Here's the paradox for boaters: The regulations stipulate that there must be an approved PFD or lifejacket for everyone on board. (The PFD or jacket will be stamped with a Transport Canada approval number and the Underwriters' Laboratories of Canada symbol.) And the devices must fit. However, because there is no approved PFD or jacket on the market that is designed for infants, they (and the obese) are exempt from this latter requirement, though there must still be an approved device on board for them, whether it fits properly or not.

As you've discovered, the smallest approved lifejacket is for those weighing up to18 kg. (There is no minimum weight stipulated in the lifejacket standard.) The minimum weight class for an approved PFD is nine to 14 kg. But neither is designed to accommodate a baby's top-heavy, short-limbed, chubby physique. In short, there are no existing, approved lifejackets or PFDs that will fit your baby properly.

The problem for manufacturers is how to test a product on an infant. Would you strap your pride and joy into a prototype and fling her into the waves? Neither would anyone else. "To be comfortable, an infant will try to put his head down so that his eyes are closer to the water - he will fight the device," explains Colin Michael, a standards and regulations officer at Transport Canada's Office of Boating Safety. So, although stakeholders including Transport Canada are examining the weight classes for PFDs and lifejackets, manufacturers will still have to struggle with how to effectively conduct tests. In the meantime, what is a boating cottager to do, other than wait for Junior to be a hefty nine kilos? "The advice we give is to also purchase a device that may not be approved," says Michael. "In a pool or a shallow area of a lake, put the device on the infant, see how it works, and then make a determination whether it's safe." But, you'll still need an additional approved device on board for your tot to meet the boating regulations.