A How-to Guide About Using Reusable Swim Diapers

Using a reusable swim diaper couldn’t be much simpler, which is especially good news if you have a real water baby on your hands. You just replace your usual cloth diaper with a swim diaper and hit the pool. 

There has to be a bit more to swim diapers than that…

Well, there’s making sure you’ve got the right size for a start. Bambino Mio does a range of eye-catching swim diapers from birth to age 2-and-up so all you have to do is buy the next size up every now and then.

Oh yes, and then there’s the wet bag. As you won’t be using disposable diapers in the pool, you’ll need to take your reusable swimming diapers home in our Out & About wet bag so everything stays dry. Once you’re home after your swimming lessons, you just empty out the wet bag into the washing machine or hand wash your baby’s swim diaper.

The hardest part about swimming diapers is choosing your favourite design

We really do have a lot of colour schemes and designs to browse, so while you’re making up your mind, we’ll take you through the techy bits.

How is a swim diaper different from a regular diaper? 

Your baby’s reusable swim diaper is different from their regular diapers because they’re not designed to absorb pee. They are there to catch solid waste so your baby doesn’t cause one of those incidents at the pool, while letting urine go into the water.

Most swimming diapers use a two-part system consisting of an inner mesh which catches all but the most determined-to-escape poops and a breathable water-resistant outer layer. There’s also strong but gentle cuffs around the waist and legs for containment (of poop, not excitement).

Swimming diapers look more like underwear than regular diapers as there’s no absorbent layer involved. Using a thick absorbent diaper in a swimming pool or the sea would just make it very heavy and waterlogged, which would spoil everyone’s fun.

Pull up the swimming diaper and jump in

That’s it! If you’re heading to a beach then you’ll probably want to add a rash vest to your baby’s ensemble, as well as a sun hat. You should also bring along your usual Bambino Mio reusable diapers for after-swim time.

Washing your baby’s reusable swim diaper

Just hand wash your reusable swim diaper or put it into the washing machine along with your other diapers (but only if you’re washing at 104F). You can use a non-biological detergent and a laundry booster with them, but no chlorine-based bleaches or fabric conditioner as these will shorten the lifespan of all your diapers.

Drying reusable swimming diapers

Dry your pool diapers in gentle heat and away from direct sunlight. A cool tumble dryer or airing cupboard will work well, as will a drying rack, but don’t place them in direct heat as this could damage the outer fabric cover over time.