Gabby’s reusable swim diapers

We are water babies. All of us. Big B, The K Man, Miss Q and I would gladly shrivel up like raisins to stay in the water.

Now, for me, I limit 95 per cent of my water exposure to pools and oceans – I don’t do lakes, except for those scorching hot days when you’d be crazy not to at least take a quick dip just to cool off. But my hubby and offspring don’t discriminate.

We started both kids in weekly swimming “lessons” the minute they hit four months old and the pools would accept them. Being comfortable in the water is something that’s really important to both Big B and me. (Plus, I’m expecting both kids to get their lifeguard certification so they can make big bucks as teenagers and buy their own iPhones and brand-name clothes.)

So you can imagine the number of disposable swim diapers I was going through when The K Man was a baby. As I’ve mentioned before, I like to be somewhat eco-conscious. And though I don’t use cloth diapers, as soon as I learned that there were reusable swim diapers, I bought one.

I’ve never looked back.

If you figure that disposable swim diapers are about $1 each, we were using at least $52 worth per year. Probably more because aside from lessons, we also regularly swam as a family just for fun.

We’ve used a few different brands, but for quality, cost and comfort, our favourite is Gabby’s. This review will focus on the Pull-on Swim Diaper because I’ve tried both this style and The Pool Pant style and I prefer the pull-on.

THE GOOD

They’re Canadian. For any of my readers outside of Canada, I’m sure this won’t factor into your decision, but we Canadians just love other Canadian things and people. If you’re ever around a Canadian and you see an actor on the big screen who’s a Canuck, you can be sure that your Canadian friend will say, “You know so-and-so’s a Canadian, eh?” Many of us feel this way about the goods we buy, too.

At $11.50 for the solid colour (which is what we have), the Gabby’s Pull-on Swim Diaper is a steal of a deal. If your tot swims more than 12 times in a year, you’ve made your money back. I suggest buying one size larger than you need so you get two years of wear out of it. Most bathingsuits will hold the swim diaper in place, even if it’s a bit too big.

We’ve washed our Gabby’s swim diapers weekly – for years. Miss Q is currently wearing The K Man’s hand-me-downs and, while faded, they’re still in awesome shape.

Gabby’s are easy to buy – just order them online and they’ll be delivered right to your front door. Some pools may also sell them onsite.

If you have an older child or even an adult who, because of a mental or physical disability, needs to use swim diapers, Gabby’s is your answer; aside from the popular infant sizes, the company offers sizes for youths up to an adult XL, intended to fit a 41″- to 46″-inch waist.

THE GAFFE

I’m not gonna lie. If your kid ever delivers you a gift involving corn from last night’s dinner and the number two, a reusable swim diaper is not your friend. This comes from personal experience, and – yes – dry-heaving on my part was involved. That reusable swim diaper nearly became a disposable.

If you’re going on vacation, you need at least two but preferably three reusable swim diapers. You’ve got to have one clean, dry one while another is drying and another is being washed. They definitely aren’t as easy as the disposables – but when you’re trying to think of the earth (and your pocketbook), easy isn’t usually the motivation.

Are they the cutest things on the planet? No, but I don’t really care. They’re covered up by cute bathingsuits.

THE GEARS

4.5/5 (for the Pull-on style only – I don’t rate The Pool Pant as high)

So…where can you buy it?

• Directly from Gabby’s online store