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
Michele says
Where can kids start their swimming lessons at 4 months?! I’m so excited, my babe loves the water but I haven’t been able to find anything in Toronto….
Mommy Gearest says
Yes, Toronto is tricky because the public pools don’t take them until 6 months. You need to take your little one to a private pool. We used to LOVE LOVE LOVE Bloorview Kids Rehab. They have probably the warmest pool you’ll ever dip into (because it’s therapeutic – probably 90 degrees!) so your baby doesn’t get shocked by cold water like at the city pools. Two warnings, though: it’s more expensive than the city pools and it can be a pain to try and get in. It’s a lottery system. Somehow Nelly Furtado’s kid and all the Leafs’ kids managed to get in though… 🙂 We snuck in outside of the lottery because we joined a session that was already in progress; that meant we were automatically eligible to enter the lottery to get into our next set of lessons. Oh yes, you read right…a lottery to get in and then a lottery for every session to get your time/date. But worth the pain. When we lived temporarily in the west end, we went to Eunice’s Swim School. Also good and will take tots at 4 mos; the facility just isn’t as WOW as Bloorview.
Megan Ramsay says
My kids also started swimming as soon as the pools allowed and I just bought my first reusable swim diaper. I haven’t used it yet but the price was right and the pattern was adorable:
http://www.kushiesonline.com/Swimsuit-Diaper-Print-Daisy-p/c625-c628-dai.htm.
I’ll let you know how it works!
Mommy Gearest says
We have the same Kushies one! It’s also good – and, you’re right, priced well. I find, however, that the velcro sometimes loosens or comes apart entirely while they’re swimming so it ends up a bit weird, twisty or altogether unravelled by the time we get out. The only time it’s a real problem is when we’re in new bathingsuits that are a size too large!