We have a survivor! We reviewed the best infant life jackets for 2020 and only the Full Throttle Infant Baby-Safe Vest made it. Just review our updated safety checklist to know what we’re focusing on this 2020.

Full Throttle Infant Life Jacket Features 

When it comes to choosing an infant life jacket, the prime concern of manufacturers and parents is the same: safety. If an infant should happen to fall overboard during an accident or a sharp boating turn, the parents should be assured that their baby will be turned face-up by the toddler life jacket. The baby simply needs to stay safe until rescuers can get to him or her.

The Full Throttle infant life jacket completes our safety checklist. It is USCG (United States Coast Guard) approved; is designed for infants under 30 lbs; has a flotation collar, a grab loop, and a crotch strap; is brightly colored and designed to flip the baby onto his back.

Because of a complete lack of material at the back–the vest is secured to the baby by the crotch strap and a waist strap alone–the safety flip-over effect of the best infant life jackets is strong. The thick, single chest float will rise to the top, keeping the baby face up with his head out of the water.

At the same time, the design makes the Full Throttle infant life jacket exceedingly bulky. Parents may have a hard time holding on to their baby if he or she is sitting on their laps for the ride. The grab loop is placed vertically instead of horizontally on the flotation collar, which may make it harder to grab from the water. Some babies may find the design easier to move around in, while others may find it less comfortable.

Safety Features Of The Full Throttle Infant Life Jacket 

The Jacket Is USCG Approved. To make certain consumers can choose life jackets which meet the minimum requirements for safety and quality, the USCG’s approval number is included in the labels of life jackets which pass the requirements. For a Type II infant life jacket, the vest should provide 7 lbs of buoyancy, and the foam should be approved as well.

The Full Throttle infant life jacket is USCG approved, guaranteed to add 7 lbs of buoyancy to a baby weighing 30 lbs and below. The USCG approval also means that every Full Throttle infant life jacket passed the inspections for quality, with no tears, rips, or brittleness of the inside chest flotation foam.

The Jacket Works For Infants Below 30 lbs. As if it was not repeated enough in the earlier sections, infant life jackets are designed for children weighing 30 lbs and below. The sizing is not simply for comfort. If the life vest is too large, the baby will feel more discomfort from rattling around in it, and the safety flip-over feature has less chance of working properly. Too small, and the child will feel constricted in the vest.

The Full Throttle infant life jacket is designed to fit infants 30 lbs and below. The model operates at maximum effectiveness then, since the 7 lbs of buoyancy is the best for that weight range.

The Jacket Has A Flotation Collar. The flotation collar is the second-most important safety feature to the safety flip-over design of infant life jackets. It keeps the baby’s head up and out of the water. Even if the Type II life vest is designed for situations where rescue is near and quick, infants will have an impossible time keeping their heads out of water.

The Full Throttle infant life jacket has a single, rounded flotation collar. It goes around the baby’s neck and buckles at the side, which keeps it very close to his head. The thickness provides the baby’s nape and back of the head with support, and pushes it out of the water.

The Jacket Has A Grab Loop. Grab loops make it easier for rescuers to pull babies out of the water while they are floating. Rescuers are then able to minimize the other risks to a baby in the water besides drowning: hypothermia (shock caused by sudden contact with the cold water), collisions, and drifting away from his or her rescuers.

The Full Throttle infant life jacket has a grab loop, but placed vertically instead of horizontally. This makes a smaller grab target for the rescuers, especially since the loop is behind the flotation collar. The placement also makes it so much harder to grab at. The most that can be said for that grab loop is that it is there.

The Jacket Has A Crotch Strap. The crotch strap does two things. First, it ensures the snug fit of the infant life jacket, so that the vest does not ride up onto the baby’s face. Second, it increases the security level of the life jacket. The better secured a life vest is to a baby’s body, the better the flotation device works.

The Full Throttle infant life jacket has one of the best-fitting, most comfortable crotch straps. It is designed to be wearable as short pants rather than through a nylon strap and buckle. In that way, the crotch strap is much more secure, and it gives the baby a lot more comfort. The design also makes it harder for the vest to ride up on the baby’s face.

The Jacket Is Brightly Colored. The bright colors of an infant life jacket are just as crucial to minimizing the baby’s risks if he or she falls over the side. The rescuers will be able to quickly spot the jacket and grab the baby out of the water. This will also reduce the abovementioned threats to a baby in the water, not least of which is hypothermia.

The Full Throttle infant life jacket comes in two colors: orange and pink. Neither are particularly neon, but they are clear enough colors. They are perfect choices for infant life jackets, and therefore perfect choices for your baby’s safety.

The Jacket Is Designed To Flip The Baby Onto His Or Her Back. To keep a baby safe, whether or not they can swim, the infant life jacket should flip the baby onto his or her back if the baby falls face down into the water. This keeps the baby safe until rescuers are able to reach him or her.

Because of the complete lack of material at the baby’s back, the single chest float of the Full Throttle infant life jacket is the only buoyant thing attached to the baby, besides the flotation collar. If ever the baby falls face down into the water, the thick chest float will automatically flip to the top, turning the baby face-up.

Comfort Features Of The Full Throttle Infant Life Jacket 

The Full Throttle infant life jacket is designed to be particularly snug. The unbroken chest float with a single strap wrapping around the baby’s body, the flotation collar that can be tightened and adjusted at the side, and the pants-like crotch strap are all designed to wrap as closely as possible around the baby’s body.

The design is particularly ideal for newborn and very young babies. The design of the crotch strap in particular makes it easier for a very young child to wear, and it also gives him ample space to move his arms and legs in. On an older child, however, the life vest may feel cramped and it will be harder for the parent to hold him or her.

This infant life jacket is not particularly comfortable the older and more active the child gets. The single piece of chest float may feel very limiting or constraining to the child, since its movements are not as flexible as other models. Some children as well may dislike buckling the flotation collar when they are playing on the boat. The greater attention of the design is to safety rather than comfort.

Like with any Type II infant life jacket worth its salt, the Full Throttle model’s primary concern is keeping the baby on his back, with his head up, when he is in the water. As a result, it should be considered a life-saving device and not a flotation aid. It is very difficult for babies to learn any stroke but backstroke in such a jacket, and they should not be taught how to resist the flipping motion.

The Full Throttle infant life jacket is best for newborn babies, and for your family’s children if the boating is irregular and infrequent. The design is very effective for keeping the baby safe, but not too comfortable for constant and regular wear.

Affordability Of The Full Throttle Infant Life Jacket 

The Full Throttle infant life jacket is not too pricey, and its safety features make it well worth the money. However, the issue of comfort is something else altogether. The investment is better if your family has a newborn whom you are introducing to the joys of boating, or if you boat only once in a while and have more need for those safety features than for a model that provides more long-term boating comfort.

Is the Full Throttle Infant Life Jacket Right For You? 

Safety comes far before comfort with this infant life jacket model. It is designed with two things in mind: first, to keep the baby face-up with his head lifted out of the water; second, to snugly hold the baby to the vest. The design of the unbroken chest float and flotation collar is best fitted to newborns or very young babies, who need or do not mind the extra support. In all events, be sure to pick the infant life jacket that best fits your lifestyle and needs.