AD Guest Post
Saturday, ten to nine, cubicle four at the leisure centre. Kipper has one leg in his swim shorts and a look on his face I know very well. “Mum, they’re squeezing.”
He was right. They’d been squeezing since Easter, I just hadn’t wanted to admit it (sigh). So with lessons carrying on through the autumn and a half term break in the sun booked, a refresh was well overdue. When Splash About asked if we’d like to try their boys swimwear range, I didn’t need asking twice.
If you’ve done baby swimming, you’ll probably know them for the Happy Nappy™. It was the swim nappy on our kit list when Kipper had his very first lessons as a baby. What I hadn’t realised is how much they make for older boys too, and that they design and manufacture every piece here in the UK.
What’s in the Splash About boys swimwear range?
The range covers swim shorts, rash vests, legionnaire hats and UV Sun & Sea Suits. The swim shorts run from age 1 all the way up to 12. The rash vests go from 1 to 7, so if yours are on the younger side you can put together a full matching set.
Everything is made from UPF 50+ fabric, which protects the skin it covers from UV. Note to self (and to you): it only protects what it covers, so the suncream still goes on faces and legs.
The prints are where Kipper came in. I’d have happily gone for plain navy, and there is a plain navy, but he took one look at Crocodile Swamp and that was that. There’s also Turtle Tide, Tug Boats, Vintage Moby and an Under the Sea design with an octopus on it. The octopus, I’m reliably informed, is the best animal.
So how did we get on?
The swim shorts. They’re lightweight, quick-drying and mesh-lined. The lining got a very suspicious look on the first wear (“why have they got pants in?”). By the second lesson he’d forgotten all about it, and the shorts stayed put every time he pushed off from the wall. After lessons I hang them on the radiator in the hallway, and they’re dry long before the towel is.
The legionnaire hat. Confession time: I have a drawer full of sun hats that have been worn exactly once, either because they blew off or because someone refused. This one has a flap that covers the back of the neck and the ears, which are the bits Kipper usually catches. He’s decided it’s his desert explorer hat, and so far it’s staying on.
The UV Sun & Sea Suit. This is our beach and rock pooling piece: full coverage with a zip, so no wrestling a wet all-in-one over his head on the sand. The one thing I’d pass on is that it’s snug, which is what keeps it in place in the water. Getting it onto a damp child after a paddle is usually a workout, so put it on dry at the hotel before you head down to the beach and you’ll save yourself the fight.
Washing them. I’m a tumble-dry-everything sort of mum, so this was a habit change for me. Splash About recommend rinsing in fresh water after every swim to get the chlorine or salt out, then air drying. Tumble drying can affect the fabric’s protective properties over time. If you do machine wash, it’s 30°C with a non-bio. On lesson weeks, a spare pair means nobody’s pulling on damp shorts on a Saturday morning.
For boys who need a bit of extra support in the water
This part isn’t something we need ourselves, but I know from the school gate that it matters to plenty of families. Splash About also make incontinence swimwear: swim jammers for ages 2 to 4 and Splash Shorts for ages 4 to 10.
“Our incontinence swim jammers and Splash Shorts look just like regular swimwear,” says Laura Allen, at Splash About. “They’re designed so a child who needs leak protection can get changed, get in the pool and swim alongside everyone else in their lesson.”
Some children aren’t dry yet, or need leak protection for other reasons, and some families end up skipping lessons because they’re worried about the pool. If that’s you, they’re worth a look before lessons start again after half term.
Sizing
Everything is sized by age as a guide, and there’s a size guide on the Splash About website. This time I actually measured Kipper instead of guessing. After the squeezing shorts incident, that felt like real progress.
Things we loved:
- The swim shorts go all the way to age 12, so one brand can see you from first lessons to secondary school
- They dry fast enough on a radiator to be ready before the towel is, which matters on back-to-back lesson weeks
- Kipper chose his own print, and getting ready for lessons has been noticeably less of a battle since
- Each piece works on its own or as part of a set, so you can replace just what’s worn out
If you’re only replacing one thing before half term, make it the swim shorts. They’re the piece that gets worn every single week, and with sizes up to age 12 there’s plenty of room to grow before you’re starting again. You can see the full range over at Splash About.
Have you had a “squeezing” moment in the changing rooms yet this term? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. I promise you’re not the only one!
