A swimming float is normally used for toddler

Toddler

A toddler is a young child, usually defined as being between the ages of one and three. Registered nurse, midwife and author, Robin Barker, states 'Any time from eight months onwards your baby will begin to realise he is a separate person from you...

s or other very young children who are beginning to learn how to swim, or during exercise for therapeutic or training purposes. These devices, which come in many shapes and types, are used to aid them with buoyancy

Buoyancy

In physics, buoyancy is a force exerted by a fluid that opposes an object's weight. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus a column of fluid, or an object submerged in the fluid, experiences greater pressure at the bottom of the...

.

The most common floats for children are inflatable ring

Swim ring

A swim ring is a toroid-shaped inflatable water toy....

s (where the user swims in the middle of it) and the inflatable armbands (they are placed around the user's arms). After being inflated through a valve

Valve

A valve is a device that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically pipe fittings, but are usually discussed as a separate category...

, they are much less dense than water because they are composed mainly of air, surrounded by a thin layer of synthetic material.

Swimming float-assisted can be more difficult than swimming without the float, because if the float is held in front of the swimmer a more vigorous workout for the legs is given as the swimmer's weight is propelled solely by the legs, and vice versa for the arms.

A variation known as the "pool noodle

Pool noodle

A pool noodle is a cylindrical piece of polyethylene foam, sometimes hollow. Pool noodles are used by people of all ages while swimming. They are useful when learning to swim, for floating, for rescue reaching, in various forms of water play, and for aquatic exercise...

" is a long (about 3 foot (0.9144 m)–4 feet (1.2 m)) thin (a few inches across) cylinder with a hollow core. It can be used to aid in floating or stretching exercises.

A pull buoy

Pull buoy

A pull buoy or leg float is a figure-eight shaped piece of closed-cell foam used in swim workouts. Swimmers place the buoy between the legs in the crotch area to provide support to the body without kicking the legs; this allows the swimmer to focus on training only their arms.Pull Buoys are an...

 or "leg float" is used to focus exercise on the arms.

Pool dumbbells are used for strength training where muscles push down against buoyancy

Buoyancy

In physics, buoyancy is a force exerted by a fluid that opposes an object's weight. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus a column of fluid, or an object submerged in the fluid, experiences greater pressure at the bottom of the...

. This is the opposite of conventional dumbbell

Dumbbell

The dumbbell, a type of free weight, is a piece of equipment used in weight training. It can be used individually or in pairs .-History:...

s, which are used to force muscles to pull up, against gravity.

Swimming board

Swimming boards (often referred to as kickboards) are made from plastic

See also

• Air mattress
  Air mattress
  An air mattress is an inflatable mattress/sleeping pad. Due to its buoyancy, it is also often used as a water toy/flotation device, and in UK is termed as a lilo .-For sleeping:...
  
   (air mat)
• Types of float in swimming
• Float history, mechanics, execution