Best: Overall

Rating: 10/10

Curious toddlers and holiday swimming pools are an exhausting mix, so this UV float suit is a bit of a godsend for frazzled parents. It’s basically a sun suit with a built-in swim belt, so you get UV protection and buoyancy in one.

Crucially, kids can’t take it off or deflate it – the zip is on the back and the foam inserts fit neatly into the suit – so it’s a good option for tots who hate wearing armbands. It also means their arms are totally free to splash around, and our fussy tester took to wearing hers very quickly both at the pool and on the beach.

This suit isn’t a life-saving device, but it does give you the confidence to let your little one roam a bit more freely when they’re near water. It’s available in ages one to six, and comes in five very cute designs.

Best: For budding divers

Rating: 9/10

Our confident-swimmer tester loved these clever sinkers, which are a great way to get kids diving under water. Throw them into the pool and let your water baby retrieve them one by one, or even all at once if they fancy a challenge.

The dive sticks sink to the bottom as they gradually fill with water, creating a fun underwater game while teaching little ones to swim – or at least be confident – beneath the water.

While most sinkers are weighted by design to help them sink, these sticks are lightweight until they’re soaked in the water. That means they’re a great option for travel if you want to add an element of play in the holiday swimming pool.

Best: For speedy swimming

Rating: 9/10

Swimming with fins is a great way to learn proper kicking technique and build up strength in the legs and lower body. They also make for a far speedier swim, so a great tool for kids who already have a reasonable degree of swimming ability.

These gustav swim fins manage to be both practical and stylish, available in this whale blue or a Tuscany rose. They’re 100 per cent silicone, with enough flex to make them comfortable on little feet. We particularly liked the little embossed figures on the sole of the flippers, which left a trail of pictures in the sand as our testers padded across the beach.

Best: For building leg strength

Rating: 9/10

A kickboard allows little swimmers to focus on their legwork without worrying about sinking, and we found this elite kickboard did everything well. While some floats we tested were only suitable for young children, this one’s big enough for older kids to use.

The handles and ergonomic shape make it easier to hold on to than a simple rectangular float, and it’s pleasingly buoyant. It’s also a lot more robust than other floats we tested and feels like it’s been built to last – and all at a very reasonable price.

Best: For family pool games

Rating: 9/10

The pro ball isn’t strictly a swim aid – it’s a very cool ball that bounces on water. It kept our testers busy for hours in the pool, where they swam to retrieve it again and again without realising they were swimming at all.

An update on the original and extreme water balls before it, the pro ball has a bigger gel core for a better bounce, and a Lycra cover for added buoyancy. It floats on water, of course, but it’s the way it bounces on the surface that’s totally brilliant and adds an entirely new element to a game of catch.

Provided you’ve got plenty of space to throw it about, this is a great way to get kids building up confidence and burning off energy in the water.

Best: For child-friendly fun

Rating: 9/10

Our testers fought over this very cool shark-style SwimFin, which got lots of smiles in the pool. It’s worn on the back and sits vertically, with two elasticated straps that wrap around your child’s torso. It takes a bit of time to get the right fit, but once it’s on properly, it allows them total freedom to move their arms and legs while keeping them afloat in the water.

We found our non-swimmer tester’s confidence improved most quickly in this buoyancy aid, perhaps because she found it brilliant fun to wear while pretending to be a shark. It only missed out on a higher spot because she found it annoying not to be able to lie on her back when splashing about in shallow water, and kept having to take it off.

Best: For comfy floating

Rating: 8/10

These Nabaiji armbands from Decathlon are a step up from standard armbands, thanks to a fabric lining on the inside that makes them comfier – and a whole lot less squeaky – to pull on and off. There are no scratchy plastic seams, so they feel much nicer to wear than normal armbands. The patterns are super cute, too.

These armbands are designed for kids weighing from 15kg to 30kg, and they fit our seven-year-old tester well. Two inflation chambers and one-way valves make these a welcome upgrade from traditional armbands.

Best: For flexible buoyancy

Rating: 8/10

This swim vest is a good option for young children who are learning to swim but aren’t yet confident in the water. It’s a zip-up buoyancy jacket made from wetsuit material, with eight removable floats. You can start to remove floats as your child’s swimming ability increases, which means you get lots of wear out of it.

The 3mm-thick neoprene gives 100 per cent UV protection, so it offers both warmth in cold water and protection from the sun.

There are lots of bright and bold designs to choose from, and we like the fact that each one has the same bright-yellow back to make it easier to spot your little person in the water or on a crowded beach.