Power Swimr System - Medium by Swimways- Colors / Styles May Vary

I love the product. This is the second Power Swimr we have in our family. For a beginner swimmer I think it is great that arm movements are not inhibited like they are in a life jacket. The child can practice their strokes with the correct arm movements. We always wear a life jacket while on the boat or tubing, but for swimming I prefer something else. This has really grown with our daughter at the lake, pool and water park. It has allowed her to have more freedom as she has gotten older to do things without Mom or Dad immediately next to her and given us all a little piece of mind. I have never been a fan of swimming at the lake with a life jacket, but I prefer something over nothing for the early swimmer. Our lake we go to is really dark and I worry that if she was sinking completely under it would be impossible to find her. The power swimmer was relied on heavily when she was younger and now it is not required for wading in, but anytime she jumps off the dock or wants to swim were she cannot stand. At the water park this past time our 7 year old only wore it while in the wave pool, or when going down water slides by herself when we weren't sure how much swimming was required at the bottom or how turbulent the landing would be. Our younger daughter got her brand new Power Swimr for this past trip to the water park. She is only 4 and it was her first time getting to go down tandem water slides. It gave us piece of mind to have her in something in case we ran into something unexpected that she would have something to help her if it took us two steps to get to her. She is transitioning to this from a puddle jumper (which we loved and allowed her so much enjoyment of the water since she was 1) and we have yet to test it out with her in deeper water. Pros of the Power Swimr, ease of wearing and use, easy for 4 year olds to put on and remove by themselves, builds confidence in the water, easy to adjust at the sides. Durable, we have been using our first one for three years at least. Cons, the strap between the legs can irritate girls in swimsuits, boys have swimshorts to protect from the strap rubbing. The strap attaches on both ends with velcro looping around a piece of nylon then velcroing back upon itself so it is easy to remove, or remove in the front and just have it dangle like a tail. We do this if the girls are just wadding, or on the sand but going and and out of the water. It stays tight without the strap around the torso, but does ride up once you get in deeper water so then it gets uncomfortable, so then you just velcro it back in place.

This vest was the one recommended by the first ever swim class as a next step tool for learning. It has elastic adjustable straps on the side which allow most fits. Our child stepped right in and the crock strap was easily adjusted. We haven't pulled any of the pads out yet but she ways 33 lbs and the pads offer just a slight negative boyancy so she has to kick to stay up when mom or dad is not holding her (a good thing to learn). Within 30 minutes of wearing the vest she was comfortable with kick and moving her arms in the next step for swimming. This is a tool to learn to swim. It is not a life vest and should not be purchased if thats what you are looking for. Only negative we have had is as she jumps up and off the side, the vest tends to ride up and the croch strap get tight. Thats it. Great swimming aid.

I purchased this for my 4 year old son for a trip to Jamaica. He's still learning to swim, and I thought this would be a less bulky alternative than his regular swim vest. At the end of the first day, he was in tears and the inside of his poor little legs were raw from the chafing. He was in so much pain that I couldn't even put any cream on them. The instructions indicated that if it is worn properly that the strap should remain loose when in the water. I think that is probably true, but the thickness of the strap (about 4 inches) would cause rubbing even if it wasn't pulled snugly to his body. We didn't bother packing it back up for the trip home, because I know he won't be wearing it again. A week later and there is still some redness on this thighs.

I'm not convinced we got the right size. The package says it is medium, but it is exactly the same size as the small one we bought. When we put it on my four-year-old grandson, we were unable to fasten the strap between his legs because it was too small. I ended up taking it off in the water because it just wasn't doing any good for him. It was hard to put on in the first place-- some instructions would have been nice-- and he just wasn't comfortable enough in it for me to let go of him.

The product is perfect, works as I expected ... The only problem is that I ordered it in blue (as I have a boy) and it arrived pink ... I didn't have enough time to write a complaint since I wanted it for our vacation trip ...

My 3.5-year-old daughter had outgrown the arm holes on her puddle jumper, and I was looking for something with more freedom to use her arms. The Power Swimr System met our needs perfectly. She is right around 40 lbs (and slightly taller than the average 4-year old), and we got the medium size. The size was perfect for her (we actually were sent the wrong size the first time, and it was far too small). I noticed right away that it did not keep her above water without some effort on her part, so if your goal is not to promote swimming solo, this might not be the best option. I was specifically looking to get my daughter swimming unassisted, so it was what we wanted. Just a few weeks after she began swimming for the summer she went into a two-week swim lesson program that guaranteed swimming solo five feet. In two weeks, she did learn to swim unassisted quite a bit further. During that time, she wanted to wear the Power Swimr at home, but I removed a few of the pads each time, and she was still able to swim for the full hour without getting too tired we were out there (at home). I stopped using it all together at home after the lessons were finished, but I still like to use it if we are going out to one of the large swim areas where we will be out for longer periods. It gives her a bit more freedom to be further from me without worry and avoids her getting too tired. Who is this for? I'd say someone who wants their child to really learn to swim on his/her own. Who is this not for? Someone who wants a life jacket-level of buoyancy. I will definitely keep this one to use with my son down the road.

I used this for my daughter when she was three up until she could swim on her own around 5 yrs old. My sister had recommended it to me, because she used them for all 4 of her children (ages 10, 8, 6 and 2). She has had the same one for all three of her oldest children to use - so it is well worth the $$ if you have multiple children. I sold my daughters after she learned to swim, but recently bouught two for my two little nephews (4 and 2) to use this summer. The 4 year old was so afraid of the water and we slo0wly took him out with the noodle, but that didn;t provide enough help keeping his head out of the water. We got this on him and he can't WAIT to go to the pool. He is having a BLAST in the water now. The 2 year old is just starting to try it out, but has been a little more hesitant - he may still be just a tad too young to enjoy the freedom it offers. All I can say is this swim helper is great for the child and parent(s). For the child who likes the water but won;t let go of their mommy out of fear, this device will let them have their own fun in the water and get them using their legs and arms to keep their bodies vertical and to move around the pool. It has 9 flotation pads in it - 5 in the back and 4 in the front. When your child gets used to it and is getting stronger, then you take one of the pads out of the back. It's just enough where they won't notice, but they will have to work just a little bit harder to stay vertical. And you conitniue removing pads (next in the front, then back, and so on). For the parents it is a real life saver. You don't HAVE to be in the pool anytime your child wants to go in, because they don;t HAVE to hang onto you anymore. When you are in the pool you can be more interactive with your child, teching them how to blow bubbles, kicking their feet or just playing silly games. This flotation/swim helper is worth its' weight in gold. You will be glad you spent the $15.

Both of my boys learned to swim independently after using this vest and I just got my little girl one so she can as well. The design allows no slipping of the floats. It fits snugly to your child's chest and puts them in the correct postion to paddle around. Over the course of the summer and on the sly, I removed foam sections as the boys got better and stronger until there was barely enough foam to hold them up and they had to paddle and tread water to stay afloat. They could do it because of the confidence and freedom from fear this device gave them. I remember the day my oldest took it off and told me to let him go, he could "do it himself". Great moment! I would recommend buying a new one for each child since the fabric does get stretched out (not before your child outgrows the need for it though!). Well worth the price. You won't regret it when the death grip on your neck is released and your child paddles away under their own power!