The Cool Parents I Know Buy Their Kids These Swimsuits
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When shopping for swimsuits for kids, parents must balance their children’s style and fit preferences with sun protection and whether or not the colors make it easy to see their kids in the water. “The younger the child, the brighter the suit should be,” says Mikayla Mott, founder and owner ofSwim Hamptons, who has been a swim teacher for over 15 years. Mott recommends looking for “safe swim colors” like reds, bright oranges, neon yellows, and hot pink that will stand out more against the softer blue, gray, and green tones of the ocean, a pool, a lake, or any other body of water. “Even if children can swim and are strong swimmers, accidents can happen. If you’re wearing a bright, vibrant color, you’ll be easier to spot and keep an eye on,” she says.
Other factors to consider include durability — since kids’ swimsuits get dragged through sand, stuffed into backpacks, and soaked in sunscreen, saltwater, and chlorine — price, and details like drawstrings and zippers that make putting swimsuits on and taking them off more convenient. I spoke to cool parents with kids of all ages, from babies and toddlers to tweens, about the best swimsuits for kids that you can buy right now. I also queried a bunch of Strategist parents to find out what their kids will be wearing this summer.
Some of our favorite swimsuits for kids
One-pieces, two-pieces, and separates
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When my now 3-year-old son was a baby, even before I could putsunscreenon him, I loved zipping him up in Primary’s one-piece rash guard for babies because I felt safe that nearly all parts of his skin were protected. It was also easy to pull on over a diaper for trips to the Prospect Park splash pad, and then I could unsnap the bottom if I needed to change or take his wet diaper off. It was affordable and very durable and is now living its best life as a third-generation hand-me-down.
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Personal trainer and author of the newsletterHow to Move, Anna Maltby is also a fan of Primary swimsuits because the same colors and patterns come in a lot of different cuts. “There are so many not-super-boring-ly gender-normative options,” she says. Indeed, many of the sets and separates are unisex and designed for kids who’d like to wear something that’s neither board shorts nor bikinis.
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Hanna Andersson’s one-piece baby rash guard is similar in cut to the one above from Primary and a favorite of Strategist senior editor Winnie Yang, who has owned every size of this one in many patterns for all three of her kids over the years. It is more expensive than Primary’s with all of the same features and a slightly wider size range: This suit is available in 0–3 months where the Primary suit starts at 3–6 months. But several moms have told me that they love Hanna Andersson’s thick (but not too thick) fabric and playful designs so much they budget for a new suit for each of their kids every year. Then they pass the older kids’ suits down to younger siblings.
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Mmoody Kids founder Caitlin Moody also recommends Hanna Andersson swimsuits and recently bought along-sleeved one-piece versionfor her 1.5-year-old daughter. The surf-inspired style has become increasingly popular because it provides sun protection and prevents chafing from floaties or life jackets. But for kids who might need to use the bathroom in a dripping-wet suit, Hanna Andersson also offers two-pieces in the same bright colors and patterns.
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Jenny Donahue dresses her almost 5-year-old daughter in Swim Zip’s long-sleeved “romper situation” and likes that the fabric is UPF 50 and goes all the way to the wrists and ankles. “The zipper also goes all the way from top to bottom so there’s no wet suit to peel off or pull over her head,” she says, adding that the brand offers lots of super-bright colors with pool safety in mind. Laura Fenton, author ofThe Little Book of Living Smalland mom to a now 11-year-old boy, told me that she loved her son’s Swim Zip sunsuit and that it remains her top swim recommendation for parents of little kids.
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“The full-length zipper on every piece is so crucial to getting them on and off easily that I think I want to stick with this brand for a while,” says Strategist deputy editor Simone Kitchens, who has purchased several Swim Zip suits, including this long-sleeved one-piece, for her 4-year-old. Kitchens also appreciates the UPF 50 sun protection as well as how durable the suits are. She hasn’t noticed any serious pilling even after her daughter has worn them for two summers.
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Around the time that my son turned 1, I bought a Boden Surfsuit similar to this one, but mine was secondhand and came with a matching sun hat. It had a toothy alligator appliqué going down one sleeve and around the back of the suit and a long zipper in the back. I mourned him growing out of that thing, mostly because it was so cute and he was so little then. But also because it was so convenient and let me worry less about sunscreen. He wore it all summer long for two years at the beach and in backyard mud puddles, too, and it held up incredibly well, especially considering we were its second owners. A few months ago I gave it to a friend who I am confident will get just as much use out of it.
Meanwhile, for her 8-year-old daughter, Strategist senior editor Jen Trolio is a fan of Boden’s tankini two-piece bathing suits. “Two-pieces are the best for bathroom trips, but most of the time my girls are all about not having to go through any more sunscreen application than is necessary and both are not super-comfortable showing the belly,” Trolio says.
Mary Flenner, editor-in-chief ofTweenmagazine, often buys Tea Collection swimsuits for her three daughters, ages 11, 9, and 7. “They’re well made, have original patterns inspired by cultures around the world, and they are age-appropriate too,” she says.
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Amanda Stewart, founder of Salt Lake City–basedMochi Kids, recommended this two-piece from Tiny Cottons, especially for kids who will be wearing a personal floatation device in the water. “We do a lot of boating in the summer and her arm-pit area and the top of her shoulders often get irritated from the life jacket, but this one with the top that is like a T-shirt helps prevent any chafing,” Stewart says.
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Gap makes a similar style short sleeve two-piece in neon pink gingham that’s bright and cute without feeling baby-ish.
Yang’s 10.5-year-old daughter doesn’t like frills or prints like butterflies, rainbows, or florals and also doesn’t like bathing-suit cuts on the skimpy side. They’ve found that the Athleta Girl line “has the best options for a kid who’s active and willing to wear something with more sun protection,” Yang says. It’s also nice that many of the sporty pieces can be mixed and matched.
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Trolio also recommends the bathing suits from Quince, which are very affordable and come in a wide range of styles and prints, including long-sleeved options and tankinis.
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When Strategist writerKrista Bennett DeMaioasked her tween daughter Mila which bathing suits she likes best, the 8-year-old said Cat & Jack. They haven’t bought swimsuits for this summer yet, but this two-piece is at the top of the list.
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Bennett DeMaio’s middle daughter, Gemma, is 12 years old and according to her mother “in between ages, where she thinks most kid bathing suits are too young for her and the women’s stuff is too mature.” But she’s had luck shopping at Tilly’s and chose a suit like this two-piece from Roxy.
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Bennett DeMaio’s oldest daughter, who is 15, likes the patterned bikinis fromTriangl,Frankie’s Bikinis, andGooseberry. “I find this age, in the era of cheeky bottoms, to be really tough — but at least some suits, like this cute one from Triangl, let you choose the bottom coverage,” Bennett DeMaio says.
Swim trunks and shorts
Primary offers several different styles of swim shorts in bright colors and fun prints. Trolio’s 10-year-old daughter prefers a more full-coverage suit and has been wearing the brand’sboard shorts with a dolphin hemfor the last three summers (she pairs them with a long-sleeved, half-zip rash guard). There are also traditional slightly longer swim trunks with a straight hem andshorter swim shortsas well. Any of these can be mixed and matched with the brand’sswim tanksorrash guardsdepending on your kid’s style preferences.
Like theBoden SurfsuitI cherished when my son was younger, Boden’s swim trunks are well made and long lasting. I appreciate that there are so many different patterns to choose from and that those patterns aren’t corny or precious, or performatively masculine. I always have a hard time deciding which one I like the best.
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“My sons always go for their Gap trunks first,” saysNew Yorkfeatures editor Julia Edelstein, whose two boys are currently 9 and 11 years old. Gap’s kids’ swim trunks are available in3.5-inch,five-inch, andeight-inchlengths, which gives them a better chance at finding their perfect fit. Edelstein says they had the trunks in solid blue last summer but will probably get a patterned pair this year. There are plenty of options inbrighter colorsas well.
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Rachel Lipson, founder of Blue Balloon School and the Point Edit, recommends Fair Harbor swim trunks for kids who find mesh liners irritating. “My 12-year-old son is very specific about bathing suits and only likes swimsuits that have a compression lining,” Lipson says, adding that he also does not like swimsuits that are long like board shorts. This pair has a six-inch inseam, compression liner, and comes in a bunch of bold patterns.
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Binky Brocomes recommended by writer and editor Jessie Mooney and registered nurse Kirsten Labdza, “I like thecollection of colors and patternsthat make kids easy to keep track of in the water and on the land. I also like that it’s a small brand so my son doesn’t match all the other kids at the pool in the same four Target swimsuits,” says Mooney.
Rash guards
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While living in the Rockaways with her toddler daughter, clothing designer Sarah Jean Culbreth tried many different styles of swimsuits for kids. But this summer she says she’s figured it out. “Rash guard and board shorts for all kids, boys and girls, ideally invery neon colorsso they are super-visible,” she says. Not only does this avoid anything too revealing on a toddler, the combo means more sun protection too. Culbreth’s favorite rash guards are from Hanna Andersson and she often pairs them withPatagonia shorts, both of which she’s also found secondhand on Poshmark. While the brand sells many rash guards on their own. All of the fun patterns are sold in a set with a coordinating pair of swim shorts.
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In addition to the long-sleeved one-piece she bought for her daughter, Kitchens recommends this full-zip rash guard that she says makes life so much easier and gives her more options for mixing and matching. It comes in a huge range of solid colors and patterns, including atropical hibiscus print,neon pink, andcolor block.
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“When I’m at the pool with my son, I put him in this neon rash guard,” says Moody, who is serious about safe swim colors and loves that this brand is dedicated to high-visibility suits.
Actor and musician Shannon Esper likes Primary rash guards because they feel thin but still last a long time. I also plan to buy one of the brand’sfull-zip rash guardsfor my son this summer. And while Trolio’s older daughter prefers thehalf-zip rash guardsfor regular wear, her younger daughter likes the full-zip style as a layer to wear over a tankini or one-piece bathing suit when the sun is particularly strong or to prevent chafing from a life vest. The brand makes ashort-sleeved versionas well.
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Quince also carries gender-neutralshort-sleeve,long-sleeve, andhalf-ziprash guards in a wide range of colors and sizes (from 9 to 12 months up to big-kid size 12) if you are looking for one that coordinates with a specific suit you already have.
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