Are there any lifejackets for newborns?
Here’s the paradox for boaters: Regulations stipulate that there must be an approved PFD or lifejacket (the PFD or jacket will be stamped with a Transport Canada approval number and the Underwriters’ Laboratories of Canada symbol) for everyone on board and the devices must fit. But because there is no approved PFD or jacket on the market that actually supports infants, they are exempt from this requirement. Yet if you have an infant on board, there must still be an approved device on board for it, regardless of how well or poorly it fits.
The smallest approved lifejacket is for those weighing up to 18 kilograms. (There is no minimum weight stipulated in the lifejacket standard.) The minimum weight class for an approved PFD is nine to 14 kilograms. But neither is designed to accommodate a baby’s top-heavy, short-limbed, chubby physique. In short, there are no existing approved lifejackets or PFDs that will fit a baby properly.
Related Story Bill 93 will make lifejackets mandatory for children 12 and under in Ontario
Related Story Georgian Bay OPP reviving initiative that rewards children for wearing lifejackets
Related Story Transport Canada considers making lifejackets mandatory on recreational boats