Level 2 · Tot Trainers
SwimSchool Deluxe Swim Trainer Toddler Vest Floatie, Yellow
2-4 years
4.0 (4,162)
A sweater-fit toddler trainer in yellow: fabric-covered tube worn high on the chest, with a safety seat strap, ages 2-4.
$20.69$21.99−6%
Confidence Building System
SwimSchool Swim Trainers: Every Swimmer Starts in the Shallow End
For over 40 years, SwimSchool has been the trusted brand for swim training, and we still begin the same way: one step down, water up to the knees, a grown-up close by. Our multilevel system of baby floats, tot trainers and swim trainer vests supports your child through every stage, from the first splash to the first real strokes.
- Three levels, one clear path
- Gear sized by weight
- Let's teach swimming together
- Over 40 YearsThe trusted brand for swim training since the start
- Confidence Building SystemThree levels that follow your child's own pace
- Trusted by ParentsInnovative swim aids for every stage of learning
- Made by Aqua LeisureA pool company from Avon, Massachusetts behind every piece
The gear families reach for first
Level 1 · Splash Mats
SwimSchool Baby Splash Play Mat with Adjustable Canopy
4.3 (4,042)
A shaded, inflatable splash spot for the backyard or beach, with a backrest and three stacking play rings.
$24.88
Level 1 · Baby Floats
SwimSchool Deluxe Baby Float with Adjustable Canopy, Navy/White
6-24 months
4.3 (3,092)
Our widest baby float, with a tilting UPF 50 canopy and a mesh play area, made for little ones 6 to 24 months.
$32.41
Level 2 · Swim Trainer Vests
SwimSchool New & Improved Swim Trainer Vest, Medium/Large, Pink/Aqua
M/L · up to 50 lb
4.5 (1,365)
For bigger learners: our new and improved flex-form trainer vest in Pink/Aqua, Medium/Large, for kids up to 50 lb.
$14.99
Learn to swim levels
Three steps down into the water
Our Learn to Swim Levels work like the steps at the shallow end: you take them one at a time, and nobody rushes you. Find the step your swimmer is standing on today.
LEVEL1
Start Swim Skills
Meeting the water, together
- Age
- 6-24 months
- Grown-up
- In your hands the whole time
- Gear
- Baby boats, baby floats and splash mats
Level 1 is about introducing baby to water and nothing more ambitious than that. You relax, they relax, and the pool becomes a place you both enjoy.
- Sitting calmly in a float
- Feeling water on arms and legs
- Splashing with open hands
- Trusting your voice and hold
- Kicking on purpose
- Reaching for a toy
- Balancing with less help
- Getting the face a little wet
LEVEL2
Build Swim Skills
Paddle first, then swim with support
- Age
- Ages 2-4 in tot trainers; vests up to 50 lb
- Grown-up
- Within arm's reach, hands free to guide
- Gear
- Tot trainers and swim trainer vests
Level 2 starts with a sweater-fit tot trainer that goes on like a favorite top, then moves on to a swim trainer vest with Flex-Form foam and an adjustable safety strap. With that support around the chest, play turns into paddling without anyone calling it a lesson.
- Paddling with both arms
- Kicking while moving forward
- Holding an upright float
- Turning back toward you
- Stepping up to a trainer vest
- Longer glides between adults
- Blowing bubbles
- Reaching the pool edge alone
LEVEL3
Refine Swim Skills
From paddling to real strokes
- Age
- Growing swimmers, up to 50 lb
- Grown-up
- Beside them, a step back
- Gear
- M/L swim trainer vest; Coast Guard approved life jacket for boats
Level 3 is for the swimmer who already paddles and kicks and now works on real strokes with less and less support. The M/L swim trainer vest, up to 50 lb, helps while strokes come together; for boats and open water, choose a Coast Guard approved life jacket. Here the deep end stops being a rumor and becomes a goal.
- Swimming with arms and legs together
- Swimming with less and less support
- Gliding off the wall
- Floating on the back with help
- Rhythmic breathing
- Longer distances
- Treading water
- Lessons without a trainer
Which step is your swimmer on?
Answer a couple of quick questions and we will point you to the level, and the shelf, that fits your child right now.
Start here
Level 1 · Baby Floats
This is Level 1, Start Swim Skills: baby boats and floats that let your little one sit low, steady and happy in the water. You stay beside them, and the two of you get used to the pool together.
Open Baby Floats or try the SwimSchool Deluxe Baby Pool Float with Canopy, Pink/Aqua
Start here
Level 1 · Splash Mats
Not every first meeting with water needs a pool. Our splash mats bring a shallow, friendly layer of water to the patio or the lawn, so babies and toddlers can pat, sit and squeal at their own speed.
Open Splash Mats or try the SwimSchool Baby Splash Play Mat with Adjustable Canopy
Start here
Level 2 · Tot Trainers
Welcome to Level 2, Build Swim Skills. Our tot trainers have a sweater fit that pulls on like a favorite top and holds your toddler up while they play, kick and paddle with support.
Open Tot Trainers or try the SwimSchool Deluxe Swim Trainer Toddler Vest Floatie, Yellow
Start here
Level 2 · Swim Trainer Vests
Level 2, Build Swim Skills, is where a swim trainer vest earns its place. Flex-Form foam, an adjustable safety strap and two sizes by weight keep your swimmer supported while paddling grows into swimming.
Open Swim Trainer Vests or try the SwimSchool Swim Trainer Vest with Padded Shoulders, Small/Medium, Pink/Aqua
Start here
Coast Guard approved Life Jackets
When the day moves from the pool to the boat, the dock or the lake, this is the shelf you need. Oceans 7 and Aqua life jackets are US Coast Guard approved and come in infant, child and youth sizes.
Open Life Jackets or try the Aqua Type II Infant Life Jacket, Seafoam Blue
Popular at the shallow end
SwimSchool Deluxe Baby Pool Float with Canopy, Pink/Aqua
4.4 (3,048)
This is where a lot of first pool days begin. Our Deluxe float in Pink/Aqua sits baby upright in a multi-point adjustable seat, under a canopy you can tilt as the sun moves.
$16.46$29.99−45%
Short on time? Wade in here
- Our pick for a first pool day: SwimSchool Rainbow Baby's First Pool Float with Adjustable Seat
- Our pick when you need shade: SwimSchool Deluxe Baby Pool Float with Canopy, Pink/Aqua
- Our pick for toddlers who paddle: SwimSchool Deluxe Swim Trainer Toddler Vest Floatie, Yellow
- Our pick for growing swimmers to 50 lb: SwimSchool New & Improved Swim Trainer Vest, Medium/Large, Pink/Aqua
- Our pick for a day on the boat: Aqua Oceans 7 Infant Life Jacket, Under 30 lb, Blue/White
What is inside a swim trainer vest
A good vest should feel like help, not like luggage. Here is what each part of ours is doing while your child is busy swimming.
- Flex-Form foam panelsSegmented foam bends with the body instead of fighting it, so your swimmer can reach, twist and kick while staying supported.
- Adjustable safety strapThe strap runs between the legs and clips in front, keeping the vest down on the torso instead of riding up toward the chin.
- Padded shouldersSoft shoulders spread the lift evenly and keep wet seams from rubbing during a long afternoon of climbing in and out.
- Zipper frontA front zipper means easy on and easy off, even with a wriggly, sunscreen-slick child who would rather already be in the pool.
- Stretch fabric and sleevesStretch fabric hugs without squeezing, and on selected vests UPF 50 shoulder sleeves add sun cover right where small shoulders burn first.
What parents say at the pool edge
These are real buyer reviews, quoted word for word from our product listings.
So fun!
This is the cutest baby floatie! My baby loves it! She has so much fun splashing and kicking her legs in the water. Well worth the money!
7 month old loves it
My baby is 7 months old and she has been loving this thing. It’s been really hot out so this is something fun we can do out in the shade. As you know having a baby, they don’t stay entertained for long before going to the next thing so this is great because she stays playing in it for about 30 minutes! I love that it has the sun protector as well!
Best swimmer
My son is learning how to swim and has tried the puddle jumpers and gets angry If things are on his arm. This is the best because you can hold onto the back and it keeps them afloat very well
Great confidence booster!
This swim trainer has been great for my 3 year old. It’s super easy to use, she can put it on herself. It has boosted her confidence and has allowed her to have free range of her arms promoting better swimming techniques while giving her the extra buoyancy she needs at this point. Overall very impressed with the performance of the swim trainer.
Entertainment
Easy to use. Great quality product, colors are bright to see in a pool. Obviously water resistant. The further down it is placed the farther it goes. Approved for all ages!
Sturdy sitting position, entertaining
This is the most amazing splash pad for supported sitters. Has been well worth the purchase, used so many times and perfect for next to the pool!!!!
SwimSchool swim trainers, baby pool floats and toddler swim vests for every level
Learning to swim is not one big leap; it is a series of small, friendly steps, and that is how we build SwimSchool gear. Our Confidence Building System is organized into three Learn to Swim Levels, so you can choose a baby pool float, a tot trainer or a swim trainer vest by what your child is ready for, not by guesswork. Every piece is a learn to swim aid designed to be used with a grown-up within arm's reach, because confidence in the water grows fastest when a familiar pair of hands is close by.
Level 1 starts in the shallow end with baby floats and baby boats for little ones of roughly 6-24 months. A baby pool float with canopy keeps the sun off while your baby sits low and steady in the water, and a splash mat lets the very youngest meet water on dry land first, on the patio or the lawn. The goal at this stage is simple: relax and enjoy the water together. No strokes, no drills, just a calm baby, a smiling parent and the feeling that the pool is a good place to be.
Level 2 is for toddlers who have decided that sitting still is over. Our tot trainers have a sweater fit, so they pull on like a top and stay put while your toddler plays and paddles with support. Many parents come looking for a toddler swim vest at this point and find that a tot trainer is the right first answer: buoyancy around the chest, arms free, body upright enough to feel safe and tipped forward enough to start moving. It is the step between being carried through the water and travelling through it under your own power, and the swim trainer vest is the next piece within the same level.
The swim trainer vest is the second half of Level 2, Build Swim Skills. SwimSchool swim trainer vests use Flex-Form foam that bends with the body and an adjustable safety strap that keeps the vest from riding up. Size S/M fits swimmers up to 33 lb and size M/L fits swimmers up to 50 lb. Some vests add UPF 50 shoulder sleeves for long sunny days, some have a removable chin-up collar for children still learning to keep their face clear, and our premium version is cut from neoprene for a softer, closer fit. At Level 3, Refine Swim Skills, the M/L vest stays with growing swimmers while real strokes come together with less and less support.
Swim aids teach; life jackets protect. For boats, docks, lakes and open water, our catalog also carries Oceans 7 and Aqua kids life jacket models that are US Coast Guard approved, in infant, child and youth sizes covering 8-90 lb across the range. Around them you will find the practical pool gear that makes a day run smoothly: Aqua air pumps, Mini Stingray Gliders for underwater play and Monterey 4-in-1 hammock floats for the adults. Browse all 44 products by shelf or by level, then follow the button to our product listing at the partner store to order.
Questions parents ask before wading in
Are swim vests good for learning to swim?
Yes, when they are used as a teaching aid with an adult close by. A swim trainer vest holds your child in a position where arms and legs can practice real movements, which builds confidence and skill together. It does not replace supervision or lessons, and it is not a life-saving device. Think of it as training wheels for the shallow end.
Are SwimSchool vests Coast Guard approved?
Our swim trainer vests, tot trainers and baby floats are learn-to-swim aids, not personal flotation devices, so they are not Coast Guard approved and should never be used as life jackets. The Oceans 7 and Aqua life jackets on our Life Jackets shelf are US Coast Guard approved, and those are the ones to choose for boats and open water.
What age can a baby use a pool float?
Our Level 1 baby boats and floats are designed for introducing babies of roughly 6-24 months to the water. Your baby should be able to hold their head up steadily and sit with support. Always check the age and weight guidance on the product listing, and stay in the water, hands on or within arm's reach, the entire time.
Should I choose size S/M or M/L?
Go by weight, not by age. Size S/M is for swimmers up to 33 lb and size M/L is for swimmers up to 50 lb. If your child is close to the top of S/M, look at how the vest sits: it should be snug with the zipper closed and should not lift over the chin when you pull up at the shoulders.
How do I inflate a baby float?
Open each valve, inflate every air chamber until it is firm but still gives a little under your thumb, then press the valve closed and push it flat. An Aqua air pump makes quick work of it; the dual-action hand pump is easy to bring to the pool. Do not overinflate, and check firmness again once the float has been in the sun.
How should the safety strap fit?
The adjustable safety strap passes between the legs and clips at the front of the vest. Tighten it until it lies flat and close without digging in; you should be able to slide a couple of fingers underneath. A properly set strap stops the vest from riding up, which keeps the foam at chest level where it helps most.
Pool notes
How to Choose a Baby Pool Float by Age, and How to Use It
A calm, practical walk through picking your baby's first float and making the first pool day a good one.
Pool notes
Swim Trainer Vest Sizing: S/M or M/L, and How the Strap Should Fit
Two sizes, one safety strap and a simple lift test are all you need to get a swim trainer vest right.
Pool notes
Swim Trainer or Coast Guard Approved Life Jacket: When to Use Which
They can look alike on a hanger, but a swim trainer and a life jacket are made for two different jobs.
The deep end can wait. The first step is right here.
Pick the level that matches your swimmer today, and trade up when they are ready for more water. We will be at the pool edge with the next piece of gear whenever you need it.