Swim Diapers
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Swim Diapers
April 2004
How do I manage a day at the beach with a 1-year old in
diapers? I'm thinking of swim diaper and teeshirt (the latter
to give me some assistance with sun coverage). Do I need a
couple of extra swim diapers for the day? I'm picturing taking
off a poop-filled diaper in a public beach restroom, flushing
the poop, then rinsing off the diaper in a public restroom sink,
no doubt without soap, all while my daughter decides to crawl
around on the floor. . . . Then, since we're staying in a
hotel for the week, washing out the diapers in the sink every
night for use the next day. Any tips on managing this?
Someone recommended disposable swim diapers, which, given what
I'm picturing, sounds awfully nice. I haven't seen them for
sale anywhere locally, although I'll need them in Hawaii, not
locally. I assume if they're available anywhere, it will be in
Hawaii, but anyone with any experience? Thanks!
Hawaii-bound
Don't torture yourself. Use the disposable swim diapers. They
are available everywhere (we bought them at Albertsons).
Sometimes they are harder to find when it's not ''swim season'',
so you shouldn't have any trouble finding them in the next few
months.
Have fun!
anon
Yes, what you need are disposable swim diapers! I'm surprised
you've never seen them. They are made by Huggies and are
called Little Swimmers. I've seen them locally at Costco and
many other stores. We just returned from Hawaii and had no
trouble finding them -- I think we got them at Longs in Kapa'a
on Kauai, but I'm sure they're everywhere. I believe in cloth
diapers as much as anyone, but for a day at the beach in
another state, while staying in a hotel? That's what
disposables are for!
Catherine
Costco has disposable swim diapers. If you aren't a
member you can contact me and I'll pick some up for you.
Margaret
I purchased the swim diapers in Maui at Longs (just outside of
Lahaina). I believe they are called ''Little Swimmers'' by
Huggies. They are very convenient and easy to use.
thanson
I went to Hawaii with my son when he was 14 months old, and
remember it vividly. It was fun, but there are a couple of things to
consider:
I strongly suggest you use disposable swim diapers; I believe I found
some at Target; if you can't, they definitely have them in Hawaii. The
disposable ones are very nice for two reasons; one, of course, that you
can just throw a poopy one away; the other is that they don't sag at
all
when wet.
Not all of the nice beaches have easily accessible restrooms, either
(depending on where you are planning to go). So a disposable diaper,
plastic bag, and wipes is a very good idea.
Of course use a good sunscreen, but also consider this: crawling
around in wet sand and sandy water removes sunscreen from your skin
rather quickly. We figured this out when my son got a pretty bad
sunburn on his legs, but not his arms, after less than an hour on the
beach. A beach umbrella might be a nice idea, if your daughter is fair
and likes to sit and play in the sand. Otherwise, reapply the
sunscreen
very often.
Karen
You can buy disposable swim diapers at Target, Babies R US,
etc. They are great and very easy. It is probably better to
expose your child to a little gel than to expose your child to
a dirty restroom floor if that is a concern.
Also, you may wish to look for a swimsuit with a little more
coverage. They make swimsuits that look like mini wetsuits
(without the heft) that provide 50SPF to the elbows and knees.
JAN
We went to Maui last year with our almost two-year old, a bit
concerned about the beach/diaper scenario as well. Disposable
diapers worked great for us. We bought a stash at CostCo before
we went (everything is cheaper here). When they get wet in the
water, pee or poop, just rip open the sides and toss them out.
A few wipes for clean up and your set for another diaper. Our
son is very fair, we just had him in a swim diaper slathered
with 50 baby sunblock and a flap hat. He had a BLAST and didn't
get burnt. We did morning beach outings, home for bath & nap,
the out again in the late afternoon. Hawaii is like a giant
sandbox with water in it. You'll all have a great time!
Constance
Disposable beach diapers are the best - you can find them around
at longs, etc even now but more so during the summer months.
Cheaper to purchase close to home than at a resort.
Lisa
Yes, I'd say go with the disposable swim diaper. You should be able to
find them at Target, Long's Drugs, etc. I just bought some last week
when we were in Monterey at a KMart. So I know they are around.
have a great trip
We went to Maui when my first daughter was 11 months. You're
right on with the T-shirt(s). As for the swim diapers, we took
at least 2 reusable fabric ones to alternate daily (available at
Target, the Berkeley YMCA, Rockridge Kids, etc.), and I think we
bought a pack of disposable ones too, put a few in the beach bag,
and used those if her fabric one got poopy. There's a WalMart on
Maui and the Big Island...check the WalMart/KMart/Target websites
for locations on the other islands. Or take a pack with you--we
stuck one in our fabric car-seat bag, which holds diapers, wipes,
swim fins---lots of extra storage space for non-breakables. We
just kept our daughter in the fabric swim diapers the whole day
at the beach, changing her into a regular diaper if we were
taking a break from the water. Remember, the swim diapers are
designed to keep poop in, but not pee. If you go to a local
lunch spot, for instance, I would change her into a regular
diaper. If you're just on the beach, though, don't worry about
it. Don't forget to put plastic bags for dirty diapers in your
beach bag. Also, buy a tiny travel bottle of laundry detergent
(or buy an empty travel bottle--available at Long's) and fill it
with your own detergent; put that in your beach bag or diaper
bag. Then a public-restroom-diaper-wash will be no sweat!
Aloha! Have a great time.
Heidi
Go for disposables. We did in Mexico and it was a breeze. Just
change it when you need to and toss. Have you checked Target?
Or, how 'bout online stores? (You'll need 3 or 4/day if you
stay out the whole day or are in/out of the water a lot.)
-Beach goin' mama
Please don't rinse your poopy diaper in a public sink. Not too
nice for the next person who comes along to wash their toddler's
hands before he has an ice cream. I think you should either use
disposable swim diapers (which are available at any large
drugstore, but probably only seasonally) or, after the dirty
cloth diaper has been emptied in the toilet, put the dirty cloth
diaper in a plastic bag to deal with back at your hotel.
Will think twice about the public sink forever more
I've seen some disposable swim diapers (very small amount) for
sale at the Long's in Rockridge Plaza at Broadway and Pleasant
Valley. It's next to the formula/foodjars at around eye level.
I also bought swim diapers on EBAY once before taking a winter
vactaion - it worked out perfectly.
Jill
Disposable swim diapers are the way to go!!
I got a pack at Target. Huggies makes them (I think).
Far better, and actually cheaper than the cotton kind.
When they are dirty, you can just tear them off on the sides.
It's great!
Lauren
Disposable swim diapers are great. You can find them at Longs or
Target. The run tight, so you might want to buy the size that
seems on the bigger side, if your baby could go with either size.
I would not recommend changing a poop filled diaper in the beach
restroom, unless there's a changing table. I'd go prepared to do
all your changing and cleaning up on the beach towel and then
tossing the disposable in the restroom. If it's poopy, you can
shake the poop into a toilet if you feel the need. Trying to
manage washing diapers out in the sink or hotel would be awful.
We've had similar trips and cloth diapers would never have
worked. The public restrooms are too disgusting to let you baby
lay or crawl on the floor.
been there, done that
have a great trip to hawaii. disposable diapers definitely make trips
to the
beach easier. we haven't had a hard time finding them at bigger longs'
stores,
but often not until warmer weather. toys r us sometimes has them too.
we've
done day trips with reuseable swim diapers, and have done fine with a
couple
of pairs. you might also have some success changing your child into a
regular
dispoable diaper before typical pooping time.
i'd also recommend getting a spf shirt. it is my understanding that
wet tshirt
actually provide less sun protection than nothing. we found some spf
shirts at
http://www.onestepahead.com/ but i'm sure there are other sources too.
jm
Get the swim diapers. I know they sell them at Longs in
rockridge (they are in smaller packages and usually blue or
pink), so I'm sure other drugstores have them. If you want less
impact on the environment you can rinse and reuse unsoiled swim
diapers. My son has used swim diapers extensivly both
disposible and regular (bring a regular one with you if you
have one)and I can only remember him having a BM once. (Maybe
just coincidence, but just wanted to let you know). Have fun at
the beach.
May 2004
My 14-month-old will be spending a lot of time in water this
summer, and I don't feel comfortable using a disposable
swimdiaper every time. I would love some reccomendations for the
reusable type. There's so many brands out there, I'd like to
hear about the ones that really work.
Thanks
Dawn
I've had great luck with a gerber reusable swim diaper that I
bought at Target, and also with an ''I swim safely'' model that is
sold at the Canyon Swim School in El Sobrante. I also have no
compunction against putting on a dry already-been-used
disposable diaper--what's the difference, really, I figure, if I
hand wash a cloth diaper or a ''disposable'' one. I find
the ''disposables'' are good for many many wearings each before
they wear out. Of course, none of these absorb pee, they just
contain any poop so that the pool doesn't need to be closed and
cleaned.
have fun
We have the reusable swim diaper from One Step Ahead (the
adjustable one:
http://www.onestepahead.com/product/27227/210763/117.html )
and have been very satisfied. We got it when our son was about
25 lbs, and he's now 38 lbs and it still fits him. We use it
both by itself and under traditional swim trunks. It has been
tested, and has held every time, no accidents!
Heather
July 2002
Any suggestions about where I can buy a swimming diaper for my
baby (not disposable), in the Albany/Berkeley area? The YMCA only
have it in small size, but he needs medium size.
sonia
BabyCenter, your local online baby store (in San Francisco),
carries really cute swim diapers by Flap Happy, the company that
makes the hats. All the Flap Happy bathing suits in the
BabyCenter Store have built-in swim diapers, too. The diaper is
$10.95 and there's a flat shipping fee of $5.99 for your entire
order, so it's only worthwhile if you're ordering other stuff at
the same time. Here's the link in case you want to look:
http://store.babycenter.com/category/clothing/swimwear
--Dana Dubinsky (a BabyCenter employee)
Cotton and Company, Babyworld and Rockridge Kids all carry
swimming diapers of various sizes and types.
Target carries them seasonally in the baby section, hanging with
the blankets and hats and stuff (at least the larger Targets
do), as does Cotton & Co. on College.
Nancy
The Sweet Potatoes outlet on Solano has swim diaper type
swim trunks up to size 24 months (at least for boys - I didn't
look at the girls suits).
Karen
Try the One Step Ahead catalog/website (www.onestepahead.com).
I also saw a non-disposable swim diaper at Fashion After
Passion in Alameda. Unfortunately it was a small.
Linnea
April 2000
I have a one-year old baby and am planning to take him to a swimming pool.
He wears disposable diapers. Someone told me there are disposable "swim
diapers." Do you put a baby bathing suit on over these? What are the swim
diapers I've seen in catalogs? Are they akin to cloth diapers? How do they
keep the stuff out of the pool? This is all completely baffling to me - I
need some really basic information!!! Please help!
Huggies makes disposable swim diapers that you can wear alone or under suit. I've
seen them at Safeway. I'm not sure if they absorb urine. They don't puff up from
the pool water. There are also swim diapers made of cloth (you can buy them at
Rockridge Kids type of stores) that don't absorb urine but will keep the poop from
getting into the pool long enough for you to get the baby out of the pool to
change her. These can be worn alone or under suits. You don't put a regular
diaper under these (which is what I thought at first) so they look really small
and fit quite tightly.
The downtown Berkeley YMCA sells swim diapers. They're close enough
that you could go there and ask to see them. They probably sell to
anyone who comes in there--you don't have to go through the
checkin-gate.
I've seen kids wearing them. They look like bathing suit bottoms but
I don't know what the absorbant part is like.
Fran
The swim diapers you have seen in catalogs are not disposable -but
they are washable. You can use them either alone or underneath a
bathing suit. You can also find suits with built-in diapers - I
bought one from Flap Happy, and it's much easier than dealing with the
logistics of diaper-and-suit. (FYI: swim diapers are not meant to
hold in urine - only, as they euphemistically say on the tag,
"accidents." So you are advised not to put them on until right before
your chid is going in the water.)
Lauren
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