There is now an Armada of armband choices on the market and parents have several options to choose from when packing for that long-awaited playstation-less holiday or day at the outdoor pool. If there is one attraction almost guaranteed to be more fun than sitting in a darkened room in front of a flickering screen on a bright summer’s day –, it’s the lure of larking around in a bright blue pool with friends, or family or just Dad! Kids are attracted to playstations younger and younger these days, and maybe it’s time to offer them some real fun – such as wet and wild – but first they need to be taught to swim.

Armbands are often used as pre-swimming aids for children between the ages of 2 and six years old. They are not life-savers however, and should never be used as such. Used under constant supervision by an adult, they do have advantages that are useful in building pre-swimming confidence. It is useful for the child to experience the sensation of being suspended in the water without the firmness of the swimming pool base underfoot. Although a child will feel less secure to begin with, he will soon learn that this extra flotation gives more freedom in direction of travel through the water – which is an incentive to try to learn to swim for himself. With a trusty adult swimmer constantly close by, a child will soon gain confidence. He will also learn that his own movements can power him through the water in any given direction. Armbands have therefore been used successfully by several generations of swimmers who started out as ‘ugly ducklings’ but who are now proficient swimmers.

Even the traditional armbands have had a revamp. For example it’s now possible to get Mickey Mouse armbands, complete with little ‘sticky-uppy’ ears. This might be an asset in coaxing a reluctant pre-schooler who is convinced he will never need to be able to swim. Once this initial hurdle is overcome, however, keen mums and dads might want to monitor the potential obstacle to freedom of movement posed by the over-sized ears!

Inflatable armbands also need plenty of parental ‘puff’, however, and some have challenging double-return safety valves. Others have double-chamber features, enabling them to be made less buoyant as the child gains confidence in motoring under his own steam. For travelling, though, they do pack flat taking up less space than other buoyancy aids – a factor to consider when heading for guaranteed sun-filled days in turquoise pools abroad.

Armbands are best researched, selected and tried out well in advance of the expensive trip however. Not only will parents will able to check that the fit is secure, but they can also be more confident that the preferred safety standards testing of the home country are granted to the product.  Swimming aids bought abroad as impulse buys may not offer the same benchmarks of safety testing. Some of the more expensive heavy-duty armbands, for example those with comfortable under-arm padding, may not be as easily available abroad.

If puffing up armbands while gripping the valve through gritted teeth every time an air leak is suspected is not Dad’s idea of chilling out ‘poolside’, there are now other alternatives in the world of armbands. There are now some non-inflatable armbands on the market which are made from buoyant materials that can be clipped together to produce varying degrees of buoyancy. Although reputed to be ‘easy-on, easy-off’ the clipping could prove a bit fiddly. There is also the ‘packing issue’ as these armbands will naturally take up more space. In addition it is possible that the inflatable bands might have a better ‘fit quality’ – being more adaptable to the shape of a child’s arm. They may however be more durable and they are free of air leak or piercing worries. At the end of the day, it is a case of matching the swimming aid to the child and a few hits and misses are to be expected before Junior metamorphoses from a tadpole to a shark – but it is probably better to endure the ‘trial and error’ process of elimination at home, before heading off abroad in search of better climes. Children may be more likely to use and benefit from equipment the are already used to – once that hot, beckoning turquoise pool is finally reached!