wilderness
kids
Baby's First Canoe Trips
Reviewing the Salus Bijoux Infant PFD
©Outdoor Adventure Canada
 When
my husband and I found out we were pregnant with our third child we
started looking into infant sized life jackets. We found a generic one
on sale for ten dollars at a local retail store. Score! Or not. Once
the baby was born and we tried to fit him into this generic style infant
life jacket we found that his torso was much too short. All in all it
was just not a good fit. There was too much padding in all the wrong
places; putting him in a sitting position in the canoe was out of the
question because when sitting in the life jacket it pushed up on his
face and was extremely uncomfortable for him. It was definitely a no-go
and a waste of ten bucks.
We had read some reviews about the Salus Bijoux and talked
to a few people, but were sceptical about paying upwards of $70 for
an infant life jacket. Its not that we were worried about the money,
because our son's life is worth much more than $70, but we wanted to
make sure it was going to work. However since all other options were
gone, as every other infant life jacket on the market we could find
were like the generic one we had already tried, and with the beginning
of the canoeing season upon us, we needed to do something.
It was at the Toronto Sportsman Show where we bought
the Salus Bijoux for our son. I was pleased to find out it came in more
than the original red and yellow colour in which I was not a fan of.
I chose the blue and yellow one. It also comes in pink.
Once we were home we put the baby in the Bijoux. It was
easy to get on, and it was comfortable. The baby loved it. He wasn't
fussing and he could easily sit up in it without it pushing on his face.
Unlike the generic infant life jacket which is built similar to a life
jacket for an older child with the floatation around the entire torso
(as well as behind the head), the Bijoux only has floatation behind
the head and in the front covering the baby's chest and belly. The back
of the Bijoux is a breathable mesh harness which houses the adjustment
straps and keeps the life jacket securely on the baby. Having the floatation
behind the head and on the belly ensures if the baby falls into the
water he will be cradled face up in the life jacket in the water with
no risk of his face being under the water.
A few days later we filled the bathtub full of water,
put the Bijoux on the baby and plunked him in. What do you know? He
was floating. There is a demonstration video of the Bijoux online at
the Salus website, but we wanted to test it ourselves. We were not going
to take the word of someone else that these life jackets worked, we
wanted to make sure. My husband flipped the baby onto his belly in the
water, face down, and let go. Before we could blink the Salus Bijoux
had flipped him onto his back again. Baby was all smiles so we tried
it once more. Lo and behold it worked again. Unbelievable … we
were impressed and extremely satisfied.
We have been out in the canoe with the baby several times
since testing the Salus Bijoux in the bathtub and never once has the
baby complained about wearing his life jacket. He actually gets excited
when he sees it.
One other thing I like about the Bijoux is that it does
not restrict the baby's movement. He can crawl and walk while he is
wearing it; he can sit and play, and do both comfortably.
The only downfall I found with the Salus Bijoux is that
it is rated for babies weighing 9 to 25 pounds which means you will
likely only get one season out of it before having to move up to the
next size life jacket. That being said, it is still totally worth the
purchase.
The Salus Bijoux is as good as you've heard it is in
all the reviews, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking to have fun
in the water with their baby. It is a great buy and has enabled us to
have many family outings in the canoe safely with all three of our children.
Written by Samantha
Rogers
|
Backpacking