Swimsuit for self-conscious 13yo DD

[CharlotteCollinsneeLucas]

My DD needs a new swimsuit and she'll be taking it on a school trip. That's always a minefield anyway, isn't it? She would like:

Top of legs covered
Padding on bra region
Shoulders covered

I don't really know where to look but what I've seen for her age ticks one of these if that. Are there requests really that unusual?

Rash top and shorts?.
I think you're going to struggle to find a swimsuit that ticks all of those.

My Dd who is similar age often wears little shorts or likes high waisted bikini bottoms. Have a look on Shein as they seem to have the best range, or Decathlon have some options.

Will she feel more self conscious if she's wearing something different to the other girls on the trip? That age can be tricky. A basic swimsuit with a rash vest and swim shorts will give her options.

I got this for my similar age dd on Amazon recently - it doesn't cover shoulders, but my very fussy dd liked it and it fits her well.

I think the padding on bra combined with shoulder covering will be tricky to find.

Thank you all for your replies. I'd not heard of a rash vest, but that and shorts is a good plan. I shall have a look through those websites.

@teateateaandcake I did think maybe an adult range would give me more options (more padding?!). I think the shoulder requirement is less important than the other two...

Decathlon have a variety of swimsuits with longer legs/bra inside options plus board shorts etc at reasonable prices

Try Surf suits

Boden have loads of swim shorts and tops in, up to age 14 and lots of patterns!

https://www.boden.co.uk/en-gb/patterned-rash-vest-spring-time-floral/sty-g3082-mmi?cat=C1_S13_G17

https://www.boden.co.uk/en-gb/patterned-swim-shorts-spring-time-floral/sty-g3081-irs?cat=C1_S13_G17

I’d just get a cheap padded bikini top to go underneath!

Look on proswimwear.co.uk for a big range. If she's 13 she must be wearing adult sizes by now? Something like this, the pro brands tend not to have padding on the bust but do have front lining. Will she be swimming in a pool or outside? If outside a rash vest is probably your best bet to wear over a knee suit.

Or drag shorts over a padded swimsuit might be an option? Depends how strong a swimmer she is though since their aim is to increase drag.

Definitely more choice in adult range, and even if she's petite, a fair few brands have as small as a 6. It doesn't have a huge amount of padding, but enough for dd to not worry about it being see through (which is why she wanted padding in the first place).

It's such a tricky age for all clothes - nothing fits properly because bodies don't grow in a nice even way!

My dd wears something similar with a rash vest over, it’s not padded but the extra layer is fine for her.

My 13 year old wears a sports bra under a swim t-shirt with boys swimming trunks. She's never liked a costume.

Dd14 is also vv self conscious and bought herself a long sleeved black bikini from Shein. I'll try and find a picture online (I'm too scared to ask her to photograph it!) 😂
But it looks amazing on, sounds weird though but is lovely!

m.shein.co.uk/Long-Sleeve-High-Waisted-Bikini-Swimsuit-p-1818399-cat-2194.html

It might be this one...

Second a legsuit or a rash guard and board shorts.

This is fantastic - thank you everyone for so many ideas. I think two layers will work as well as padding because it's not wanting anything to show through which worries her.

She's at her dad's now but next time she brings the conversation up, we'll look through all these sites you've mentioned together.

Have a look at this site as well https://calypsa.com/swim-tops/short-sleeve.html

They do swim t-shirts and shorts. Some of the swim tops are padded, but they also sell swim bras (or you could get a bikini top to go underneath the swimsuits. Some of the items on here are full coverage, but we got some really nice top and shorts sets here.

Sorry I linked to the US site - here is the UK one:

https://calypsa.com/uk/swim-tops/short-sleeve.html

H&M have loads of shorts style bikini bottoms

https://www2.hm.com/en_gb/search-results.html?q=Shortie%20bikini%20bottoms

Hope one of these suggestions works, not surprised about being self conscious given how thin the material for some women's swimwear is.

The Calypsa site has some great tops on it but a bit pricey for me unfortunately. Still, loads of options here. It's good to know the choice is wider now than bikini or one piece that seemed to be the choice when I was her age. I discovered swim dresses a few years ago which I love (until the elastic goes and you're dragging a train behind you!) because I don't want to feel semi-naked even at the beach or the pool!

My 13 year old likes the long sleeve swimsuits from next - doesn't cover top of legs but she feels less exposed with full length sleeves and all in one suit - they do a variety of long and short sleeve ones.

This one has shorts style legs and a padded bust section - shoulders aren't covered but the straps are wide. Its also not that expensive....

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/heva-100-women-s-shorty-swimsuit/_/R-p-333276?mc=8646176&c=BLUE

First three images are https://snapperrock.com/

Last is www.minnowswim.com which have prettier designs. Texture waffles, florals, gingham, bretons. Not a sporty brand like most.