What is incontinence swimwear?
Children with special needs are prone to accidents when swimming, incontinence swimwear is designed to provide extra flexibility and insurance that is required when out swimming with your child. Special needs swimwear offers adjustability, especially around the girth of the upper leg and around the waist, where snug fitting is crucial to prevent leakage. If your child has incontinence it is important that they wear incontinence swimwear that will help support them in the water and also make swimming a better stress free experience.
Different types of incontinence swimwear
There is a wide range of different types of incontinence swimwear, suitable for the level of protection your child requires whilst swimming. The two main options available are:
Disposable swim nappies: Like normal nappies, swim nappies these come in packs and once used these can be thrown away, although these have an absorbent core they will not swell up in the water.
Reusable swim nappies: These are made from soft, stretchy bathing suit material, which allows water to escape but hopefully contains any solids. These usually take the form of usual swimwear and can be washed and reused. View our range of reusable swim nappies in the form of boys swim shorts and girls swimsuits to see the different style options available.
Choosing the right incontinence swimwear for your child
When choosing incontinence swimwear there are a few things to keep in mind, starting with disposable swim nappies these will not soak in urine, they will only last for the duration of the swimming lesson and cannot be reused. Although disposable swim nappies have leak guards around the legs, they are very limited in preventing faeces from entering the pool therefore if your child has incontinence issues they won’t be the best option.
Reusable nappies again will not soak up urine, these can be reused multiple times so are more eco-friendly than disposables. Feature tightly woven fabric and secure but comfortable leg and tummy cuffs to fully contain any faeces, disposable nappies are also more expensive however will be more cost effective in the long run. Also remember that reusable nappies are designed to hold faeces long enough for you and your little one to leave the pool without any leakage. They are not designed to hold faeces for a long period so you should ensure that you leave the pool to change you child.