Why Puddle Jumpers, Nose Plugs, and Even Goggles Can Hinder Learning to Swim

As parents, we want our kids to feel safe and confident in the water. It’s natural to reach for tools like puddle jumpers, nose plugs, and goggles to make swimming easier and more comfortable. But did you know these can actually slow down true water safety and swimming skills?

💡 Puddle Jumpers: False Sense of Security

Puddle jumpers keep kids upright in the water, giving them the feeling of swimming without actually learning the skills. This creates:

✅ Dependence on flotation
Children learn to rely on the puddle jumper to stay afloat rather than learning to float on their own.

✅ Incorrect body position
Puddle jumpers keep kids vertical, which is the drowning position. Learning to swim requires a horizontal body position.

✅ Delayed swim skill development
Kids wearing puddle jumpers often struggle to transition to independent swimming because they never learned to balance, float, or kick effectively.

🔑 Nose Plugs: Limiting Comfort Underwater

While nose plugs can keep water out of the nose temporarily, they:

✅ Prevent learning breath control
Children never learn how to manage exhaling through their nose underwater, a critical swimming skill.

✅ Create dependence
Kids may refuse to swim without them, limiting their confidence and adaptability in water.

🏊‍♂️ Goggles: Helpful but Shouldn’t Be a Crutch

Goggles protect eyes from irritation and can build confidence in beginner swimmers, but:

✅ Over-reliance is common
If children never swim without goggles, they panic if they fall in without them.

✅ Water safety requires swimming without goggles
Kids should practice opening their eyes underwater safely to orient themselves in case of emergencies.

💛 What should parents do instead?

✅ Limit flotation device use to Coast Guard-approved life jackets for open water or boating. For swim lessons, let children experience the water without puddle jumpers to learn true floating and swimming skills.

✅ Teach breath control and blowing bubbles underwater instead of relying on nose plugs.

✅ Let kids practice swimming with and without goggles to build water safety and confidence in all situations.

💭 Final thoughts

These tools aren’t “bad” in themselves – they have their place. But if your goal is water safety and independent swimming, encourage your child to build comfort in the water naturally. Learning to swim without puddle jumpers, nose plugs, or goggles builds lifelong confidence, safety, and skills.