Anyone bring their own infant life vest??

[FOURunderFOUR]

We are cruising on MSC next January with our 5 kids, who will be 4mos to 5 1/2 years old at the time.

 

1st question - has anyone ever bought their own life vest? MSC told us that cruising with our 4mos was fine, but we would need to provide our own coast guard approved infant vest as theirs would not be small enough. Any ideas where I would go about finding one for an infant?

 

2nd q - Are the child-sized vests small enough for young children? My kids have been boating so are comfortable with a smaller/tighter life vest but I am worried about them swimming (literally - in case of an emergency- and figuratively) in one that is too big. The huge orange ones are a PITA to wear for the muster drill, but I am guessing that in the case of a true emergency where we would need to evacuate the ship, they are the safest option. Just want to make sure the same is true for the kids.

 

Thanks!

 

J

[sas80]

We are cruising on MSC next January with our 5 kids, who will be 4mos to 5 1/2 years old at the time.

 

1st question - has anyone ever bought their own life vest? MSC told us that cruising with our 4mos was fine, but we would need to provide our own coast guard approved infant vest as theirs would not be small enough. Any ideas where I would go about finding one for an infant?

 

2nd q - Are the child-sized vests small enough for young children? My kids have been boating so are comfortable with a smaller/tighter life vest but I am worried about them swimming (literally - in case of an emergency- and figuratively) in one that is too big. The huge orange ones are a PITA to wear for the muster drill, but I am guessing that in the case of a true emergency where we would need to evacuate the ship, they are the safest option. Just want to make sure the same is true for the kids.

 

Thanks!

 

J

 

Life vests are rated for use by weight. You should be able to find one based on your child's weight. We got ours at Bass Pro Shops but you can find them on amazon and just by doing a general google search.

[NoelsCat]

I hope I am understanding your question -- but the as far as the vest for your five year old -- it will fit well. My son was just two last cruise and the vest they provided for him was a perfect fit (by weight) and had extra provisions to keep his head up and on his back.

 

HTH.

[Travalerie]

I just assumed there would be a vest for my one year old. She is turing one during our cruise and will def be over 20 pounds by then. Does Holland America have vests for her size? Anyone know?

[FOURunderFOUR]

Thanks for the replies. I am assuming that if your TA knows your children's ages, they would let you know if you need to provide your own. It seems from the other posters that the ships have various sizes according to age/weight? We were specifically told since we are bringing a 4 month old that we would need to supply our own infant-sized vest, but they would have vests for our other children. I just wanted to make sure it was not a one-size vest for ALL children deal, since mine are all young and small. For instance, my 3 yo would not fit into a vest that would fit a 10yo. But I guess since the cruiselines allow children of all ages to travel, they must have appropriately sized vests available. (HOPEFULLY!).

[fiveo911]

We are cruising on MSC next January with our 5 kids, who will be 4mos to 5 1/2 years old at the time.

 

1st question - has anyone ever bought their own life vest? MSC told us that cruising with our 4mos was fine, but we would need to provide our own coast guard approved infant vest as theirs would not be small enough. Any ideas where I would go about finding one for an infant?

 

2nd q - Are the child-sized vests small enough for young children? My kids have been boating so are comfortable with a smaller/tighter life vest but I am worried about them swimming (literally - in case of an emergency- and figuratively) in one that is too big. The huge orange ones are a PITA to wear for the muster drill, but I am guessing that in the case of a true emergency where we would need to evacuate the ship, they are the safest option. Just want to make sure the same is true for the kids.

 

Thanks!

 

J

 

I just ordered a life vest for my 22month old. I ordered it from Dicks Sporting Goods. We went to the store and tried it on her 1st. The one in the store was a type 3 and I wanted a type 2. The type 2 is a near shore buoyancy vest and will usually turn the face of an unconscious person out of water. Even though we will be close to her, I am very paranoid. I found a 15% discount code online and I ended up paying around $22.

 

The sizes are by weight. The ones for infants go up to around 30lbs. I had to get the next size (30-50lbs) because DD is over 30lbs. She ran around the store with it on and acted like she was having fun. I was concerned about it being bulky but it didn't seem to bother her.

 

Our TA didn't say we needed to provide our own, but I wanted to have something "just in case" when we went on our excursions.

 

Tina

[Essiesmom]

Previous posts about this said that you were required to use those provided because they meet coast guard regulations, have the light and whistle on them. EM

[fiveo911]

Previous posts about this said that you were required to use those provided because they meet coast guard regulations, have the light and whistle on them. EM

 

I bought ours to use on excursions and it is a US Coast Guard Approved Type II. I don't take the safety of my daughter lightly; that's why I purchased it.

 

I would think the ship would have vests specifically for children since they have to meet safety requirements.

[FOURunderFOUR]

I am assuming that YES all ships that accommodate children have to have coast guard approved vests appropriately sized or them. However, we were specifically told by MSC that in order to travel with our 4 month old, we would need to provide our own INFANT-sized vest since they would not have anything small enough for him/her. I was just wondering if anyone else has been in this situation and where I could find an infant-sized vest. of course I have no idea now how big this baby will baby, but I tend to grow them small. My largest was 6 lbs 12oz. By 4 months, 3 of my other 4 (one was a micro-preemie) were still tiny and wearing newborn and 0-3 mos clothes. I am afraid that the ones that go up to 30 pounds are going to be HUGE, as my 4 month olds are no where near 20 pounds, let alone 30! None of my kids have hit 20 pounds by 1yo! So I need something smaller I think.

 

Thanks for the replies so far. I will check out Dick's

[sunquest76]

we recently bought a vest for infants 9 - 22 lbs. it is not coast guard approved (apparently they frown on testing using infants) but I feel very secure and will use it on our 22ft pleasure boat. we bought it at Mountain Equipment Co-op but have also seen them at Canadian Tire and some of the specialty boating stores (Canadian Eh!). the design is a floaty behind the head and on the chest, with a mesh like harness around the back and bum. we paid $65 CAD, and it is worth every penny!

[rphx2nc]

we recently bought a vest for infants 9 - 22 lbs. it is not coast guard approved (apparently they frown on testing using infants) but I feel very secure and will use it on our 22ft pleasure boat. we bought it at Mountain Equipment Co-op but have also seen them at Canadian Tire and some of the specialty boating stores (Canadian Eh!). the design is a floaty behind the head and on the chest, with a mesh like harness around the back and bum. we paid $65 CAD, and it is worth every penny!

 

Our children have been on our ski boat since they were infants. There are coast guard approved type II pdfs for infants. In fact, if you are checked for boat safety without this approved vest you are in violation.

 

Those that are approved will have the information printed inside them including weight limit and when new a tag explaining the vest and rating and requirements. From what you described it may be the mesh back and bum area, I never never seen this on a coast guard approved vest. Under 20 -25lb infant life vests have the floatation area behind the head. The design is so if the fall in the water the will rotate face out of the water onto their backs. It is a vest all the way around the back and have straps in the groin area to keep from riding up. The neoprene are more expensive and not needed until the children are older and skiing/tubing. I am certain that your vest may work well but could be subject to a fine here in the states. We have never paid anywhere near $65 in USD for a vest. Wal-mart, Target, Dick's, Bass pro, Overtons are all great places to order online. My DH just got DD8 a Hannah Montanna approved pdf from wal-mart for $10 on clearance. Do not buy a life jacket or car seat on Ebay. I would not buy a life jacket for any reason that is not approved. Those popular speedo jackets or swim suits with floatation in them are not coast guard approved and expensive.

[Nebr.cruiser]

I don't have anything else to add except good luck to you! Five kids under the age of 6! Wow.

 

We did take 5 grandkids cruising (and their parents) ages 3,4,5,5 & 13, but we had lots of adults along to share the fun.

[thunderbird1]

for my 2 year old ds (under 30 pounds). We've been boating since he was barely 1, so we already had the US Coast Guard approved vest for him for use on our own boat, and figured he'd be A) more comfortable on excursions in his own vest and B) safer than in whatever vest the tour guide may or may not have had available. I'm pretty sure he wore it to muster drill, but I can't remember.

 

For my dd, who was 8, there was not a child vest in our stateroom, but our steward checked with us to see what size she needed and brought it to us. I assume he would have been able to bring us one for ds if we'd needed it, but we didn't.

[mr. godfredo]

We have had our small children on a few cruises and have had no problems getting the appropriate life jacket! When you meet your cabin steward, just let him know that you need a vest for your child and they will deliver them very quickly! They will need it for the muster drill and I was told that it is the cabin stewards responsibility to make sure that you have the appropriate vests! I have never had a problem and would never go out and buy a life jacket for my child for the sake of a cruise! They will provide them for you! :D

[sabbie]

We did bring our own for our 9 month old mostly for an excursion and the boat ferry in St Marteen (yes I realize it's only a 3 minute ride on the ferry to downtown but I wouldn't dream of not putting him in car seat for the 3 minute car ride to the grocery store, why should a boat be any different). Ours is an Evolution, up to 30lbs, my DS is a pretty solid kid so it fit him well.

 

Now most people haven't had problems getting the vests from the cruise line but it took 3 days to get ours in our cabin (Freedom of the Seas). I did feel more secure that I had ours along in case.