Website design By BotEap.comWhen in a bathing suit our three-year-old daughter is not afraid! She splashes around, chases waves and laughs with pure joy. She holds her nose as she “sinks in” and then jumps up to “surprise” us… a new version of the game of hide and seek. While I’m thrilled that she’s brave, confident, and loves to explore, I still… wonder… is she safe? As a parent, I listen to too many heartbreaking stories about moms who get distracted for just a moment, sometimes sitting just an arm’s length away from their child, but the child drowns; a horrible accident; a reminder that drowning is often silent and undramatic.
Website design By BotEap.comI have a Puddle Jumper strapped around my daughter’s chest (an improvement on the well-known water wings or inflatable armbands that keep children afloat in water), but is it enough? The Puddle Jumper is a US Coast Guard approved Type III personal flotation device. As I keep wondering about my daughter’s safety, I’m curious, what does “US Coast Guard Approved” mean? Uh?”? Sounds impressive, like a prestigious endorsement. A product bearing this seal of approval should mean that the product is good and therefore will keep my daughter safe. This was my thought when I purchased the Puddle Jumper.
Website design By BotEap.comBut now, as the word “endorsed” echoed through my mind, I was wondering what the phrase “US Coast Guard Approved” really meant. My loose associations with the word “endorsement” conjured up uncomfortable images: political endorsements, which I rarely trust; TV commercials with public figures or worse, Hollywood actors endorsing products and services. Oh! Have I been too naive? Have I blindly accepted an “endorsement” presented by the US Coast Guard? Have I put my daughter at risk?
Website design By BotEap.comWhat it means: Approved by the US Coast Guard.
Website design By BotEap.comWho should we trust as “the expert” on children and water safety? Who should we go to as authority on how accidents happen and how to prevent them? Who is justly esteemed and has sufficient credentials to speak about the seriousness of my concern… the breath of life of our little ones, of our children, of my daughter? I admit, for me the United States Coast Guard was the only agency that came to mind, but not because I personally investigated its integrity.
Website design By BotEap.comTo alleviate the anxiety that my free associations were causing, namely my growing distrust of an “endorsement” put up by the US Coast Guard and an “endorsement” widely used by retailers who sell and therefore , they advertise the Puddle Jumper, I needed to know exactly what “backup” meant.
Website design By BotEap.comI was surprised when I found out that the Coast Guard was willing to point out the “best” life jacket. However, as I read further, I discovered that the “best” personal flotation device was described only generically with conditions attached.
Website design By BotEap.comThe “best,” says the Coast Guard, is:
- The one you are willing to use!
- The one that saves your life every time you need it.
- The one that suits your needs!
Website design By BotEap.comIn the next paragraph, the Coast Guard expressed a puzzling problem: “The perfect life preserver, life vest or PFD (personal flotation device) has not yet been designed.” Not even the United States Coast Guard was a final, single, and complete authority.
Website design By BotEap.comAlso, I’ve learned that with a particular life jacket “endorsed” as “US Coast Guard Approved.” a “Think Safety” brochure is attached. The prospectus is an integral component of the endorsement. When I bought my daughter’s Puddle Jumper I hadn’t even read the brochure.
Website design By BotEap.comThe Seal of Approval plus the “Think Safe” brochure equals the full meaning of: US Coast Guard Approved. One cannot be separated from the other.
Website design By BotEap.comThe “Think Safe” brochure is a list of conditions that the Coast Guard attaches to the approval of a particular personal flotation device. Using the Stearns Puddle Jumper as an example: The Stearns Puddle Jumper is Coast Guard approved…
- If the child wearing it is 30-60 lbs.
- If the water is calm and/or if the body of water is an interior body.
- O If there is a good possibility of rapid rescue in or around the body of water.
Website design By BotEap.comAlso, when it comes to children and selecting a PFD, the Coast Guard offers more advice:
- You must teach your children how to properly wear a PFD.
- The PFD must fit a child snugly.
- The purchased PFD must be tested immediately after purchase: in a swimming pool and on the child who will wear it.
- PFDs are not babysitters; An adult must always be present.
Website design By BotEap.comYou must teach your children how to properly wear a PFD
Website design By BotEap.comThe Coast Guard knows that children panic when they suddenly fall into the water. The suddenness of the fall causes them to swing their arms and legs violently, making it difficult to float safely in a PFD. While the PFD will keep a child afloat, it may not keep a struggling child on his or her back. I remembered reading an anecdotal story about the Stearns puddle jumper; one parent had a “just learning swimmer” and said, “She (the girl) had to learn the first few times (of using the Puddle Jumper) how to use it… that she would have to keep her balance to keep her face out of the Water”.
Website design By BotEap.comThe PFD must fit snugly on a child
Website design By BotEap.comTo verify proper fit, the Coast Guard recommends lifting the child by the shoulders of the PFD. Since the Puddle Jumper doesn’t have a shoulder section, I could test it by lifting my daughter by the chest portion of the Puddle Jumper, then go ahead and do the perfect fit test. In any case, the child’s chin and ears must not slide through the flotation device.
Website design By BotEap.comPurchased PFD must be tried on immediately after purchase
Website design By BotEap.comThe Coast Guard cites the obvious. They point out that children come in many sizes and shapes, and therefore just because a PFD works for one infant or child does not mean that it will work for another in the same way. Therefore, the Coast Guard urges that PFDs be tested immediately after purchase: test in a pool and with the child who will be wearing the PFD. They urge parents and guardians of children to check three things:
- suitable weight range
- comfortable fit
- (And especially) A stable face-up position in the water.
Website design By BotEap.comPFDs are not babysitters
Website design By BotEap.comThe US Coast Guard reminds parents and guardians, more than once, to never leave a child unattended on a dock, in a boat, or in the water, even if the child is in a PFD.
Website design By BotEap.comConclusion: lessons learned
Website design By BotEap.comIt was good and right to reconsider my pointless purchase of the Puddle Jumper. While the Puddle Jumper is a good product, I just bought the “hype” on the labels: “US Coast Guard Approved.” I had uncritically relied on an “endorsement” presented by an unknown authority, namely the US Coast Guard. The blind trust I exercised in purchasing the Puddle Jumper left my daughter vulnerable because she was unaware of my role and responsibility in how safely use the product you had purchased.
Website design By BotEap.comUS Coast Guard approved products are great, but please read the accompanying “Think Safe” brochures.
