Mandatory with a vest
Everyone who is in pleasure boats under eight meters must wear flotation equipment when the boat is moving. The person driving the boat is responsible for ensuring that children under the age of 16 wear suitable flotation equipment.
Choose a life jacket for children
There are several types of vests - life jackets, traditional life jackets with collars and inflatable life jackets. For smaller children and others who cannot swim, a traditional life jacket with a collar is best suited. Traditional life jackets have buoyancy elements that lift the entire torso toward the surface and a collar that helps keep the head in an upright position above the water.
Young children should not use life jackets. Life jackets rarely have as good support for the head as traditional life jackets with collars. Young children should also not wear an inflatable life jacket. Life jackets and inflatable life jackets are best suited for those who can swim.
Find the right size
Take your children with you when you buy or rent a life jacket, so that you choose the right weight class and fit. If the life jacket is too big, you risk that the buoyancy properties do not work as intended. In the worst case, the vest can fall off. Also note that the use of a diaper can change the buoyancy properties of the life jacket. It may be a good idea to use a swim diaper, which does not become as heavy as a regular diaper when it gets wet.
Check the labelling
Life jackets and life jackets must be CE marked. This is your guarantee that the manufacturer followed all applicable safety requirements when producing the vest. The vest must also state how many kilos it is intended for.
Try in water
Let the children practice floating, preferably with clothes on, so they get used to how the life jacket works. Please note that the life jacket will not be able to turn the child from stomach to back in shallow water.
Rent a life jacket
Many of the country's fire stations have life jackets for rent.
Investigate the properties
Old life jackets do not expire, but the buoyancy properties can deteriorate over time. Therefore, test the vest in a controlled form, and replace if necessary. Newer life jackets also tend to have a better fit than old ones. Whether an older life jacket is still usable depends on how it is stored and maintained.
Store the vest correctly
Life jackets must be clearly marked with how it should be treated and maintained. In general, flotation devices should be stored hanging, airy and dry, sheltered from direct sunlight. If you store life jackets in the boat during the boating season, make sure that they are not exposed to gasoline and oil spills.