swim diapers

For those of you who use cloth diapers, what are you doing for swim diapers? I saw some really cute cloth diaper bathing suits, but if they are built in, how many bathing suits do you need to get? I thought seperate cloth swim diapers would make more sense than changing the whole bathing suit each time...or should I just get disposable swim diapers and figure I did enough for the environment by CDing on a regular basis to make a little trash this summer? I don't live by the beach or even have my own pool so it will just be for when we go on vacations (we have three planned) and maybe a few day trips. I'm not sure how much to invest...

Also, how much "swimming" will your LOs do this year? Will you take them in the water with you? Are you getting any kind of life vests? I'm totally clueless about this! Our first beach trip is to a bay so the water will be calm. I'm sure I'll take them in with me a little to feel the water...but is it safe just to carry them since there are no real waves or should they have some type of flotation device just in case? This is the first time I'm thinking about this part of it so if you have any tips, I'd appreciate it!

 

I have a cloth diaper swim diaper from One Step Ahead.com, it is not a built in diaper. You put it under the bathing suit. We used it for the first year (from 6-9 months old) for my son. The next year, we switched to a bag of little swimmers because we have yet to go to the pool enough where we go through a whole bag.

 

I use Little Swimmers. It's easy & disposable!

 

Target has some reusable swim diapers where you don't put anything under them. You can use these instead of swimsuits.

You will be fine taking the babies to the bay. We took our boys into the Gulf at 6/7months and they LOVED it! They actually liked the feeling of the waves. We just carried them in. When I take them to the pool (I did this several times by myself at that age) I just carried them both. It was easier b/c they are lighter in the water. We were never in for very long, but they enjoyed it.

 

During the FY, we used Little Swimmers. We have a little inflatable pool for them as well as the pool in the backyard and they enjoyed both. We did not have them out in the water very long, perhaps 30 min at the most. In their little pool, we would put them in their bumbo seats because they were not sitting up too well yet and in the big pool, we had floats for them and we both would be in the pool with them. This year, we are definitely going to try Target's reusable swim diapers! Good luck!

 

I used the cloth swim diapers for home in our little pool, and the Little Swimmers for when we went to the community pool/water park, as they required them there.

As far as the flotation device, I used a Swimways spring float.

 

Some of our local pools have stopped allowing dispoasable swim diapers, as they feel they don't work very well. They require a swim diaper with tight elastic around the legs and waist.

A few friends swear by the iPlay Ultimate swim diaper http://www.iplaybabywear.com

 

We've got cloth + disposable since that's what is required by the pool we'll be going to for swimming lessons.

 

Bummis makes some cute swim diapers. I'm thinking about buying those since we have a pool and will hopefully be in it a lot this summer.

 

i'm planning on using disposable swim diapers - we won't be going very often (maybe once a week at most) & it will be at a public pool (i was told by another mom here that you have to use the disposable swim diapers, but i honestly never really looked into it too much), so that's what we're going to do. i'm hoping the girls like it though - i can just see us doing all that work to get everybody there & suited up & then within 30 seconds having two screaming babies in the wading pool.