The best baby swim vests to bring confidence to kids and peace of mind to parents

This lightweight yet durable baby swim vest is perfect to take on holiday. It is made from a quick-drying fabric and is designed to be hardwearing but comfortable for your little one.

As it's lightweight and foldable, it's easy to take with you on holiday or swimming lessons, as one of our mum testers, Jodie, noted, saying, "It is quite slim when folded so it doesn’t take up much room in your luggage." Our Dad tester, Joe was able to take it on holiday to Cyprus without it taking up too much space. Mum Yeeon also felt this lightweight design made it more comfortable for her child, noting, "The lightweight and comfortable design meant our toddler was very happy wearing it, which was a definite bonus."

The Splash About Go Splash swim vest is designed to hold tots in the right position to encourage them to get used to a swimming position, so naturally tips the child forward towards the water to help them find their water balance and confidence. Our mum tester, Aimee, thought this was a success, saying that it "allows my children to swim confidently in the water at the correct angle with their feet kicking. The design of the product would make it a win for me!" Dad Joe agreed as he found that it didn't rise up around her head or face when she was in the water, saying, "The ergonomics of the product seemed perfect for our daughter and it didn't rise when we placed her in the water with it on which we have experienced with other swim vests due to ill-fitting." He also noted that his daughter "obviously felt safe in the product as she developed her swimming skills whilst wearing it, and also, as parents, we felt she was completely safe at all times."

Read the full Splash about Go Splash Swim Vest review.

This cheerful baby swim vest combines its cute design with some excellent water safety features that won praise from our dad tester, Tom.

The design of the JoJo Maman Bebe allows your little one to move their arms and legs freely and keeps them in a natural swimming position, so it's great for learning to swim - providing buoyancy but encouraging them to also keep themselves afloat. "The vest does a decent job of keeping my son afloat, although it doesn’t do all the work for him, which I like. It’s designed to keep him buoyant enough to stay in a natural swimming position but still requires him to move his arms and legs. This balance seems to work well for his swimming practice," said our dad tester, who pointed out that "it doesn't completely keep him above water, so I still had to support him at times, but that seems to be the point. It’s great for helping him stay afloat without making him too dependent on it."

This vest also scored highly for practicality, with our tester noting that "it’s super light, which is great for carrying around, especially if you’re taking it on holiday. It also dries quickly, which is another bonus if you’re at the pool often or using it during back-to-back swimming sessions."

Our tester noted that it was quite snug on his son, with all the flotation inserts in place. However, as your child gains more confidence and you start removing the inserts, there’s some flexibility in how the vest fits. He also noted that it could be improved with a strap at the bottom to help keep it in place better and stop it from riding up. Despite these points, the JoJo Maman Bebe swim jacket was rated highly by our tester, who concluded: "It’s durable, effective, and does exactly what I wanted: it helps my son feel confident in the water without relying too much on artificial flotation."

Read our full JoJo Maman Bebe Swim Jacket review

With buoyancy focused around the chest, this swim jacket is designed to keep older babies and toddlers in the forward swimming position. Designed for fun and safety, it features a fully adjustable safety strap that sits between the legs for an extra layer of security and to avoid the jacket riding up over their face while they splash around. Our mum tester, Senior Digital Writer Hannah Carroll appreciated the strap and how easy it was to put on, saying "I was really impressed with this swim jacket. It was super easy to put on, and I especially liked the strap underneath. These types of jackets can sometimes be uncomfortable, but my three-year-old found it so comfortable that the real challenge was getting him to take it off!"

The Swimbest swim jacket is equipped with eight soft, flexible, and removable foam floats that allow you to customise the buoyancy to suit your child's skill level. You can remove the floats in pairs as your child's swimming abilities and confidence grow.

The SwimBest Jacket encourages the correct swimming position, helping your child learn the right techniques, but as Hannah noted, you still need to guide them if your child can't swim, as the buoyancy in the vest is strong and could flip them face down on top of the water. However, she still rated this swim vest highly for safety as it keeps them above the water and helps them adjust to learning to swim with your assistance.

Our tester found "it did take a little while to dry, but in warmer weather, that probably wouldn’t be an issue. However, I do wish it came with a carry bag, which would make it easier to transport when wet." So while this wasn't a deal breaker for Hannah, it's worth considering and you may want to take a waterproof bag if you're using it at the pool.

Just like the Swimbest Swim Jacket on our list of the best swim vests, this swim-school-approved swim jacket has eight foam floats, allowing you to adjust the buoyancy as your child's swimming abilities improve and our mum tester, Rebecca, found this to be helpful, commenting "The quality is excellent and I love the option to remove the floats; a definite plus for cleaning and as your child becomes more confident in the water, it gives you the option to adjust the buoyancy." Over the course of her time testing the Konfidence swim jacket, Rebecca observed her daughter growing in confidence in the water. "My daughter definitely grew in confidence throughout, jumping into the pool unaided, as the jacket always brought her up to the surface."

Rebecca did note that her daughter tended to bob forward in the water but pointed out that the jacket is no replacement for supervision. "While the jacket provides great flotation, my daughter did tend to bob forward and backwards, which led to her swallowing water very easily; you need to hold on to less competent or younger swimmers to ensure they are safe - as the website states, it is a buoyancy aid, not a life jacket."

This upgraded model has an adjustable and removable support strap which Rebecca found helped the jacket to stay in place. "The jacket was very easy to put on my daughter and she felt remarkably secure, thanks to the strap preventing the jacket from riding up over the shoulders."

While it comes in a wide range of colours, they all have a trademark yellow back to make your child highly visible in the water.

Read our full Konfidence Swim Jacket review

This buoyancy aid has multiple straps to provide greater support to kids in the water, keeping the vest in place and allowing them to find their balance more easily. Our tester, Joe, tested this with his 14-month-old daughter to help her "practice her swimming without compromising on safety whilst also having fun."

He felt there were some clever design features which made this vest stand out, including the strap and the handle. "It has a crotch strap which is good for making the vest more secure on your child and it also has a carry handle which is great for lifting in and out of the water if needed."

Our tester did note that this vest was large on his one-year-old, despite being marketed for 1-3 year olds. "We found that because the sizing of the small vest caters for 1-3 years, the likelihood of the vest fitting a smaller one-year-old is minimal—perhaps this vest is more suitable for two years upwards." Joe also noted that the stitching on the arms can rub but pointed out that this can be solved by wearing a swimsuit with more material.

Read our full GogoKids Swim Vest review

The Sevylor Puddle Jumper is fastened at the back, meaning your little one won't be able to undo it without your help. This is a great alternative to bulkier baby swim vests as the buoyancy aid is located to the front and on both arms. This will give your child more freedom when splashing around but still keep them buoyant. The placement of the buoyancy also allows them to swim on their front or back, which parents appreciated, with one noting, "My 2-year-old loves wearing this in the swimming pool. It allows for independence and helps develop confidence in the water. She can practice swimming on both her front & back. It is a really clever product."

As there's no need to inflate the swim vest, it's easy to pop on as soon as you get to the pool, but as the strap fastens at the back, it would be difficult for children to undo it and take it off. This was tested by Mother&Baby's Digital Writer, Rebecca Lancaster, who found it gave her confidence that her son was safe in the water as the strap kept it secured around him and the armbands helped to keep him buoyant and his head above water. "It kept him up in the water but also allowed him to float on his tummy and kick his legs to propel himself along, so he quickly learnt how to swim. I loved it so much I bought a second for my daughter when she was ready to get in the water."

They come in various colours that are sure to appeal to little ones but will also make them bright and visible in the water.

The Splash About Kids Floatsuit helps promote the natural learn-to-swim position with the float arrangement and works by tipping your child forward so that their shoulder automatically moves towards the water. It does this without bulky armbands getting in the way so that they are encouraged to find their water balance and gain confidence in the water. Our mum tester, Shannon noted that "The vest is lightweight enough not to restrict movement but offers just the right amount of buoyancy to keep my child safe and supported in the water."

Shannon also appreciated the adjustable nature of the floatsuit, which allows you to remove the floats as your child gains confidence in the water - the full 16 floats give the maximum buoyancy when they're just starting out, and can be removed 2 by 2 as your child’s ability grows, then removed altogether once they can swim confidently. She found that "it’s perfect for beginner swimmers, as it gives them the confidence to explore the water while still allowing them to practice their movements. I’ve noticed a significant improvement in how comfortable and independent my child feels in the pool." She also noted that this adjustable buoyancy improves the longevity of the swim vest "It also offers great value for money as it grows with your child, enabling you to remove a float as your child’s confidence increases."

The design is well thought out, as Shannon found. "One of the standout features is the built in swimming costume, which make it easy to get a snug, secure fit and easy enough for my child to dress herself. The Velcro is sturdy and well-placed, so I don’t worry about it coming loose during use. Plus, the beautiful design makes it easy for my daughter to want to wear it!"

This baby swim vest offers complete freedom of movement while in the water to help your toddler develop a natural swimming position and gain confidence in the water. Our Dad tester, Ed, noted that his little boy "felt secure splashing around in the pool, which gave me peace of mind. It keeps him afloat, he also easily leans forward to help practice swimming." It's made from neoprene and has UPF 50+ sun protection so it's perfect for taking with you to the beach or on trips to the outdoor pool, though our tester did note that while it's lightweight, "it’s a tad bulky, so it’s worth considering that if you have to travel by public transport or you’re taking it on holiday (this is a feature of all swim vests though, and not having to blow it up at the pool saves time)."

It has built-in floats that are puncture-proof to aid with buoyancy as your little one learns to swim, so there is no need to worry about floats deflating while you're out for the day, but our tester did compare it to a Splash About Swim vest he'd used previously. "One slight drawback is that this vest doesn’t have removable floats, unlike the Splash About vest we had before this. With that vest, we could take the floats out one at a time as my child became more confident." Nevertheless, he still felt this vest was " reassuring for both us, as parents, and him" as he gained confidence.

Read our full Zoggs Swim Jacket review

This swimming float vest combines a vest and armbands, with a strap that does up around the back to keep it secure. It's designed to help your child into a natural swimming position while keeping them afloat in the water. It comes in a wide range of colours and designs and our tester mum, Rachel was impressed with the colourful design which made her son keen to put it on and get in the water.

She found the buckle and straps were easy to do up but noted that "the arm straps were flimsy and didn’t stay tightened, and the waist strap did start to loosen during our time in the pool." She also noted that, unlike the Zoggs foam armbands which are recommended on our list of the best swimming aids and floats, this float vest didn't keep her son's head sufficiently out of the water. While all swim aids are designed to be used under close supervision, Rachel felt that this didn't offer enough buoyancy. It is likely to be a better option for a slightly older child who still needs some support but is more capable of keeping themselves afloat as well.

Read our full GogoKids Swimming Float Vest review