BABY SWIMWEAR... NEED YOUR WISDOM

[cornishzulu]

Hi All

Going on beach hols soon but confused as what to buy 8mnth old to wear. Should we go for a UV swimsuit, or a neoprene wetsuit? Are wetsuits rated the same as swimsuits for UV protection? Any suggestions for good brands. We already have a swimmer nappy as DS goes for swimming lessons, but confused as to outerwear appropriate for beach. Also, are baby sunglasses any good? Any tips on what to pack for beach would be most welcome.

Thanks

I have no idea what a neoprene wetsuit is so would recommend a uv swimsuit preferably an all in one. that way you only have to worry about putting cream on the exposed bits. I got one in Boots and I put a notice on here and got another one. There are always loads on ebay too. I have baby bans sunglasses and he wouldn't keep them on so total waste of money! Best buy however was a legionnaires style baseball cap( with the flap thing at the back to cover their neck). Brilliant things.

Thank you. Neoprene is the stuff they make real wetsuits out of and is 100% UV resistant. I found a great company on ebay selling baby ones for a tenner. Thanks for other tips!!

Was it Mike's Diving? I have a couple of those, they're nice and look great.

I put DD in a swim nappy first time (the ones that sift the solids), it doesn't soak up the wee, and the runny poo soaked through onto my picnic rug.

So following that, I stick with the ordinary nappy most of the time!

Have found the little pop-up tent really handy for nappy changes (so not lying flat-out with sun in the eyes) and for naps. Ours was from woolies, UV rated too.

I use a neoprene shorty wetsuit for my DDs in the local swimming pools - pays or itself after a while as it means they can stay in longer as they stay warmer (so we get more swimming for our money). We got our shorty from an ebay shop.

The shorty style are definitely far better than the vest style for keeping warm. Only concern for your beach holiday is that your DS might get too warm in a neoprene wetsuit of you are going somewhere warm. In the summer here my DDs were UV swimuits on the beach despite having circulatory problems that make them colder than most children would be.

btw - not tried 'babybans' but was talking to someone a few days ago who used them and said they don't stay on very well.

Also a few ideas for packing for the beach...

footwear (we use surfer style light plastic shoes) in case of weaver fish / glass /cigarettes on beach

hooded towel / coverall thing to keep warm if there is a breeze or for quick and easy drying

UV beach shelter (if you wish)- pop up style is best, esp with sandbags at the sides to weigh it down in the wind.

Spare hat - we always end up losing ours at some point and you can't be on the beach without one can you?

Spare swim nappy - I found reusable ones much more leak proof

Fresh water to rinse hands under for snacks

We always take a big bottle of squash which we freeze overnight

Identity tags to put mobile number on

Kite

My DDs have just turned 2and 4 and we spent most of last summer on our local beach - got used to taking just what we needed and no surplus (as I had to carry it all ).

Haven't mentioned snacks / suncream obvious things

Happy hols