Swim Essentials for Kids

In the summers, we spend a lot of time at our Woodland Cottage in Pennsylvania. In our neighborhood there is an indoor pool and two outdoor pools. Our three daughters take swim lessons every summer, and this year our older girls are planning on joining the swim team. Here are the items we have found to be swim essentials for kids!

Quality Swimsuits

Sleeveless Swimsuits

Sleeveless Swimsuits: Our three daughters love these bright rainbow striped swimsuits. They are made of 80% recycled nylon and 20% spandex, so they are lightweight, smooth, and stretchy. They are lined, have full bottom coverage, crossback straps, and UPF 50+ protection. They’re great for swimming in the pool or playing in the splash pad! Use code TIDYDAD20 for 20% off your first order from Primary, plus FREE shipping. They have a whole rainbow of colorful swimsuits available in their Swim Shop.

Long-Sleeve Swimsuits

Long-Sleeve Swimsuits: These long-sleeve swimsuits offer arms a layer of protection from the sun! Our oldest daughter has the Lavender Check print, our middle daughter has the Peacock Dot print, and our youngest daughter has the Bubblegum Dot print. Like the sleeveless swimsuits above, these suits are also made of 80% recycled nylon and 20% spandex, so they are lightweight, smooth, and stretchy. They are lined, have full bottom coverage, UPF 50+ protection, and a front half-zipper for easy on-and-off. Check out the full collection of colorful swimsuits available in Primary’s Swim Shop. You can use code TIDYDAD20 for 20% off your first order from Primary, plus FREE shipping.

Swim Games

Seek & Splash

Seek & Splash: This is a water game that involves putting jewels on the bottom of the pool. It is a fun underwater search and find activity! The jewels are bright and easy to spot in the water. The game cards show the colors/shapes to try to find, and the cards are also waterproof! Our girls love jumping into the water and looking for the jewels. You can use code TIDY20 for 20% off a purchase from the Skillmatics website. (Seek & Splash is also available on Amazon: Junior version for ages 3+ and Classic version for ages 6+)

Kickboard

Kickboard: These kickboards are great for kicking practice in the water. They are lightweight and have comfortable spots to hold on with your hands. They also come in twelve different solids colors!

Diving Rings

Diving Rings: Last summer we ordered this $5 set of diving rings from Target. They each have a different color and a textured design that make them easy to grab in the water. Our girls love tossing them into the water, jumping in, grabbing them and repeating again and again. It’s a great pool toy!

Practical Essentials

Water Bottle

Stainless Steel Water Bottle: It’s important to make sure your kids stay hydrated when they are outside swimming in the sun. Our girls love these stainless steel water bottles and use them every day. We like this style with the straw lid that flips down to close securely. It is leak-proof to toss in a swim bag, but easy for them to open. The water bottle has a double wall insulation, and it keeps their water cold all day! The water bottles come in lots of fun designs. Our girls have the Llama Rainbows, the Stardust Unicorns and the Gelato prints.

Wet/Dry Bag

Wet/Dry Bag: We hate putting wet swimsuits into our swim bag with other items. These wet/dry bags have two zippered sections, so wet and dry items can be kept separate. The “wet” section is sewn and sealed for no wicking or leaking. The bags have a snap handle for easy carrying or hanging, or we can put our wet items in here and then toss the bag into our larger swim bag.

Sunscreen

Sunscreen: Every swim day starts with sunscreen. Our current go-to is Tubby Todd’s Sun Set, which includes Mineral Mist (SPF 50), Mineral Sunscreen (SPF 50) and Mineral Sunstick (SPF 30). You can shop through my Tubby Todd link to automatically save an extra 10% at checkout, no code needed!

Sunscreen Applicator

Sunscreen Applicator: These sunscreen applicators are a total game changer for putting sunscreen on kids. All you or your kids have to do is rub the sponge across your skin, and the sunscreen is distributed. You can fill the applicator with the sunscreen of your choice, and then stop squeezing it onto your hands! This is also a great method for kids who are learning to put on their own sunscreen independently. It helps them put it on easily, without squeezing out too much or getting their hands or swimsuits messy.

Swim Accessories

Swim Cap

Swim Cap: We spend a lot of time in the pool, especially in the summers, and our girls wear these swim caps when swimming laps. They have a lot of benefits, like keeping hair out of their face, protecting their hair from chlorine damage, and keeping water out of their ears. They also keep their hair dry, their head warm, and reduce drag in the water when lap swimming. These swim caps stay securely in place on their heads, and are great for kids who are serious about swimming!

Swim Goggles

Swim Goggles: All three of our daughters LOVE these adjustable swim goggles that have a fabric strap and don’t pull their hair. They have helped them become even more comfortable and confident in the water, as they can put their face in without getting water in their eyes. They come in lots of fun colors and prints! (also available on Amazon)

Quality Sunglasses

Quality Sunglasses: These heart sunglasses are ultra-lightweight, flexible, and virtually indestructible. They have polarized shatter-resistant lenses, glare reduction technology, and provide 100% UVA/B/C protection. We love that the arms are bendable, rather than breakable. They even come with a carrying pouch that doubles as polishing cloth. These cute heart sunglasses are perfect for kids all year round!

Water Shoes

Water Shoes: It’s important to have quality summer shoes that can also get wet! For little ones (around ages 1 to 5) we love Ten Little’s sandals. They are lightweight and designed to support natural growth in little feet. The Summer Sandals (open toe) come in moondust silver, green/navy, and blush/candy pink. The Everyday Sandals (closed toe) come in sandy brown, steel grey, and blush pink. For older kids (our older girls are 6 and 8) we love Salt Water sandals and Native water shoes. They come in lots of colors, are durable, and can last our girls all summer!

We hope this list inspires your own water fun, and helps as your choose your swim essentials for kids!

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