An In-depth look at Splash About Swimwear

When William was just 6 weeks old I took him for his first dip in the swimming pool and we haven’t looked back. For me as soon as my c-section scar was good to go I was raring to get in the water. I love swimming. It’s good old fashioned low impact exercise and super fun too, so I wanted to share that with the baby. At first he wasn’t too impressed, but now, just coming up to a year old he splashes, kicks and squeals with glee in the water and has gained a tremendous amount of confidence. His very first outfit was from Splash About by Simply Swim, so when I was asked to share my thoughts, I was pretty excited to get my hands on some new swimwear, especially as there are so many designs to choose from.

“Come on mum, I can see the water, why are you taking so long to get ready?”

Awesome Visuals

One of the first things that attracted me to the Splash About range was the visuals. Whilst performance and quality are more important, when you’re shopping online for a new piece of clothing it’s the looks that draw you in. Perfect for kids, the Splash About range has bright colours and great designs. I was particularly drawn to their Gecko design, keeping reptiles myself, but all of the designs are bright, colourful and very attractive. My only bugbear is that the design is called Gecko but it is actually a chameleon that’s featured, not a gecko at all, but I don’t suppose that will bother many people! If you’ve got a little one who is perhaps a little bit reticent to get into a swim suit, then having a fun outfit can help distract them and keep their interest.

Splash About’s Gecko Design

Getting Splash About swimwear on

Getting a baby into an outfit can be a bit of a challenge, especially as swimsuits do tend to be a little bit more tricky to negotiate. You need them to fit snugly, which means they’re stretchy but the range I’ve tested have been extremely practical with large fastenings and very strong velcro to make taking the swimsuit on and off easy and fast. They dry out really quickly once they’re off as well, so if you want to go swimming the next day it’s not a problem.

Splash About Swimwear Quality and Performance

We use our swimsuits for William very often and as I said, we bought our first Splash About suit at 6 weeks old. We’ve been very happy with the quality and have always gone back to the range for a size up. Unfortunately as is inevitable with children, they do grow quite quickly, but I think they offer really good value for the quality with simple nappies starting at just £10.99.

I do think it’s important to buy the right type of swimsuit for the occasion and warmth is crucial with young babies. You might need something different for the beach, an indoor swimming pool or going abroad and swimming outside. It’s also a matter of judging for your babies personal preference. As a newborn William would get upset in the swimming pool after 15 minutes in just a swim nappy, but once he was in a wet suit, he could splash around happily for much longer – clearly too cold for him!

Happy Nappy – The Happy Nappy is a re-usable swim nappy that protects from leaks. Most pools will ask that you double layer a baby under 1 – that means a disposable nappy or liner (which Splash About also sell but we’ve always used supermarket ones), and then a swimsuit like this one on top as obviously you really want to minimize the chance of any leakage at all in a public pool. Easy to put on and very comfortable!

Baby Wrap – From 6 weeks to 3 months we used the baby wrap. This velcros at the front and as the name suggest, basically just wraps around them. No awkward arms or legs because you put it on in the same way as a nappy really, tuck the bottom up, fold the sides in and velcro securely. This is perfect for putting on and off the quickest, whilst still offering good warmth protection. You can pop it on top of the Happy Nappy for leak protection.

Happy Nappy Wetsuit – This is a warm body and arms with no legs and a built in happy nappy which is really convenient and offers SPF50 sun protection as well. Not having legs makes it a lot easier to get into and out of, especially for babies who don’t like getting dressed, and gives freedom for plenty of tiny little kicks. For indoor swimming pools in the UK, this one should be a good start to keep them warm.

“Why are you taking photos? The pool is right there!!”

Warm in One – If you need the extra warmth such as outdoor pools (even if heated) or swimming in the ocean (on holiday, not in the UK most likely!) you probably want the full warm in one. This is what I used for William at 3 – 9 months because he really hated the cold and I found it allowed us to stay in the water for a good 20-30 minutes. He’d outgrown his wrap and I wanted something with legs as I noticed his were getting quite mottled in our local pool. You do need to use an extra swim nappy underneath it though as it can’t prevent leaks due to having long legs.

UV All in One Suit – We’ve just upgraded to this one for the coming summer. These are very stretchy so should last a bit longer than our newborn suits. The thicker wetsuits are lined with polyester and then neoprene, but this one is just flexible neoprene, meaning it’s not as warm, but it’s a lot better for active babies and toddlers who are crawling or running around. This makes it comfortable on the beach or by the side of the pool and is ideal for going to a splash park or a day by the sea – but still warm enough to take away any chill, and still offers that essential sun protection.

Oh what a difference! This is William at 3 months in his Gecko Warm in One, and at 11 months in his Vintage Moby Wetsuit! It’s incredible to me to think that this is just 7 months. You don’t realize how fast they’re growing until you see it side by side.

Whether it’s with a newborn, a toddler or an older family, there’s no doubt in my mind that swimming (or at least, splashing around in the pool) is an amazing family activity that anyone of any age or physical ability can participate in. Having used Simply Swim’s Splash About collection since we started swimming, I’m really confident in their quality and range, so would happily recommend them to anyone looking for the right swimwear for their children.

Note: Simply Swim provided me with several pieces of swimwear to review, but we were already using their range and have purchased from them before.

Share this page with someone