Wet suits and life jackets are much better options for kids than arm bands. Heck, in many places arm bands are banned completely. I think cost is one of the few

Wet suits and life jackets are much better options for kids than arm bands. Heck, in many places arm bands are banned completely. I think cost is one of the few reason why arm bands are still used, and perhaps that they are marginally better than not having any in some cases. You can get a great used wet suits for next to nothing, and in many cases the swimming pools have life jacket loaners. A life jacket with safety straps (between legs) are super cheap, and they are adjustable for better fit. Snug fit means they're less in the way. And they're harder to remove.