When dry it looks like a normal colorful t-shirt to wear while playing by a pool, walking on a dock or spending a day at the lake. If the child ends up in the water, however, the part hidden in the fabric inflates, brings him back to the surface and turns him onto his back, keeping his face out of the water.
It is called Floatee and was developed by the French company Olift SAS for children aged one to six years, starting from 10 kilograms. The idea was born to cover a particularly difficult moment to manage: when little ones play near the water without yet intending to bathe. Children, after all, have a talent of their own for choosing the only second in which an adult turns around.
The risk is real. According to the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, over 600 drownings were recorded in Italy in the two-year period 2024-2025. Younger children are particularly exposed in swimming pools, while the interruption of surveillance and the absence of barriers or alarm systems appear among the recurring factors.
The life jacket hidden in the shirt
Inside the Floatee is an inflatable chamber, a small carbon dioxide cartridge and a detector that reacts to submersion. When the system fully enters the water, the cartridge is activated and fills the chamber. According to data published by the company, the child is brought to the surface and turned onto his back in less than five seconds.
The sensor is designed to distinguish a fall into water from normal summer day accidents. Rain, splashes, water guns and spilled glasses should not trigger it: submersion of the device is required. A necessary precaution, considering that a t-shirt capable of turning every water balloon into an emergency would have a rather short life.
The manufacturer’s technical documentation indicates the CE marking as personal protective equipment and a test protocol based on the ISO 12402 standard used for life jackets. Buoyancy, material resistance, inflation speed and ability to bring the child to the supine position were evaluated.
The external part also offers UPF 50+ sun protection and is made, in the visible areas and in contact with the skin, with fabrics compliant with the OEKO-TEX 100 standard. The declared total weight is approximately 350 grams.
Used before bathing
Floatee is designed to be worn out of the water, during activities on the shore or poolside. It must be removed before voluntarily entering the water: it is not an aid for learning to swim and does not replace armrests, boards or other tools used during swimming.
Its task concerns the unexpected fall, when the child should still be dry. At that moment the ability to quickly bring him back to the surface and keep him on his back can give the adult the time necessary to intervene.
Surveillance therefore remains essential, without transforming this clarification into a product trial. Floatee adds automatic protection just when attention can break for a few moments. However, the ISS recommends keeping small children constantly under control and adding barriers, covers and alarm systems to private swimming pools alongside the presence of adults.
It recharges and grows with the child
After activation the shirt must not be thrown away. The CO₂ cartridge and detector are disposable and must be replaced, while the inflatable chamber can be folded up and reused. The textile part is also separable: it can be washed or changed to a larger size as the child grows.
The complete kit currently costs 149 euros, while the refill is sold for 29 euros. A certainly important figure for a t-shirt, less unusual if you consider the automatic device kept inside. The manufacturer recommends periodic checking of the system and replacement of the inflatable part after more than ten activations.
Floatee occupies a space that traditional armrests and jackets leave uncovered: that of the minutes spent next to the water before someone decides to take a bath. In the event of a fall it can keep the airway off the surface while an adult arrives. And that’s already a lot.
