Wetsuits - advice please

[jacksgrannie]

We are taking our two dgss on holiday in Dorset in August (without their parents - must be mad!) and think that getting wetsuits for them might be a good idea. Dgs1 is nearly 5 and mad on water and swimming, but does feel the cold as he is quite slimly built. Dgs2 is 14 months and also loves the water.

Can anyone give me any advice on what sorts to get/where to get them and what to avoid. Not too expensive as obviously they will be outgrown quite quickly.

Should we consider full suits or shorties? What is a rash vest (saw these on e-bay but got very confused) and are they worth getting? Any help gratefully received.

Rash vest is worn as a layer underneath - helps prevent chaffing and many are uv protective so they can wear with swimwear to play on the beach while wetsuit dries. Wetsuits need to fit snuggly to insualte well but length is purely preference and I'd have though a shortie one would be fine for your needs.This site has some offers or Little Trekkers.

Bump to 3 (the growbag people) do some specialist wet suit type things for small children, but I can't comment on how good they are.

Rash vests are light and almost like a t-shirt. They can be either long or short sleeved and were originally developed to be worn by surfers to prevent rubbing on the board when they don't wear a wetsuit. They give good protection against the sun and some warmth, but not much.
They are probably not what you're looking for if you want to help keep the children warm.

Do you have a Home Bargains near you, I bought shortie wetsuits for Dd3 and Gd from there, don't know what size they start from but they are absolutly perfect for playing on the beach and for less than £10 it does'nt matter if they grow out of them.

they are fab and do keep kids warm, but only if they are a snug fit. we had one given for DS which was a perfect fit, and we bought one for DD which was unfortunately too big and didnt work at all. I then bought the next size down which was a snug fit and she was perfectly warm then.

There are lots of wetsuit dealers on Ebay.

I am going to Devon and bought wetsuits for my dcs from amazon, they are ospray ones and cost £16 each. They are really good quality and arrived quickly.

you need to try before you buy.if they dont fit-they rub like mad!!i used to work in surf shop and we were taught to measure back to back for perfect fit.

Thanks all for your advice. Am going down the shortie route, and probably getting from amazon. Am getting dil to measure them us as we speak!

Have a good holiday everyone.