Types of Pool Floats for Your Children

With swimming pool season already here, it is time to think about the pool floats that your children may enjoy, find use in or that will help protect your children while playing in the water. There are many different types of pool floats available on the market today, ranging from inexpensive arm floaties to the more expensive boats and air mattresses. In this article, I will talk about some of the more popular children pool floats available.

Arm Floats - Arm floaties, also known as water wings, are very common to see being used at your local pool, lake or beach locations. These pool floats come in packs of two, one for each arm, and slip up your child's arm to rest right between the shoulder and elbow. The are designed to help keep your child's upper body floating above the water while they are learning to swim. Arm floaties are very inexpensive, averaging about one dollar per pair, and you can find them anywhere, ranging from your local dollar stores to Wal-mart to Toys R Us. When using these keep in mind that the more your child weighs the less likely that the arm floaties will be able to keep your child afloat in the water. Make sure that the arm floaties flit snuggly around your child's arms so that they won't slip off once they get wet, but not so snuggly that they are too tight and cut the circulation off to your child's arms.

Ring Floats - Ring floats are better for older children to enjoy, those who already know how to swim. These pool floats are simple floats in the shape of a ring and should never be used as a life preserver. They are to play with and not for life-saving. These floats are not good for teaching a child to swim, as it is too easy for a child to slip out of the float and under the surface of the water. Ring floats are also pretty cheap, depending upon the size of the float. Small ring floats can cost as low as one dollar.