One of the benefits of living in the southwest is that lots of people have swimming pools, and the modern day family is no exception. As this was Madame's first summer where she could spend any amount of time outside, I've been looking for the perfect float for her. At first I got this one from Speedo, but she was too small for it and it kept her a little to low in the water. Then I got one that kept her too much up out of the water, which made me afraid she might take a dive into the pool if she got a mind to. But I guess the third time is the charm, because then I found the Swimways Baby Spring Float.
The float is pretty basic - two concentric pockets of air held together by some mesh netting. The baby sits in the middle of it, keeping the water up to about mid-chest level. It's much easier for her to splash in the water, and it easily deflates and collapses into a bag for taking to a friend's house. I definitely recommend it.
Swimways Baby Spring Float. 12.99 at Amazon.com.