This life vest helps protect a small child, but the child can still roll face down into the water and drown. We found that putting inflatable water wings on our twins while they wear the life vest gave them better protection. Of course, we never leave a child unsupervised in the water either way. The strap on the life vest that goes between the legs has a tendency to chafe and irritate tender skin. That should have been made with padding or softer material. 3 stars