Building Swim Confidence With Konfidence Jackets

My son is almost 3 years old and has LOVED the water since his first dip in the pool at 11 months. Other than a few baby and parent classes this summer at our local  pool, he hasn't had any kind of instruction and is pretty reluctant to blow bubbles or jump into the pool. But in the arms of mom or dad, he's a total water baby.

Personally, having him in or near the water makes me a bit nervous, so while at our hotel pool during our visit to Philadelphia over Thanksgiving weekend we had him in a Konfidence jacket as an extra precaution and thank goodness we did because he gave us quite a scare! My husband was in the hot tub and I was just to the side with our twins. Kenzo was walking around the hot tub perimeter when he mistakingly walked right over the edge head over heels. I screamed out (bloody murder) as soon as I saw his foot go over the side, and by the time he went under and bobbed back up (instantaneously thanks to the Konfidence jacket) my husband was there to scoop him up and onto the side of the hot tub.

Having researched and written a piece about delayed drowning last year for Mommy Nearest, I was completely freaked out with what the result of his little accident could have been. It's so true what they say about never taking your eyes (or hands) off of your little ones for a split second, because that's all it takes. We are so so so lucky that 1) he had on a swimming aid and 2) that he fell in at a spot of the hot tub that was a deeper non-seating area (the seats were a hard stone/concrete - he would have cracked his head open had he fallen there!!)

So, phew. Crisis averted! Long story short, we love the Child Konfidence Jacket and if you want to build confidence in your child while learning to swim, I highly recommend one. Here are some of its great features:

• 8 easy to remove pieces to adjust buoyancy as needed (instructions on inside of jacket)
• Fit of jacket promotes correct face forward swimming positioning​
• High quality, durable neoprene shell with soft Lycra/Poly interior
• Designed to not ride up
• Soft binding and seems prevent chaffing
• Internal zip guard protects skin
• Velcro zip guard keeps zipper in place
• Chunky YKK zip easy for parent or child
• Helps you keep ahold of your child - they're quite slippery without it!

Photo credit: Konfidence

If interested, you can find an assortment of jackets and swimwear by Konfidence on their website and Amazon!

​And for your viewing pleasure, below are a couple snippets of our little water baby in action:

Disclaimer: Although I did receive this product free of charge, all thoughts and opinions are my own and completely unbiased.