Where have all the children’s bathing suits gone?
With the warm weather comes a lot of outside time for my girls and me. For the past couple weeks, we have been outside almost every afternoon playing in the pool and sprinklers and enjoying homemade snow cones. After the first few days of water play, I quickly realized that my 6-year-old was in desperate need of a new bathing suit, so we headed to the store to buy a new summer suit.
This was the first year that I wouldn’t be able to get my growing girl a bathing suit from the baby/toddler section, so we headed over to the big girl section to check out the selection. With Daddy and baby sister in tow, Aubrey and I started sifting through the bathing suits. And I have to admit, I was shocked to see our options. Bikinis, triangle tops, and suggestive, low-cut one-piece suits filled the shelves. This seemed to be the theme at almost every store we visited.
After trying on several suits in an effort to find a cute, appropriate suit that we could all agree on, Aubrey fell in love with a peace-sign covered “tankini” paired with the cute little short bottoms. Despite Daddy’s no two-piece rule, he agreed that this was the perfect suit.
Aubrey left the store excited about her new bathing suit, and my husband and I left the store thrilled to have avoided the suits that should come in adult sizes rather than a child’s size 6. Unfortunately, I’m sure the bathing suit struggle will happen next summer, and the summer after that, and the summer after that. After seeing the options available to my kindergartener, I don’t even want to think about the suits we’ll have to sift through when she is in middle school.
Do you have rules when it comes to bathing suit shopping? Do you think there are certain suits that are inappropriate for certain ages?
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We have a very strict no two piece until your teens policy also. And I have noticed these suites for the past 5-6 yrs getting worse. I always can find a cute one piece that is modest and stilll has some fun style.
by sharon
We just recently had a similar issue except our little girl is only 19mo and my husband and I have pretty strick no two-piece rule, even at her age. It was very hard to find a tasteful one piece for that age, I couldn’t imagine an older girl or pre-teen age. My mother in law bought a semi-two piece (open on the front and back but connected on the sides) even hubby said NO to that. We just don’t want our daughter to get the wrong message about showing her body.
by Mary
Agreed. children should wear clothes according to their age and comfort. But now a days most of the clothes have made children clothes just like adults which are inappropriate for a child to wear.
by Water playground equipment
I also have the problem of finding modest bathing suits for my 7 year old. We have settled on 2 piece swimwear where the top covers the belly. One of the really great things about this solution is that when she has to use the bathroom we don’t have to pull down the entire suit. Last year we found a really cute one at JC Penney. We also found another one while we were at the beach. This year my daughter is a little bigger and I noticed that Justice for Girls has some very modest suits.
by Darcy Lanton
My husband and I were just shopping for a bathing suit for our 11 month old and it completely shocked me that all one store had were bikinis. She’s 11 months old! Luckily, we were able to find a cute one-piece, but what are people thinking? With all the crazies out there (seems that there are new stories every day), why would someone put their child in a revealing swim suit?
by Cristina
I think I’m more shocked that there are parents out there that have a “no two-piece” rule! WHAT? There is nothing wrong with a 2 piece what-so-ever. I have a 3 1/2 year old daughter, and I LOVE buying her the cute bathing suits that are 2 piece. I usually go towards the tankini or ones with a cute skirt. Not once did we look at the one piece bathing suits. Why? Because trying to have any girl that young trying to make it to the bathroom and pull down a bathing suit (or pull it back up) is just torture for the parent and child. It’s not like they are thongs or teenie tiny bra-like tops. IMO, a child can be adorable in a two piece and still dress her age.
by kelli
By a bikini bottom and a u-v shirt – still at the age where you can cite safe in the sun.
Our rule is protect from the sun. 2 piece’s don’t do that as well as uv. shirts
by Matt
Try looking for tank suits designed for swimmers – Speedo was the brand when I was a kid, but there may be others now. Practical suits for swimming that don’t have to be pulled up or down – you can just put it on and forget it!
by Stefanie
I buy my daughter and son sensible 2-piece suits (swim shirts and shorts) that are SPF50 through the internet. Delivered straight to your door…no mall. My favorite company was outdoorkids.com, but I think that they went out of business last year. It is also easier for young girls to go to the bathroom by themselves with shorts as bottoms rather than a 1 piece.
by Joann
We have always had the rule that our daughter could not have a bathing suit that showed her belly. We started that back when she was 4 years old. It was difficult because all her little friends were wearing bikinis. They were cute, but we did not want to start something that we would not want to continue as she got older. We told her that her belly was “special” and that we did think she should show it to everyone. She then asked about her brother and why he could show his belly. I quickly said, “Well, his belly is not as special as yours.” She was o.k. with that. She is now 11 years old and I am pleased to say that this year’s shopping trip was not traumatic, as she did not want her belly to show.
by Sheri
Hmm I understand your concern about not being able to find any swimsuits in styles that you find appropriate. When I was little I hated pink and disliked bikinis and it was difficult to find suits that fit these criteria. Sams club had a lot of good inexpensive suits
But I don’t know if I agree with your policy about only wearing 1 peice swimsuits because others are too “revealing”
Up until somebody hits puberty, there isn’t really anything to reveal? I feel like it would be better to have a child comfortable wearing a variety of clothing; nobody should only feel comfortable in a one-peice, just as nobody should only feel comfortable in a bikini. People shouldn’t feel like they have to hide their bodies, but they also shouldn’t feel pressured to complely expose themselves if they don’t want to.
I still have no idea what you are trying to accomplish by making your children wear one peice bathing suits and if somebody would explain that I would be very appreciative!
(except sun protection I totally get that one sunscreen and long sleeve shirts and sunglasses and umbrellas all the way)
by Summer
My son always wears a long sleeve sun protective shirt. If I had a daughter she would do the same. The less sunscreen I have to put on my child the less I have to worry about it poisoning them and polluting the environment.
by Callie
Summer – I have definitely seen some cute and appropriate two-piece suits out there. But when I went shopping at the beginning of the summer, I was shocked to see, in my opinion, some very adult-looking suits for children. For my husband and I, it was just easier to tell our daughter to stick with a one-piece or tankini-style suit.
by Stacy Fournier