Going to the pool with little kids is fun until someone sees a poo floating in the water. The worst scenario takes place when one of your babies is the hero. Keep everyone happy by putting your baby in a swim diaper. Read on to find pros and cons about the disposable and the reusable swim diapers.
When we first started cloth diapering, I had no idea just how far we could take this. I was fully committed, right from the beginning, since it was clear that cloth was the only way to keep my daughter’s eczema from flaring up. We only had one problem; What do we do in water?
I myself have found a way to go greener this summer – I have already bought my kids’ reusable swim diapers. They are so cute I can’t wait to use them. I mean OMG, could they be any cuter? Check out all of the cute iPlay swim Diaper designs and colors! on Amazon
Actually, swim diapers have been around for some years now. You can choose to use disposable ones or reusable swim diapers.
As a green mom, the reusable swimming diapers are a great alternative for me and my kids. I hate the thought of tossing several swim diapers every day. Plus they are so expensive and you have to buy a large pack that takes a lot of space.
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How Do Swim Diapers Work?
Swim diapers catch poop only. Pee goes right through into the pool or whatever. You don’t need anything under it but don’t switch out to it until right before you’re going in!
If they were designed to absorb pee they would just instantly fill up with pool water.
I have taken my daughter for weekly swim class for a couple of months and she has yet to actually poop while swimming.
It’s All About Being in the Water
We live on a pond, my parents live near the ocean, and my daughter is enrolled in swim lessons. And as much as regular disposable diapers irritated his skin, disposable swim diapers were the worst; 20 minutes in the water and his back was hamburger. Not to mention the fact that disposable swim diapers are a serious pain for small kids. You pull them up and down, which works fine when you’re putting them on and is even sort of OK if all they are is a little damp, but what if you have a sopping wet diaper, and your kid has pooped? You find yourself rolling a wet, poopy diaper down meaty little thighs, trying desperately not to smear it everywhere. I loathe them, and yet I totally did not even clue into the fact that they made cloth swim diapers.
Discovering the iPlay Swim Diaper
I was searching for a good overnight diaper when I discovered iPlay Swim Diapers completely by accident. I was beside myself with joy and ordered three immediately. These diapers are a life saver.
My Impressions of The iPlay Swim Diaper
They go on like a regular diaper, which eliminates the poop-on-the-thighs of regular swim diapers. The fasteners are so tough to undo, that I have a hard time undoing them; so more are the days of my little guy suddenly flashing his classmates in the middle of his Sunday swim.
The colors are bright and the patterns are fun, although I have noticed that they’ve faded over time in the chlorine. My bathing suits all fade as well, so I’m not really complaining; just remarking.
Best of all, my daughter can now enjoy his swim lessons without starting to sob because his back hurts by the time we’re done. And when someone loves the water this much, you don’t want it to cause them pain!
iPlay Swim Diaper Is Made Of The Right Stuff
iPlay has over 20 years of experience making, testing and improving swim diapers so there is no need to say that they know their work pretty well.
When I researched and read through several cloth diaper forums, the most popular iplay swim diaper is the plain white one. (see it here)
- It has a row of snaps on the side that makes taking on and off the diaper easy, quick and without annoying the child.
- The inside fabric is surprisingly soft against the tender baby skin.
- The diaper has a thick cloth strip for absorption and a mesh liner so it doesn’t stick.
How Does the Sizing Work With The iPlay Swim Diaper?
When ordering the iplay swim diaper you must pay attention to the sizes as they don’t match the standard Amazon sizing.
Here is the iPlay swim diaper sizing chart
Small – 6 months 10-18lbs
Medium – 12 months 18-22lbs
Large – 18 months 22-25lbs
X-Large – 24 Months 25-30lbs
3T – 3 Years 30-38 lbs
4T- 4 Years 38-46 lbs
What kind of Fabric Is It Made Of?
The fabric of the iplay swim diapers is treated with UPF 50+ to provide sun protection so you don’t have to worry about your baby getting a sunburn.
What Options Do I have with iPlay?
As I already mentioned the most popular is the white iplay swimming diaper but they still offer a few cute color options for both girls and boys
. You can get FREE shipping on most of them. I love reusables. They are so cute, so bright summer colored.
If you have more than one child I guess it’s best to order the white one as it will go well on both little girls and boys.
You can see their entire collection here.
Will Swim Diapers Save Me Money?
The iPlay swim diaper is a really great investment. Think about the price of the disposable swim diapers – iPlay is such a money saver. iPlay swim diapers wash easily in the washing machine and as other cloth diapers take a little longer to dry.
I am sure you are tired of hearing that a baby uses thousands of diapers before he is fully potty trained and that diapers take sooo long to degrade. I’m just gonna make the simplest maths comparing disposable and reusable swim diapers. I’ve made these calculations for myself and my kids so results may vary for you.
2 kids 2-3 year old – 4 reusables–4*$15 = $60
for the whole season so if you choose the disposables and go to the pool 3 times a week it makes 12 times a month, 36 times for 3 months *2 =72 diapers at least because your kids may have an accident in the water and you would have to change the soiled diaper. You will need at least 7 packs for which you need to pay more than $100.
Or if you are going on a family vacation for 2 weeks, 14 days suggest you put 2 diapers, one in the morning and a second in the afternoon that makes at least 56 diapers.
$18 for 10 diapers means you have to buy 6 packs for $102.
And if you decide to incidentally go to the local pool you will need more swim diapers so you will have to buy another pack for $18.
Ok, I think that’s enough on the money side of your dilemma.
Is iPlay Swim Diaper Acceptable Swimwear?
You can use them when you go to your local pool (some pools even require that all babies wear the iPlay swim diaper), you can use them when you go to the beach or for swimming in fresh water.
No Poo In The Pool with iPlay!
Remember to put the swim diaper on right before the baby goes in the water because it won’t hold pee. Surprisingly most parents hope that swim diapers will hold both liquids and solids but it is really impossible because the diaper will soak up in the water and will bring the baby down. But they DO HOLD POO and you may rest assured that your baby won’t cause a mess in the water.
Drawbacks of iPlay
Some parents have said they wished the iPlay swim diaper had straps on both sides, complaining that it’s almost impossible to get the poopy diapers off without a bit of a mess, but others say the one side strips work fine for them. I have not had any such problems, but I thought I should add this in here out of complete fairness for the review.
iPlay is Eco-Friendly
Another reason to invest in the iPlay swim diapers is that they are eco-friendly.
When you think about it your kid won’t stay in the water more than 40-50 minutes at a time and after every splash, you need to change a disposable diaper and throw it away. So a day at the pool could result in a quite big diaper pile.
For those of us who are cloth diapering – you may want to use a pocket diaper without the insert and it should do the work as they are absorbent and do not soak wet.
Possible Hesitations About Using a Swim Diaper
Reusable swim diapers need more care – how hard do you think it is to dump the solid waste in the toilet and toss the diaper in your wet bag until you go home and run the laundry? You could rinse the reusable diaper in a sink but it’s not necessary.
Using reusable swim diapers is not sanitary – oh, boy, when was the last time when you sterilized your underpants? Washable diapers need to be clean and you get them to be clean by just laundering them with hot water and drying them either in the dryer or outside in the sun. This is enough to make a diaper clean and ready to be used.
Washing reusable swim diapers means higher consumption of water and electricity. Wait, we are talking 2-3 diapers max, you are not going to need an extra load for these. Just throw them in the machine with the other clothes and towels. They need very little room.
Reusable swim diapers do not guarantee leakage. Neither do the disposables. You could find it on any pack of sposies that they don’t guarantee any possible leakage. It is up to you to choose an appropriate size and style of the reusable swim diaper that will snug fit your baby’s body. You need to check frequently if there is anything in the diaper. And you have to watch your baby in the water so if you suspect he had bowel movements you can take him out ASAP.
Final Thoughts
I’d say you can’t go wrong with the iPlay swim diaper. It has good design, fits well and does the work. If you have plans for the approaching summer you better hurry and order them from Amazon before they ran out of stock. I’ve noticed they disappear quickly as the summer season approaches.
Keep in mind that when dealing with incompletely potty-trained toddlers you may find it hard to make them wear a baby diaper again. Here come the reusable swim diapers that look just like adult swimwear and your kid won’t rip it off the minute you turn your back.
With this post hopefully, I made you think more about how you can go greener in an easy way, showing your kids and the others that every choice matters.
Don’t forget to have fun
iPlay Swim Diaper Size 1 Giveaway
Here’s How You Can Enter To Win An iPlay Swim Diaper
One lucky winner will receive (1) Used iPlay Ruffled Swim Diaper Size 1!
When purchased new it was $28. (from here )
This contest is open to the USA, Australia, and Canada. Winner must be 18 years or older. Winner will be notified by email and will have 7 days to reply and claim their prize.
ONE WEEK ONLY! Begins 4/19/19 and ends 4/26/19