10 month old, warm sea swimming advice needed

[IslandGirl5]

So my little family are moving overseas to my DHs home country in a few weeks. It’s a tropical island, very warm and the sea is warm too. I’m getting packed and searching for anything else my DD (will be 10 months by the time we get there) might need for swimming in the sea but when I search online it just comes up with what she will need to keep her warm in cool oceans that we have around the UK and Europe. I don’t want her to overheat as it’s always hot but I don’t want to risk her getting burnt so any advice from people who have been on holidays or lived abroad would be amazing thank you. I currently have:

• a shit tonne of baby sunscreen
• bambino mio swim nappies
• lots of costumes
• 2 long sleeve rash tops/suits
• hats
• arm bands

Is there anything I haven’t thought of or need to keep in mind? Thanks in advance!

Don’t bother with arm bands. You will be there giving him 1:1 attention the whole time.

Pull up nappies are much easier for a quick change on the beach.

@Fitforforty oh yes would never leave her! More of a safety blanket while we still would have hold of her but good point, we might not use them! Ah okay this might sound stupid but I havent looked at any swimming stuff until recently (thanks lockdown) but are pull up nappies swimming friendly or more for a “play on the sand” kind of beach day?

A legionnaires style UV Sun hat that has a peak and flap down the back of the neck and a strap under the chin.

I'd go for long sleeve wet suit style type costumes and also waterproof UV hat / cap to protect her head

Arm bands would be pretty pointless for a child that age- you'll be holding her.
Long sleeve, long legged UV sun suit. Even with suncream I'd be way more worried about skin damage when swimming than overheating in the water. You can get the thinner material ones as opposed to the wet suit feeling ones.

Pull up nappies aren't swim friendly. They'll just absorb all the water and weigh a tonne!
Huggies do a disposable swim nappy that you can reuse as long as they haven't pooed.

I don’t let mine swim in the sea at that age. I have a very healthy respect for the ocean though which may cloud my judgement! I have a small Bestway 2 ring inflatable pool which lives with our diving stuff, I inflate that on the beach and fill it with a bit of seawater and she splashes away in that. Also easy to pop it under a canopy/gazebo. I really rate a little beach shelter tent type thing, handy for naps/breastfeeding/changing/ keeping food in shade too. I have a pop-up one with rock type screw in tent pegs, normal tent pegs don’t work in loose sand. For later, it is worth investing in a really good quality pool noodle though. Thats what we started off with when my older kids started going in, esp if you’re into things like snorkelling, but I only allowed that age 4+. Kids get very cold even in tropical water, for later you would prob need long sleeved rash type vests.

The Cressi catalog has kids’ things in the back. I think you can find a pdf of it online. Maybe go and see what other parents do.

Pull up nappies are regular nappies that you put on like knickers so they are not suitable for the sea. Swim nappies don’t absorb water so they always don’t absorb wee so not what you want to playing on the beach.

We live in Dubai and both my kids have been in the sea since they were around 12 weeks old. I would say a swim nappy (we use the Huggies ones, I never got on with the reusable ones as much as I would have liked to) a rash vest and swim bottoms. Then a hat that covers the neck as well.

Then once they start standing standing/walking, I put them in water shoes (we buy a brand called Slip Stop) They stop their feet burning on the hot sand, protects them from cutting their feet on sharp rocks etc and are great from stopping them slipping at the swimming pool when they’re running around.

We also had a tiny pop up UV tent that was used on the beach for them to sit under when having a snack or even a nap. Hooded towels are also great when you just want to get their wet stuff off, put a nappy on them and stick them in the car.

We always had a baby/toddler float seat, two holes for the legs, and a rope to drag them round while I swam. Dd was a large 2 year old when I stopped using it.
Ours wasn't inflatable, it was made of the same stuff and the swim boards. Some come with a shade over the top to.

These are all amazing guys thank you I need a hat with a neck bit at the back, some swim shoes and something inflatable! We do snorkelling and all sorts but won’t be doing that with her until she’s a bit older! Just getting her introduced to it will be exciting enough. Thank you ladies 🙏🏼🙏🏼