So my daughter is now over 4 months old and she fits in her float much better than when I wrote about it in my previous review. She's able to hold her head up much better and in combination with her growth, she's able to fully "lean forward" or "recline back" while in the float. She's still a little small for the float (last 4 month visit showed she weighed slightly over 14 lbs), but I anticipate she will only improve with it. As I mentioned in the original review, we bought this float for our beach vacation and I'm definitely pleased with the float. So pleased in fact, we found that Swimways was the brand used by several other parents of infants at not only my pool, but the two other condos where the rest of our extended family were staying at. Of course, they were different "models" with different colors, but you could definitely tell that they were Swimways floats identical to the one we had. Since we were concerned with sun exposure, the canopy did a perfect job of keeping my daughter in the shade no matter the position of the sun. I'm definitely pleased with this purchase. I still wish the valves were easier to blow in. Since my original review, I've yet to actually deflate the float. I actually had to blow in it once more due to the natural air loss over the past several weeks. That's my only negative remark! As of this review, my baby is around 3 months and 3 weeks old and my wife and I are first time parents. Since it's summertime, we wanted to introduce her to swimming since we both love the pool and with a beach vacation coming up later in the summer, it just made sense to get hour baby acclimated to swimming. Talking with our pediatrician, she recommended that we keep her shaded if at all possible and to not use any sunscreen products (because of her age). The first time we took our baby swimming, my wife held her the entire time. While this works, we both came concerned about slipping (accidents happen) in the pool. Not wanting to take that kind of risk, I was tasked with looking for baby floats. On Amazon, Swimways, Speedo, and Intex are the popular brands. However in regards to baby floats with a *working* shade (Intex & Speedo customer reviews stated that the shade pieces were worthless), I decided on the Swimways float because other buyers stated it worked well. My daughter was born premature and therefore is small for her age. Swimways floats are manufacturer recommended 9 months old and up & because of that, she's a little small for the float. The support that goes around her bottom is fine, it's just the opening around the waist is a little big. Without holding her upright, she's a bit wobbly unless she lays back in the reclining position. Of course we would never ever leave her unattended, so each time we've used the float, we've been holding her upright with our hands. Putting the float together was a breeze. It came compact & already folded with a carrying case but repacking it back in the case is another story. I've only successfully put it back together once. It's such a hassle, I've just left it inflated the whole time. The only CON I have with this float is that it is a PAIN IN THE BUTT to blow up. The valves are not like other blow up valves I've used in the past. For some reason, you really have to blow hard to get air in the float. I thought that perhaps, it was one of those valves where you have to lightly "bite" the base to get the valve to open up, but it's not. Be prepared to strain to get the float inflated. I ended up buying this one over the others due to the pricing. This was the only Swimways Baby float that was cheaper than what was listed on Swimways' website. At the time of purchase it was $30.30 (retails for $39.99). Highly recommended for those needing a well built float for your little one. As she grows into it, it will only get better.
