Details

About the Plastimo 100N Child's Lifejacket

This is a kids life jacket for sheltered and calm water: harbours, calm estuaries and calm rivers, and short boat trips close to shore. The sewn-in label says it's for sheltered waters and coastal areas, and the RNLI recommends level 100 lifejackets for sheltered and calm water. Choosing one comes down to three things: the right level, the right size and a proper fit.

It's a foam lifejacket, so it floats the moment a child goes in, with nothing to inflate. The RNLI lists that as the big advantage of foam for children, along with warmth and some protection from knocks in a fall; the trade-off is bulk. Two reflective patches on the front help a child show up in a torch beam.

The 100N is the performance level, not the buoyancy of every size. A small child needs less lift than an adult, so the label gives each size's actual buoyancy: 30N for 3 to 8kg and for 8 to 15kg, 40N for 15 to 30kg and 50N for 30 to 40kg. That's what you'll see written as 100/30N on a baby life jacket.

Plastimo's lifejacket chart says level 100 jackets turn most wearers onto their back within 10 seconds, with the roll collar supporting the head. Clothing can reduce that, and the RNLI notes that a level 100 lifejacket may not roll an unconscious person on to their back. So it's for calm water with help close by, never a substitute for an adult watching.

Fit matters as much as the jacket. The RNLI warns that a jacket that's too big is dangerous too: a child can slip out, or it can ride up and leave the mouth and nose under water. Buy the size that fits now, not one to grow into, do up the crotch strap every time, and use the RYA's lift test: hold the jacket at the shoulders and lift, and it shouldn't move more than 2.5cm.

It's the Plastimo Baby life jacket, made to ISO 12402-4, the standard for level 100 lifejackets; the RNLI says all new lifejackets sold in the UK must meet ISO 12402. The ages shown on each size are only a rough guide, so go by weight.