10 best girls’ swimming costumes: From whimsical prints to sporty styles

Best: Overall

Rating: 9/10

Swedish childrenswear brand Polarn O. Pyret – or P.O.P for short – has been creating sustainable unisex clothes since 1976. Often praised for its sunhats, this year the brand has created the most fin-tastic swimwear collection, in collaboration with Swedish author and illustrator Sarah Sheppard. Her books are filled with inspiring facts on animals and nature, and this latest collection is a sea life extravaganza.

Bold, bright and brilliantly playful, our little testers loved pointing out underwater friends. With sizes ranging from six months to eight years, we’d suggest checking the size guide before purchasing, as the sizes aren’t typical. Every design in this collection is made using PET bottles, creating soft to the touch, sustainable-consious swimwear. There’s a good level of stretchiness, and our three-year-old tester could put this on independently thanks to the front zip – in fact, she didn’t want to take it off. This swimsuit also offers UV protection and this combined with the long sleeves makes a safe option for swimming, splashing and general poolside chilling (we can all wish, hey!).

Best: For comfort

Rating: 9/10

Around for almost two decades, childrenswear brand Frugi knows a thing or two about kids’ clothing. A rainbow of colours, we love this whimsical two-piece tankini. Often we find that two-piece swimwear can look too grown up on young children, but this one is both playful and practical in equal measures. Sensibly designed, the cross-over straps means no slipping over the shoulders, while the elasticated waistband on the bottoms ensures play is the order of the day.

The lining is so subtle, at first glance we didn’t even see it, and our mini tester commented on how soft it is. We found it has plenty of give in it without being baggy and it’s thoroughly breathable, too. Sustainably speaking, Frugi has a planet-friendly approach; this tankini has been made from post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. The brand also donates one per cent of its turnover each year to charity, which is a nice feel-good touch.

Best: For learning to swim

Rating: 9/10

Not your traditional swimsuit, according to our three-year-old tester, this one is magic.

In the middle of the costume there’s an impressive 16 removable floats, cleverly arranged to hold your child in the correct swimming position. As your child’s ability and weight progresses, simply begin to remove the floats. Made from high-quality, durable yet soft on the skin chlorine-resistant fabrics, this floatsuit has built-in UPF 50+ sun protection for days on the beach. While safety is at the forefront, style hasn’t been overlooked and we love the playful “up and away print”.

There’s a quick-fit zip at the back which is an absolute godsend, making for an easy change –particularly for younger ones. Coming in three sizes; 1-2 years, 2-4 years and 4-6 years, it is also available in five prints. There’s plenty of freedom of movement, which is something you don’t get with armbands. This floatsuit really does it all – it’ll just take up a little more space in the suitcase.

Best: For baby’s first costume

Rating: 9/10

Available in sizes three months to 24 months, Mori has created a fabulous swimsuit for those early years. Made from recycled nylon, it also offers UPF 50+ protection alongside extra sun shielding in the form of long sleeves. We found the zip on the back allowed for easy dressing and regular nappy changes, and the costume has a good level of stretch for wriggly young ones. Plus, there’s a fabric covering over the top of the zip to avoid any rubbing. The frill detailing around the waist is adorable, and the mustard colour is like a pop of sunshine.

Best: For sport

Rating: 8/10

Over the past few months, our six-year-old tester has become fully invested in swimming so we wanted to choose a swimsuit which would allow her to move freely and withstand plenty of action. Many “sports-led” costumes tend to be plain, so this multi unicorn tie dye sports swimsuit is a breath of fresh air.

Designed with a racer-back design for optimum comfort, the Lycra xtra life fibre technology has been specifically designed to provide long-lasting fit retention, battling against chlorine degradation. Testing over two weeks – with plenty of use – so far, so good. And our tester gave it two big thumbs up.

Best: For style

Rating: 8/10

Scandi brand Liewood keeps our kids’ bedrooms, playrooms and wardrobes looking effortlessly cool while reducing our eco footprint. From every metre of fabric, 35 PET plastic bottles have been reused and spun into yarn that now makes up this stylish leopard print cossie. We found it had a good level of stretch, was quick to dry and has a UV protection factor 50+.

Our three-year-old tester loved the pattern, and – like us – is a fan of the bow detailing at the shoulders. Most of all, she happily wore it for hours without a single complaint and looked ever so cute wearing it. While it’s expensive, we can’t deny the superlative quality.

Best: For sun protection

Rating: 8/10

While Frozen and hot holidays might not be a natural fit, our three-year-old was beside herself to see Elsa on her swimming costume. Endorsed by the British Skin Foundation, this costume is made from “sun smart” UPF 50+ fabric, and we did find it felt a little thicker to the touch than most costumes. The sweet frill continues onto the back, and we like how the straps meet in the middle to give a criss-cross look. We did find this costume came up a little small, which is worth considering when purchasing. At £12.50, it’s great value and well made, exactly as you’d expect from Marks and Sparks.

Best: For longevity

Rating: 8/10

Our 12-year-old tester could quite happily spend all day in the pool, so we wanted to find a swimsuit that could keep up, and this one-piece swimsuit from sport giant Decathlon was more than up to the challenge. Designed for intermediate swimmers, it features wide straps and a V-back, which means there’s a greater freedom of movement and a good level of support.

UV resistant, this swimsuit holds an “aquaresist” label, which means after extensive in-house testing it’s guaranteed to resist chlorine. Using a specially formulated polyester-based fabric, the elastane fibre has been replaced with a PBT fibre. The result? Our young tester praised it for comfort thanks to its stretchiness, and parents will appreciate its longer lifespan. In fact, it only loses three to four per cent of its resistance over time, and the colours stay bright.

Our almost-teenage tester found the sea life inspired print a bit childish, and we agree it may be better suited to slightly younger swimmers, but the quality cannot be denied. Plus, there are two other designs to choose from and it’s very fairly priced.

Best: Retro design

Rating: 7/10

Rachel Riley’s standout designs have seen her scoop many accolades as a childrenswear designer, and this lobster print swimsuit is her at her best. A classic 1950s style, it’s ruched, has frills at the bottom to create an adorable gathered skirt, and additional frill detailing on the sides. The elasticated neck strap looked oh-so-chic on our three-year-old fashionista (although the button fastening is a little fiddly), while the ruched stretchy fabric kept the swimsuit in place.

The soft polyester was comfortable for the first few hours, but it’s not a swimsuit you can wear all day long. When this cossie was wet, it did cause a spot of chafing which we’re blaming on the sand. However, our mini tester loved parading about in this retro number so much so that there was no grumbling in sight.

Best: For older girls

Rating: 7/10

Finding a swimsuit for a fussy soon-to-be teenager is no easy feat, but we’ve found one in Monsoon, which has launched a greener clothing collection, S.E.W Sustainable which runs across its kids’ swimwear range, transforming discarded bottles into beautiful cossies and more.

Predominantly made from recycled polyester with added elastane for its stretchy properties, this swimsuit feels high quality. Our tester found it comfortable to wear and was a big fan of the crossover strap, which features a neon block stripe and keeps the costume nicely in place. The tie dye print is trendy while not trying to be too grown up too.