13 best kids’ swimming costumes for girls, boys and babies

This colourful print is going to tick boxes for the style-conscious and those who love florals. The swimsuit is well made, with good-quality, sun-safe fabric, and there’s plenty of coverage, as it’s long-sleeved and comes right up to the neck. It is also cut into a brief style on the legs.

Another tick for us was that it zips up through the front, so it was easy for our mini-testers to get themselves dressed independently. We found it washed well and our tester seemed very happy to wear it, without complaining of any uncomfortable areas.

Our discerning seven-year-old tester loved this bang-on-trend swimming costume. The colours meant we could see them on the beach and in the pool, too. The double crossover back is a sweet design feature but confused our tester slightly when they were getting dressed – you might need to lend a hand, though older kids should be able to cope just fine.

We liked the round, high neckline and modest cut on the legs, while our tester felt grown-up in the neon-ish print. It’s quite a thick material, so it took slightly longer to dry, but it also felt good quality. Importantly, our tester reported it was comfortable to wear.

Our four-year-old tester loved this set – the lobsters were a hit with our fashion-conscious preschooler, while the top gave them good coverage and kept them relatively warm during their 30-minute swimming lesson.

The rash vest has a half-zip at the back, which our tester couldn’t do up solo, but other children may be able to. A drawstring waist helped prevent the shorts from sliding down during the energetic “swimming” they were doing. The shorts are lined, for extra comfort, too. What’s more, as parents, we were pleased to see the fabric is UPF 50+.

As a household where our male tester loves pink, we sometimes struggle to find swimwear to suit their tastes. However, Toastie has come to the rescue. The brand’s UV protector top and bottoms come in a range of bright hues (and some subtler ones) that are bound to put a smile on your face. We went for “ocean blues” (with plenty of pink) but there are eight stylish colourways to choose from.

As parents, we loved that the bright colours meant our kids could be spotted on the beach, and we also loved the inclusion of UPF 50+. The silky material was comfortable to wear for our tester, and the shorts give great coverage for both boys and girls. We were so heartened to see this style of swimwear for different genders on the market – more of this, please.

You can buy the top (£36, Toastiekids.com) and shorts (£24, Toastiekids.com) separately, or you can buy both bundled together (£48, Toastiekids.com) with a saving of 20 per cent.

These were our tester’s first pair of jammers – swim shorts that are more akin to cycling shorts, which are favoured by competitive swimmers, thanks to the streamline shape. Our tester, who is not given to praising items of clothes, said they loved these jammers.

There’s a drawstring in the waistband to tighten them, and our tester was able to swim (and muck around) without any restrictions. Us adults liked that the jammers were chlorine-resistant and that they looked as vibrant after four weeks of regular pool dipping as they did when they arrived. Speedo’s jammers are super speedy when it comes to drying, too.

Our tester loved this swimsuit’s bright colourway – and we loved that we could easily pick it out of a crowd during swimming training. The swimming costume offers a snug fit, while the elasticated straps offer comfort and provide growing room.

This swimwear style also created a streamlined silhouette, enabling our tester to swim through the water with ease. Our tester was certainly pleased with it and went back to it after testing had finished. Lastly, it’s chlorine-resistant (although there’s no UPF) and washes really well. It dries quickly, too.

The cute seersucker design of this rash vest had us as soon as we opened it. It’s extremely good quality and made from durable UPF 50+ fabric. It is relatively thick, and not super silky, unlike some rash vests, so, children who are averse to slightly scratchy fabrics may not like it next to their skin. However, our fairly sensitive child didn’t complain once.

We found the rash vest was perfect for swimming lessons, as it provided a bit of extra insulation for our chilly learners. Our tester found it easy to pull on themselves, as there’s no zip – it just slips over the head. We also liked that it’s stretchy, so there’s plenty of room to grow.

Stretchy and silky, this one-piece is great for babies, crawlers and toddlers, all the way up to preschoolers. It’s thin enough to be bearable on hot days and offers UPF 50+ across most of the body. Elbow-length sleeves and knee-length legs, along with a high neck, give great coverage.

Because the suit is thin, it doesn’t restrict movement, so, our tester could frolic on the beach making sandcastles and running around without being impeded. There’s also plenty of space under there for a swim nappy. We tested the pastel floral one-piece, but it comes in a range of eight colourways, to suit all styles.

Our tester reported that this swimming costume one-piece was very comfortable. They also loved the chunky rainbow design. It’s made from a silky polyester and elastane fabric with added stretch, which meant our tester could lunge about the pool without being restricted. We liked that a half zip meant our tester could get changed independently for their swimming lessons, too.

This costume is also chlorine-resistant, so it kept its colours through several swims and washes and didn’t sag. The UPF 50+ fabric offers peace of mind, and the full-length arms give great coverage. The playful frill on the legs is a cute detail, too.

This is currently in M&S’s three-for-two offer, which means it’s amazing value if you have a few children who need new swimwear.

This swimsuit comes in a great range of sizes, while the bright pink colourway means you can easily spot your child at the pool or beach. We liked that it gave good coverage, with long sleeves and a high neck.

The zip comes down to the belly button, meaning independent dressing was possible for our tester, who reported the swimsuit was comfortable, too. Although the fabric isn’t sun-safe, we found that it was very good quality and the whole swimsuit feels premium.

We couldn’t help but smile when we saw this cute kids’ swimming costume, with its ditsy floral print, pastel rainbow hues and big frill. Our tester found the swimsuit comfortable, and we were really impressed with the quality. Despite there being quite a chunky frill, the shoulder straps didn’t seem to slide down like they do on some other swimsuits. This meant our tester was free to play and leap around the garden in the sprinkler with no inhibitions. The suit also comes in a blue floral print.

The quality of these swim shorts is impressive. They are lightweight yet durable, and the elasticated waist has a drawstring, which meant the swimming shorts stayed snuggly on our tester, even during a very energetic session at a splash park.

We liked that the swim shorts looked stylish enough to wear during the day with a T-shirt, too, and they didn’t seem to get itchy and sweaty like some swimwear tends to. What’s more, the cut on these shorts is quite baggy, which gave our tester a great range of movement.

We were so impressed by this sun protection suit. The coverage was amazing – only calves and forearms were out in the sun – and the fabric offers the gold standard of UPF 50+. This jumpsuit has a zip, which made it easy for our four-year-old tester to independently dress themselves, too.

The sizing is generous, and we were glad to note there’s a bit of growing room built in. The vibrant colours survived a busy splash park session and several washes without fading, thanks to the chlorine-resistant fabric. Our tester said the suit was comfy, and we were very impressed with the quality of the fabric and the design on the suit – we think this is amazing value, and we loved that the size range goes up much older than most swimsuits of this style.