save people in riptides. That's why I have my fins by my side every time we go to the beach. I swim every day, and have been caught in riptides several times. It's a sick feeling even with fins. Without fins I probably wouldn't typing this.

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... That's why I have my fins by my side every time we go to the beach. I swim every day, and have been caught in riptides several times. It's a sick feeling even with fins. Without fins I probably wouldn't typing this.

Good idea about the fins. My dad always had his when we vacationed at the beach when I was a kid.

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I make my boys wear them 7 and 11. If my 11yr old has a boogie board and an adult is in the water with him he does not have to wear one or if it is a very calm ocean day. Do what you feel is best.

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There used to be a member who was a KDH life guard who recommended NOT to use life vests on little kids. For the life of me I don't remember why, but her reasoning made sense. Any one recall this?

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There used to be a member who was a KDH life guard who recommended NOT to use life vests on little kids. For the life of me I don't remember why, but her reasoning made sense. Any one recall this?

That seems surprising. This is what the Red Cross says: "Have young children or inexperienced swimmers wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets in and the around water. No one should use any other type of floatation device unless they are able to swim." Click to follow link...

This is what the CDC says: "Around natural bodies of water: Wear life jackets. Even if they know how to swim, make sure kids wear life jackets in and around natural bodies of water." Click to follow link...

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I recall something about it to that they could be pulled out faster. But my thinking is I'd rather them above the water farther out than under it and near shore. The logic just didn't make sense to me. Just was surprised we saw none this year other than our girls.

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I wonder if the reasoning was the "gives a false sense of security" that I remember reading on here a while ago. I just could never register that in my brain. It's like saying, I'm not going to wear a seat belt b/c it gives me a false sense of security while I drive. When something is so proven as a life saving device, use it.

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Not only did our children wear a life jacket when they were young, to this day, my beach box contains an adult size life jacket and “rescue can” on seven feet of rope. I am a strong swimmer, but in the surf, well over my head, potentially trying to pull someone in who is in panic mode………….I’m gonna need all the help I can get.
Thankfully, I have never put either to use in an emergency. But better to have it and never need it than to need it and not have it!

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We never used life vests, but none of the kids went in, or near, the water alone. Plus, I never get in the water with them, more than waist high, without my fins.

With that said, I don't see anything wrong with using one. Especially if you think theres a chance they might slip away from you. I agree, without a life vest a toddler would have little chance in a riptide. Unfortunately, many people drown trying to save people in riptides. That's why I have my fins by my side every time we go to the beach. I swim every day, and have been caught in riptides several times. It's a sick feeling even with fins. Without fins I probably wouldn't typing this.

Fins are the best! Bodysurfing, bodyboarding, swimming or just plain snorkeling. What a great safety item to bring to the beach too. There's not a more fun feeling than swimming comfortably in and around big surf with fins on.

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My sons are 13 and 15 and although they don't wear them anymore, they did when they were little. In Rodanthe this summer my 7 and 5 year old nephews wore them all the time in the water. I would rather have them rescued floating far out than God forbid they are lost under the water in the ocean. I don't feel that any child could fight the undertow, and strong currents of the Outer Banks. I am a strong swimmer and sometimes it can be difficult for me. My brother even brought one for my 2 year old niece although she was petrified of the ocean and wouldn't even get her toes wet!

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My sons are 13 and 15 and although they don't wear them anymore, they did when they were little. In Rodanthe this summer my 7 and 5 year old nephews wore them all the time in the water. I would rather have them rescued floating far out than God forbid they are lost under the water in the ocean. I don't feel that any child could fight the undertow, and strong currents of the Outer Banks. I am a strong swimmer and sometimes it can be difficult for me. My brother even brought one for my 2 year old niece although she was petrified of the ocean and wouldn't even get her toes wet!

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i want my life jacket should design like Click to follow link... ,Click to follow link... these 2

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...links are to motorcycle jackets.

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i want my life jacket should design like Click to follow link... ,Click to follow link... these 2

Why are you dredging up 11-year-old posts? Start a new thread if you want.

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i want my life jacket should design like Click to follow link... ,Click to follow link... these 2

Why are you dredging up 11-year-old posts? Start a new thread if you want.

It's a bot spammer. Torpedo the account. Whack aletawatson too.

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I grew up swimming on Folly Beach in the 70s. At
7 years old me and my cousins would go to the beach and fish, crab and swim unsupervised in heavy surf. Life jackets were for Naval vessels. I never let My kids do anything close to that. We swam and surfed in rip currents and during storms. The stupidity of it was that everyone's parents allowed it back then EXCEPT for the half hour after you ate. No way you were going swimming at night, during a storm for at least a half hour after supper. Grandaddy's house was on the beach so I guess they figured they would hear the screams if something went wrong...haha
We did learn how to surf and swim without any fear of the water in pretty much any conditions.

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Something to think about. Seven years ago at the Lillian Street access in Kitty Hawk.

Heart wrenching.

Click to follow link...

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Something to think about. Seven years ago at the Lillian Street access in Kitty Hawk.

Heart wrenching.

Click to follow link...

I remember that, EZ. It was so sad. Just walking along and the worst happens. That tragedy has stuck in my head with my little ones when I have them on the beach. The shore breaks our beaches have gotten the past two summers bring it to mind. I can easily see how it could happen. Just terrible.

ETA: probably good timing for a spam post IMO since you can't be too safe when it comes to this. It needs to always be addressed. I had a life jacket on my grandson yesterday at the beach as he was fearless unfortunately. Not that I would ever let him out of my grip, but the life jacket was a back-up.

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That tragedy has stayed with me.
So horrible

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Growing up around east coast beaches, the surf didn't require a life jacket in the past. By the time the waves ran across the sandbars, they were reduced to six inches high. My mom and her friends would set their chairs in the few inches of water along the shoreline and enjoy the occasional cooling splash from an eight inch wave. Beach reconstruction has changed the waterline topography into a neck breaking zone, called 'shorebreak'. Something which used to be an occasional problem is now a regular thing, thanks to the steeper beach slope at the waterline.

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That tragedy has stayed with me.
So horrible

It’s the one that stands out in my mind the most also. I’ve been a semi local down here for 7+ decades, and have seen a lot of ocean drownings, but that one stands out the most. And they were not violating any red flag warnings, just walking along the beach.

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When my kids were young I kept a boogie board attached to their wrist .

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