What Swimwear/floating Wear Should 2 Yr Old Wear in a Pool

My opinion is nothing if you are in the water with him and can give him your undivided attention. Teach him how to go under the water, hold his breath, blow bubbles etc... My son was 2 and going off the diving board and swimming back to the side, unassisted and without floaties. Kiddos need to learn to swim as young as possible. This is not to say that you don't still need to be extremely cautious!!! But if a child falls in the pool they need to know how to get back to the side to hold on until help arrives.

As a Recreation Specialist at a local swim facility, PLEASE consider only swim assistance devices that are US Coast Guard approved (there will be a circular seal on the interior of the lifejacket). "Floaties" and inflatable devices are NOT Coast Guard approved, and will often hinder swim development. One of the newest devices is called a Puddle Jumper by the Sterns brand. Fits children 30-50lbs, is made of foam, Coast Guard approved, looks similar to a hybrid of the "floaties" and a short lifejacket. Sold on Amazon and at stores like Walmart and Target online (don't know about in-store availability). Good luck!

My opinion is a life jacket. I also agree with Allison O. that if you are going to be in the water with him, then you should allow him to wear nothing and teach him to swim as soon as possible. It is always such a relief when the kids learn to swim and are capable of making it to an edge alone...then we, as parents, can relax a bit and enjoy the water too! Both my boys were @ 2 when they learned how to swim...and this year it is lil' sis' turn...amazingly enough she has retained her instincts from when she was a baby and has been able to float on her back unassisted all her life...so hopefully the "kicking and paddling" will be easy for her!

Enjoy your swimming weather...it is still cold and raining in my neck of the woods, so swimming season looks to be post-poned for a bit here at my house...I am so jealous!

I second the last poster about the PUDDLE JUMPER from Stearns. We have it, and it's wonderful. And it's Coast Guard certified as a life preserver, unlike the inflatable toy floatation devices. Walmart and Target sell them.

We also used the Swim School device that another poster mentioned, with the removable pads as the child gains skills and confidence. I have to say that this is the only other device that I would half-recommend. We used it too (had two sizes, actually, as my son grew) before we found the Puddle Jumper. It did work well also.

yes I have seen floats built into the swim shirt...

These have good reviews. Per Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Swmways-Toy-Story-Swim-Shorty/dp/B0...

http://www.amazon.com/Swimline-9850-Swim-Tee-Trainer/dp/B...

http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Spring-Float-Canopy-Swimways/d...

Check Amazon.
And put in the search word "Toddler swim floats."

I'd put him into some type of float that has a bottom in it (they even make them with cute little covers to shield the sun), so you can let him float in it without fear of him dunking under. He will be more comfortable with that at first and when he gets used to it, put him some regular floaties on. The smallest size you can find should work okay.

I'll just tell you what we did...by no means disagreeing with the Coast Guard Approved swim vests.
We lived in Georgia and had a pool 3 houses away from the house- we were there ALL THE TIME. I had kids aged 18 months, 3 and 4. I couldn't be with all of them all the time. I had the older two in swim lessons, but they couldn't be by themselves, yet. I bought a swim vest called swim- school . It had 9 buoyant pads in them and when my sons started to really get better at keeping themselves afloat, I took out a pad every so often. This taught them to keep themselves afloat, while still having help. I wasn't a mom who sat in a chair chatting or reading while my kids were in the pool. I was in with them or sitting along the edge always on the watch. There was no lifeguard, so it was up to the parents to watch and I did. On more than one occasion, I was diving into the pool after a kid who's arm blow-up floaties slipped off their arms. I would never say to put the vest on and let them go and I'm sure that's not what you're looking for. This worked very well for us. I had tried the big boat life vests on them to start out and they were miserable, since they couldn't move in them. Great for boating, but not so much for swimming. I will also agree that swim lessons are extremely important! This weekend we will be camping close to a pond and I'd like to take my 1 year old in the water. I just bought another swim-school vest. I got it at Walmart for $10. Good luck and happy swimming!