Personally, reusable regular diapers were never gonna be a thing for me. I love that it saves money and having less trash BUT I can’t imagine taking on that extra work. Reusable swim diapers on the other hand? I’m intrigued! Our swim lessons required reusable swim diapers. So I invested and I’m glad I did! This post is all about why reusable swim diapers are the way to go over the disposable kind!
The background on swim diapers
Swim diapers are NOT absorbent. You’ll easily discover this by holding a baby wearing a swim diaper out of the pool for an extended amount of time. The pee is going to get in the pool. The poop? It’s meant to be contained by the diaper and not disturb the other people enjoying the pool.
That’s right. Whether you’re wearing a disposable diaper or a reusable diaper, it’s not meant to absorb any pee. It’s sole purpose is to keep the poop in there and away from others! So most of the time after your baby/toddler swims in a disposable swim diaper, assuming there was no number 2 in the pool, you’re throwing away some non absorbent cloth. Why wouldn’t you just reuse that cloth like you do with their swimsuits?
Reusable swim diapers are practical
I do choose to by the reusable, washable version of these diapers for that very reason. You wash a swimsuit after every swim, I find it easier to just throw the reusable swim diaper in my wet dry bag along with that swimsuit and eliminate that extra thing to think about!
But what about number 2 in a swim diaper!?
For my kiddos, a number 2 in the pool has been pretty rare. It’s really a mess to deal with regardless of your diaper choice. In my 3ish years of reusable diaper usage, I think it’s come up 3 times total. If I’m at a private pool (ie a friends house), I typically hose off the swim diaper and toss it in a bag and get them a fresh diaper if we want to continue swimming. If I’m not in a place I can access a hose, I’ll usually try to get out what I can into a toilet and throw it into a diaper disposal bag and wash it at home.
These diapers wash very well in the washer (just make sure to scoop out any solids). But also, given the number of times I’ve had to deal with poops in these, I’d definitely still come out financially ahead if I just decided to toss them. In terms of practicality, I’ve never had to remember to run to the store for swim diapers… I pack their reusable swim diaper as if it’s just another piece of their swimsuit!
Reusable saves your money
As I mentioned before, even if you threw out any diaper with a number 2, you should get ahead financially by using reusable swim diapers.
Sizing
Reusable swim diapers have very broad sizing – there are a lot of clasps on the size that basically make them fit from about 6months of age through potty trained age. One pack of three reusable diapers is probably all you’ll need and costs around $15. An 18-20 count of disposable swim diapers will be somewhere around $8-$10. Depending on when your kiddo is potty trained, you’ll have to buy 2 or 3 different packs to achieve all the sizes a reusable swim diaper gets you.
Knowing that, if you plan on swimming at least once a year and your kiddo is in different sizes from year to year, you will get your moneys worth! You’ll get more bang for your buck if you consistently swim in swim lessons – which I highly recommend for kiddos!
They’re effective too!
As previously mentioned, a poop in the pool has been a rare occurrence for our household. However, it was honestly hard to know that it happened because these diapers were really great at sealing it in! There were no visible escape of any poop intruders thankfully! Once, I honestly wasn’t able to tell until we were done swimming and i was changing my kiddo.
The clasp buttons at the side seem to make this a more secure container for poop situations in the pool. With disposable swim diapers, I feel like I’ve been able to more easily notice some “escapage” because it’s a little bit looser on the legs than a reusable diaper. In order to escape any embarrassing moments, this alone makes me lean towards the reusable diapers even before money/environment saving potential.
Reusable swim diapers we’ve tried (from favorite to least favorite)
Wegreeco: These are my top pick (in large). They’re highly adjustable and last from about 9 months through 3T. The clips at the side are very secure and easy to attach. When its time for the diaper to come off, it de-snaps on each side for easy removal.
Alvababy: These were the first ones I bought – mostly because that whale pattern is TOO cute. These are similar to the wegreeco and are very secure. The biggest difference between these and the wegreeco diapers is that these seem to run small – therefore making them not last quite as long through those quickly growing years. I bought a small and felt they were a little too tight once my littlest was in size 12months. I think if you’re not certain you want to go the reusable swim diaper route, this is a great starter option with a price point similar to one pack of reusable swim diapers.
IjnUhb: These swim diapers have a very aesthetic look and soft fabric making them a great option if you didn’t want to wear a swimsuit over them. I bought the 2-3 year option, but I feel like these run very small. These fit like a size 12-18month size in my option. I also wasn’t a fan of the clips on only one side for these. It’s a little trickier getting these on without some butt hanging out! Not my favorite (especially with it being one of the pricier options), but still a great option as long as you size up.
The final Verdict
Practical. Cost saving. Trash saver. Embarrassment preventer. Lots of wins for mama. Highly recommend reusable swim diapers to make any mama’s life a little easier on those swim days! What questions do you have about reusable swim diapers? Let me know in the comments!