To wear a wetsuit in a swimming pool?

[Clearlynotmyname]

Or to put it another way, if you saw someone wearing a wetsuit during toddler splash at your local pool, would you think "twat"?

DH and the DCs adore swimming, and we love doing it as a family, except I get sooooo cold that it completely ruins the experience for me. I can manage half an hour tops, and right from the start I am counting down until I can escape to the warm showers. DCs are still too small and can't swim well enough for me to just watch from the sidelines, plus I don't like not being involved.

DH thinks a wetsuit is the solution - I'm talking a shorty one, ideally with short sleeves too, not a full body one! But I still think I'll get too many stares for comfort. Not sure I have the guts to fully own the look.

(It doesn't help that DH - bless him - actually went as far as buying me one online, but when it arrived it was a lovely poo brown, so we sent it back on the basis I would look like a huge turd floating in the pool)

Verdict please MN. Or other solutions to the freezing my tits off in pool problem...

[BarbaraofSeville]

Ha GoodDay, we scuba divers overcome the extra buoyancy by wearing lead weights but I think that's a step too far for a bit of splash time with the DCs.

[GoodDayToYou]

Love this thread! I bought a cheap, shortie wetsuit in a beach shop last year and, because of this thread, used it for the first time today! It was great! No one cared. In fact, there were all sorts of swimming outfits there including mismatched shorts, a tankini and swimsuits with legs. It made me quite floaty though, which was strange and definitely places limits on those 'diving for keys' games.

Overall, I'd say, DO IT!

No lady gardens were trimmed for the writing of this post.

[Glastokitty]

You need a rashie,order one from oz if you cant get them in the uk.

[KindDogsTail]

Wear it and enjoy the swimming with your family.

Don't worry about what anyone else thinks. I understand that if you can't swim lengths you might get cold.

[hellokittymania]

I have wanted to get one for a long time! Are there a wetsuit or something like a rashie, The shirts worn in Australia . They are really pretty too, they come in all colors and designs from what I have seen

[PoorYorick]

Haha I am making my friend sound a lot harsher than she is. She may not even have said twat, that is my paraphrasing. More that she would assume it is someone who is taking toddler splash waaaaaay too seriously

Does she know what wetsuits are for? Does she understand their purpose and function?

I mean, I might understand her reaction if someone turned up to the splash pool in a scuba suit complete with mask and oxygen cylinder and brandishing a Jolly Roger, but a suit with the specific purpose of being warm?

Doesn't sound as if she knows enough about swimming of any kind to judge anyone else on how they do it!

[springflowers11]

The public pools in this area don't allow wet suits.the reason they give is that they are likely to have been used in open water and contaminated with nasty things!

[BarbaraofSeville]

If you're cold, is the baby cold? Aren't splash pools usually warmer? Proper swimming pools usually aren't too warm because if people swim properly, they would get too hot, but I thought children's pools would be warmer, to make it a nicer experience for them and their parents.

But a shortie wetsuit seems like a good solution. Try to get one with a zip at the back, with a long strap to undo it. They are much easier to get out of than ones with front zips, due to how they trap your arms in them. I have various wetsuits for scuba diving and I hardly ever wear the one that zips at the front because I can't get out of it without help.

[Kiroro]

Do you reeeeeeallllly care if people look at you in your wetsuit? You get cold. This is a good solution. No one else will care.

[DefinitelyOdd]

Sainsbury's have some wetsuits in. About £30 for a fairly nice one if that helps at all?

[christinarossetti]

I wear one at our local pool when I'm with the children, as i get so cold so quickly. I'd love to find a warmer swimming pool that you don't have to queue for two hours to get in to, but I've yet to be successful in that!

Wouldn't bat an eye lid.

[WorknameJimEllis]

Our pool bans then because apparently triathletes wear them to train, so they can get used to the feeling of swimming in them. then they overheat because the pool is hotter than a lake and get heat exhaustion. Then they need first aid.

I have a circulatory disorder and get so fucking cold I can't bear to go swimming.

[LizB62A]

Is that Speedo Essential Kneesuit actually a wetsuit though?
Reading the description it looks more like swimsuit material (especially the bit that says it's quick drying - I haven't used a wetsuit for about 15 years and they were definitely not quick drying !)

[Lingotria]

I live in an older area - most women where swim skirts or burkinis (you can get ones with a removable head covering). A wet suit in a pool is a bit of an overkill.

[sportinguista]

Thinking about it I've sometimes picked up some good stuff from TK Maxx, a bit hit and miss but sometimes worth a try they do some Zoggs stuff which has rash tops etc.

[OMClaire]

I wouldn't think it weird, I'd actually be quite envious as I bob around in the shallows trying to hide my enormous thighs and arse!!

[GreenPeppers]

Fwiw one of the teachers at my dcs swimming pool is wearing one. She is getting too cold from standing in the water for hours with the little ones with little to no movement.

I wouldn't think further than that.

[Halftermdog]

These are great - <a class="break-all" href="//www.amazon.co.uk/Eskeez-Super-Thermal-Layer-Underwear/dp/B006928BT0?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">//www.amazon.co.uk/Eskeez-Super-Thermal-Layer-Underwear/dp/B006928BT0?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[sportinguista]

Decathlon is really good, I love their stuff!

[Clearlynotmyname]

Notinmybackyard that looks good but I have bought one already as need it to arrive asap. Your one is much cheaper though!

[Clearlynotmyname]

Will try Decathlon, love that place

[Notinmybackyard]

This looks nice and is a good price?

[Firstaidnovice]

I'm a swimming teacher, and it's what we wear, wetsuits are just too restrictive. You can also get something similar, and much cheaper, in Decathlon - think they call them thermal rash vests.

[sportinguista]

Many scuba clubs train in pools, ours certainly did and wetsuits were OK. Wetsuits and burkinis are not at all the same. A wetsuit will keep you warm as it holds the water and warms it next to your body hence it being good in the sea where it is likely to be colder. A burkini is no better than wearing a pair of pjs in that it will remain wet and cold next to the body and slow you down as well, it will not warm you up.

I don't tend to judge what anyone wants to wear in the pool it's up to them. I might do a double take at high heels and an evening dress though!

Check what the pool rules are though.

[Clearlynotmyname]

Ooh good tip firstaid! Just looked them up. Won't be able to get one in time for us going away end of the week but I am tempted to buy some to wear all the time! I am always always cold