marytara's Full Review: 100% Waterproof Kushies Swim Diapers For Infants &...
What's a swim diaper?
Since many public pools do not allow you to use regular disposable diapers for sanitary reasons, if you want to swim with a baby or a toddler you will need to use a swimming diaper. Swim diapers will allow pee to filter through the diaper but will catch (or attempt to catch) poops from entering the pool. Swimming diapers come in both a disposable variety (such as Huggies Little Swimmers or Luvs Splashwear) or a re-usable variety (such as these - Kushies Swim Diapers, Diaperaps, as well as some other WAHM diapers).
Why, Kushies?
When I enrolled my son in Water Babies, I was told NO DISPOSABLE DIAPERS in the pool. At the time the woman who enrolled me believed that also included disposable swimming diapers (like Little Swimmers). Previously, we'd used the Little Swimmers with a fair amount of success.
My main gripe about the diapers was the price. When you do the math, a Huggies Little Swimmer will cost you about a dollar a diaper. Figuring that each class you will need at a minimum 1 diaper, the cost of diapers for my Water Babies class which meets twice a week would be adding up really quickly. This didn't include any additional times we went to a pool for practice, or recreation outside of the class.
So, for both financial reasons and also due to what I was told at the time to be regulations for the pool I sought out a swimming diaper of the re-usable type.
The first diaper that was recommended and available to me was the Kushies Swim Diaper.
About the Product Kushies Swim Diapers are a re-usable swim diaper that is made of 100% nylon. The nylon is lightweight and quick-drying. Unlike disposable diapers in the pool, they do not bag, sag, or expand. The inside of the diaper is made of a cotton terry. This is not only soft but its also moderately absorbant.
To put on one of these diapers is just like you would put on a regular diaper on your child. They are not "pull-up" style, like the Huggies Little Swimmers. The diaper has a velcro strip in the front that is used for closure as well as a lace up/drawstring front. The leg ares is "gussetted" for added leak protection, and also for comfort. One big plus about these diapers is that there is no elastic - however you can still get a very close fit! My son has chunky thighs and these diapers offer a tight fit without cutting off his circulation.
Kushies Swim Diapers can be worn alone or under a bathing suit. They come in a unisex (diaper only) version and also a halter-top version that is intended for girls. The product is available in several bright solid colors - like a royal blue, red, orange and a yellow. The sizes are
Small (6-14 lb), Med (14-25 lb), Large (25-40 lb), and XL (35-50 lb). My son is around 25 pounds so we got him the Large, in royal blue. We've only worn them UNDER a pair of swimming trunks so far but I would have no problem with him wearing this as a swimsuit alone. Its very cute!
Kushies Swim Diapers are available for purchase at several online retailers and also in some local baby boutiques. Using the Kushies website, you can locate a nearby retailer or surf some of the online vendors. I could not find the diaper nearby to go and see it, which was a definite minus for me. Instead, I needed to make a leap of faith and buy it online.
Last but not least, the cost of these diapers ranges anywhere from 8-10 dollars for the unisex diaper. 10 dollars for one diaper might seem like a lot up front, but really its not. Instead of 2 packages (at least) of Little Swimmers at approx 24.00 EVERY MONTH you can spend 10 dollars on one of these suits and use it all summer or for the entire session of your Water Babies or Infant/Toddler Swimming program. Even if you went out and got a 2nd one of these suits for back up, thats still less than one month of using disposable swimming diapers. In the long run, if you are going to be swimming in pools frequently using a Kushies Swim Diaper or other swimming diaper will be a cheaper solution.
Product Awards
This swimming diaper has won a handful of Awards
-Mother & Baby Awards 97 "Best re-usable Nappy" Gold Winner
- Endorsed by Swim Australia for their quality and dependability and also endorsed by the United Kingdoms Amateur Swimming Association for their quality. (1997)
-Our Baby Magazine (UK) awarded "Star Buy" Award (1996)
Performance?
In my book these perform just as good, if not better than Little Swimmers. Plus, they are more comfortable on my son's legs. Plus, they are easier to put on and take off (no pulling up or ripping the sides). Thats enough plusses for me to stick with these!! The only perceived downside to these could be that instead of just "toss and go", you do need to machine launder them in between use. But, who doesn't do laundry?
My suggestion/recommendation is to try a reusable Swim Diaper, such as a Kushies if you are regularly swimming with your infant or toddler.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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