Wednesday, 7 October 2009
Swim Diaper
The surface of the Finis swim diaper is 100% polyester and supposedly chlorine-resistant. The 100% nylon lining does a good job keeping urine in, but we don't know yet whether a BM will be contained well. Hopefully that'll never happen, though.
Here are the different sizes and corresponding age and weight ranges (taken from the packaging):
Small: 3-6 mos, 9-15 lbs.
Medium: 6-12 mos, 12-22 lbs.
Large: 12-18 mos, 22-28 lbs.
XLarge: 18-24 mos, 28-33 lbs.
XXLarge: 24-30 mos, 33-38 lbs.
3T: 36 mos, 34-41 lbs.
4T: 48 mos, 38-45 lbs.
The made-in-Malaysia quality seems decent. We'll see how durable it is. Hand-wash only. FINIS Boy's Swim Diapers (Blue Octopus, X-Large)
I did order 1 weight category more than my sons current weight because he was right on the edge the diaper fit him great when we got it. as many ppl have already said it is not meant to be absorbent nor is it supposed to hold poo in for long periods while in the water. I put the diaper on my son at the pool right before we enter the water and then change him back to a regular diaper before leaving the pool. My son has not yet pooed in the diaper and hopefully never will but it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a second diaper so you can immediately change the diaper after you have a poop one because like it or not the water will start to break the poop down and it will eventually leak.(that will happen with any swim diaper cloth or disposable). I gave this diaper a 4out of 5 instead of a 5 beacuse it would be nice to have detachable side for easier changes. but the price, fit, and functionality are all great.
In an effort to create less trash, I decided to buy reusable swim diapers. I used these most of the summer and loved them. I knew a poop in one of these would be bad, but I had no idea. I avoided it at all costs by using a disposable swim diaper before my son "did his business" and these reusable ones after. Sadly, this system failed me miserably and I was left with the MOST disgusting poop-mess known to all. And yes, I've seen a lot of poop. You cannot detach the sides (as you can with a disposable swim diaper), therefore your only course of action is to pull it, along with all of the poop, down your child's legs. I went through my entire container of wipes along with my friend's trying to clean the poop off myself and my child. This diaper went promptly into the trash. I've switched back to disposable swim-diapers and I'm never going back (unless I find a reusable swim-diaper that detaches on both sides of the leg). BEWARE!
These fit and look nice. I ordered a size bigger than needed thinking that they may run small but they don't. They also wash well. Definately worth the price...and so much cuter than the disposable swim diapers!
We had previously used a swim diaper from Walmart - got them at the beginning of the summer and since my son has grown and they are too tight on his thighs. Got this a few weeks ago. Ordered a Large - he is 2 and weighs 25 lbs. He's on the thinner side and the large fits perfectly. For the first time ever he pooped last week. These held it all in perfectly! We didn't even know til we took off his trunks and saw the discoloration in the swim diaper. Did what it was supposed to do and we are pleased. Good price too. Gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because as many reviewers have said and as I experienced, it isn't really true to size, you have to just go by your kids weight instead of age.
We have had one of these for a month now and our son loves wearing it, which is half the battle. He hasn't pooped in it, so I can't vouch for it's worthiness, but it seems like it would do the job. He is pretty well potty trained, but we don't want to take any chances.
We had to return our first purchase because it was too small. Our son is 3, but he is only 26 pounds and quite slim. The XL did not fit at all; it was much too small and uncomfortable for him. The XXL is doing the job well. We are buying another for his brother.
We've used this swim diaper in XL (rated 28-33 lbs on the packaging) on my 17m old son daily for the last couple of weeks.
The Function: As another reviewer noted, swim diapers are purchased by weight range, not by age. Thought I'd also note for anyone buying a swim diaper for the first time (that was me, last year) that swim diapers, cloth or disposable, aren't meant to be absorbent in the normal diaper sense: They are meant to a liner with a semi-plasticized outer which fit quite tight on the legs and waist so that any released BM is contained. The caretaker is supposed to get the child out of the water pretty quickly at that point for a quick change. As a note, this diaper does dry quickly, even when the relative humidity is quite high.
The Fit: My son is tall and slim: 35" tall, weighs 27lbs. I'm happy with the fit of the XL (rated 28-33 lbs on the packaging, 26-33lbs on the tag inside the diaper), and for once, he may be able to use it for the entire summer swim season. The legs and waist are still fairly snug but I'm not sure how much they would "contain" if a loose BM was deposited in them but he, of course, is slightly under the recommended weight range, according to the packaging. Interestingly enough, the tag inside the diaper itself says 26-33lbs, but I would say a 28lb start weight range is more accurate, and would following the packaging. Similar to other swim diapers we've used, I would expect that this diaper will be tighter and tighter on the legs and waist as the child goes up towards the end of the weight range. So in short, my assessment is that the XL fits true to size, and I'm suggesting that the 30-33lb child might find this diaper fits tightly enough for containment, and the lighter end of the weight range child might not have the most protection.... In any case, we don't expect to experience this diaper under actual `battle conditions', my son is kinda particular about where he goes, and we're using it under a toddler wetsuit, so we have a second layer of containment. I'll update once we've been using the diaper for another little while.
We have the "Blue Octopus" design and it is very cute. My son seems to enjoy wearing it (well, he doesn't object, and based on his response seems to know he's going swimming shortly). I didn't notice any chafing or irritation with it, and he would wear it for about 1.5 hours a day (we think he might be part fish). We're okay with it not having a side opening mechanism (although I would expect that a side opening would definitely be a desirable feature if the diaper were soiled....). Diaper peels off of him ok once wet. We've even put it on him damp, and it wasn't that difficult to pull onto his legs. In short, we're happy with it even though he's slightly under the weight range, and I'm considering getting him another one for the summer swim season.'
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