06/10/2026
As a swim instructor, I have the life jacket conversation with all my families. While we don't use flotation devices during lessons because our goal is to develop true water competency and swimming skills, a properly fitted Coast Guard-approved life jacket is still an essential piece of safety equipment for every child. Life jackets aren't a substitute for supervision or swim lessons—they're another important layer of protection.
Common Myths and Facts
Myth: Strong swimmers never need to wear a PFD or life jacket.
Fact: Even experienced swimmers can become incapacitated due to fatigue, injury, cold water, or
unexpected medical emergencies.
Myth: PFDs and life jackets are only for boats.
Fact: Wearing a PFD or life jacket provides a valuable layer of safety anytime you are in or around
the water.
Myth: A child wearing a PFD or life jacket means they don’t have to be supervised.
Fact: Wearing a PFD or life jacket does not replace active, close, and constant supervision. A child
can still slip out of an improperly fitted jacket or get into a dangerous situation even while wearing
one. Moreover, most PFDs will not float an incapacitated person face up. Check the label for
information on what the PFD is designed to do. Also review material provided by the manufacturer.
Myth: I don't need to enroll my child in swim lessons since I always put them in a PFD or life jacket
when swimming.
Fact: PFDs and life jackets do not teach a child to swim independently without instruction. Many
child drowning incidents happen when the child was not expected to be near the water. It is
critically important to teach young children to be water competent and learn to swim. Children
need active time learning to swim when they aren’t in a life jacket so they don’t become over-reliant
on the device or use a body position in the water that makes it harder to learn to swim.
*from the US National Water Safety Action Plan document
