I really love this wetsuit for kids. My son has been reluctant to swim at the YMCA pool because the water is set at 82 degrees and he is shivering in about 10 minutes. We have tried the one piece nylon rash guard type swimsuit but it didn't do enough. The first time we tried this wetsuit, he was in for over 45 minutes. Now that he is a fish, I really enjoy the finer features of the suit. It is very rugged. I like the feel of the material. It is closefitting without being constricting. It has a long pull cord for the zipper in the back so the person can put it on by themselves. It also has a slot in the pull tab to put a velcro tab to hold the zipper in the up position. I wondered if this long cord would get in the way and it has not been a factor. It is definitely a plus. I was so pleased that I am keeping the next size up (I ordered 2 sizes so that I could see which one fit) for him to grow into. I also like the fact that it dries very quickly. You can use it daily and never have to worry about climbing into a damp, cold suit. O'Neill Reactor Hybrid kids shorty wetsuit Youth 10 Navy/pacific blue
I bought 2 sizes for my son who is five. The suit has been keeping him warm for his swim lessons in an enclosed local pool. His teeth are no longer chattering. We're keeping the second suit for his future growth.
I don't like to spend big bucks, but I don't regret this purchase. My 8-year-old son uses the wetsuit for swim practice. It works much better than the $50 one he just outgrew. He was concerned that he wouldn't be able to zip it up himself, but he can easily. The suit is warm, but not restrictive. Also, my son is slim; he has little to no body fat, and this suit still manages to fit him nicely, even around the legs and arms. He says it "works really good".
We bought this in desperation. My 7 y/o son has autism and loves the water, so we've had him in swimming lessons almost continuously for the last year. Since he was a beginner, he got to be in the smaller, warmer pool for his lessons. He's finally reached the point where they are teaching him actual swimming strokes and wanted to move him to the lap pool, but it was so cold he wouldn't get in. Enter this amazing wetsuit! He is normally a size 8 but I bought a 10 mostly because I didn't want to spend the money and have him grow right out of it. The 10 is a little big but not cumbersomely so. He now is willing and able to get in the cold water and continue learning. The wetsuit is big enough that we should be able to use it for a couple years. The only downside (and I'm sure this is true of many wetsuits) is that the zipper is in the back, making it impossible for my little guy at least to get it on and off himself. There is a long zipper pull, but my guy isn't able to manipulate it yet. Even so, this product gets 5 stars from me.
This wetsuit is really cute! Our daughter is 5 and on the small size. We ordered the size 4 suit and it fits perfectly. She was becoming chilled toward the last 1/2 of swim practice to the point she wasn't wanting to stay on swim team. This suit solved the problem.
We have had two TYR's 1mm with smooth inside, which are real swimming suits, but TYR quit making them. I was worried the O'neill with nylon inside was going to hold too much water, but the nylon on the neoprene is better than the older wetsuits I remembered. The suit is actually very functional for swim team type swimming and looks awesome. Besides staying warm kids swim better when they look good!
We recently purchased this suit and it really helped our 4 year old son when we bareboat sailed the BVI's. There were a lot of jelly fish around and most of the adults got stung at least once in the 7 days we were there. This suit protected our son and he was comfortable and protected from the sun the entire time.
When it is dry, it looked a little saggy around the middle, but in the water it was perfect. He still has some growing to do and this suit should fit him till around age 6 since it stretches quite a lot.
I'd recommend this well-made suit for any little ones who need extra protection from cold, sun or those pesty sea creatures.
I bought this suit (size 4) for my 3-year old son to wear while taking swim lessons at the brand new YMCA pool in town which is about 85 degrees, hoping it would help him make it through the lesson without shivering and turning blue. He is 37" tall, 35 lbs, so a short, stout boy. I know the description says it's specifically designed for slender children. The suit goes on to him relatively easily while wearing a swimmies diaper and fits him well all through his trunk without constraining his movement. The sleeves go down past his elbow and the legs of the suit go to mid-calf on him and seal. The zipper-pull is 15" long and a nice feature but my toddler isn't really able to dress/undress himself so we won't make much use of it. A little bit harder to peel off of him once wet but that is to be expected of wetsuits of all sizes on all people.
The problem with wetsuits (all wetsuits, not just this one) is that they have to be tight all over and at the neck to seal water against the skin in order to keep you warm and it is difficult to get a toddler to enjoy being shrink-wrapped inside a rubber peel and then cinched at the neck. That said, this suit has a nice feature of the soft lycra against the neck for that purpose, though lycra isn't particularly warm or water-sealing. I think that is both the beauty and the downfall of this suit depending on what you want it for. It's probably great for very active slender children who are older than mine that still fit into this size because it still allows shoulder mobility, but the suit is only as warm as its weakest link, which is the lycra. He was still shivering and blue at the end of 30 minutes.
I have had him in full lycra swim suits and they are less expensive and perhaps would get you the same level of warmth. There are also full 2 mm neoprene suits available for toddlers for lower prices than this one at other shopping sites.
He does look pretty snazzy cool in this suit however, so if price isn't an issue, you want your kid to look really cool and your kid is skinny and very active in the water, this suit is the one. - Wetsuits'
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