Flotation & aquatic toys

Flotation and aquatic toys come in various shapes, sizes and materials and are popular with children for playing in water. Flotation toys can also help children stay afloat while they play. These toys come in styles that children can:

• wear
• attach to their bodies
• hold on to
• sit in.

Flotation and aquatic toys can include but are not limited to:

• inflatable novelty shapes
• inflatable toy boats for shallow water
• unattached rings—complete or partial.

Flotation and aquatic toys are not safety devices. Children who cannot swim could drown if their aquatic toy fails or if they do not use it properly. The risk of drowning also increases if a child gets injured while playing with a toy in the water.

A competent adult should constantly watch children playing with flotation and aquatic toys. As children are still developing, they generally have limited motor (brain to muscle) coordination and are not able to judge potentially dangerous situations or react to them in time.

See also information about children’s swimming and flotation aids.