What to wear

Babies should always wear a swimming nappy when going in the water. There are various kinds of swim nappies on the market ranging from disposable ones to ones that you can wash and reuse. Whilst the dispoable nappies may be convenient they can work out more expensive and are not great for the environment.

The washable swim nappy comes in different forms. You can get these with velcro fastenings, ties, poppers or just like a normal pant. Some will come with a mixture of these to allow for growth like velcro and poppers. These will obviously last longer and will grow with your baby, but accidents can happen if using these alone as leakages can escape from around the waist or at the tops of the legs.

The BSF recommends that when taking your baby swimming they should wear a double nappy system, this is compulsory in many baby swimschools in the UK. This system comprises of either a disposable swim nappy or a washable swim nappy as the base layer with a snug fitting neoprene nappy on top, like the Nappicova from Konfidence or the Happy Nappy from Splash About. This is a closer fit nappy around the legs and the waist giving a good seal.

Also on the market are shorts for boys and costumes for girls with a washable swim nappy enclosed. These are usually very pretty but again we would still recommend a top layer for that added security of being accident free.

As baby gets older, mum's may also want to think about their costumes, a bikini top with a grabbing excitable baby or toddler can often reveal more than one would like!