KONFIDENCE
I have mentioned Konfidence in passing, but I never really dedicated a whole post to them. And they definitely warrant a whole post.
This is a company from UK that makes some amazing swim products designed to help children develop skills necessary to learn swimming. I met their reps at the ABC Expo last year and we have been using their products since.
Swim skills with Konfidence float suits start early on with learning how to balance in the water, how to keep yourself upright. Then you transition into floating and moving in the water. Step by step, getting rid of the “help” and learning slowly how to stay afloat without any help at all.
Konfidence swimsuits are designed in this special way that allows little kids stay afloat while working hard ( unlike most floaties that simply hold them up without any effort or balance necessary) with the removable flotation inserts. As they develop necessary balance and swimming skills, the inserts can be removed one by one, depending on the developing skills, constantly challenging the swimmer to balance while giving the necessary float.
Konfidence also makes a swim jacket with the same exact purpose and I found that both the jacket and the swimsuit serve their own purpose.
The swimsuit was nice in the very beginning where there wasn’t much protesting over what was being worn. However, at the same time, for kids who take swim jackets off, swimsuit stays on- they can’t remove it so easily and it doesn’t feel so bulky.
The Konfidence jacket is good for those kids who are bothered by the inserts outside of the pool. At this point Lexi will wear the swimsuit in the water but she wants it off outside, so the jacket makes a lot more sense, because it’s easier to take off and put back on. Before she goes in the water, she always runs to me and says “Mama, don’t go in the water without jacket. Need swim jacket on“, repeating the words I always say to her.
Both the jacket and the swimsuit hold her really well in the water since she has the skills to balance and swim at this point, however neither are meant to be used without supervision. They are not lifesaving devices and require balance that little kids often don’t have. So you have to always watch them to make sure they don’t lose balance tip over.
These are not some of those “sit on the sidelines” types of flotation suits.
These are “spend time with your kids swimming without having to hold them every second of the way” kind of products.
