Best Swim Diapers 2023 (2024)

Reusables swim diapers have the edge over disposable ones, simply because they last longer. And although the differences between reusable swim diapers are subtle, the Beau and Belle Nageuret has every advantage. Parents say the material is soft compared to other similar swim diapers, which can feel a little rubbery or stiff. They also praise the fit: it’s neither tight, nor baggy, and has rows of strong snaps that are easy to adjust as your child grows.

Parents say this diaper lasted for years, and stood up to several summers of beach and pool trips, while being washed between uses. BabyCenter Community members liked the "cute prints," the adjustable fit, and, most of all, how well this diaper keeps messes contained: "It’s adjustable and comfy and It hugs his thighs," said one BabyCenter mom. "The best part is that it contained his explosive poop. If I hadn’t heard it, I wouldn’t have even known to change him."

If your plan is to buy a one-and-done swim diaper that lasts from your child's first swim day to the time when they're potty-trained, this could be the reusable diaper you're looking for.

Heads up
This diaper is on the small side, and some parents say they're too tight on chubby-thighed babies even if they fit within the weight range connected to the size.

Parents say
“This swim diaper is adorable and fits my daughter perfectly.”

“Love this swim diaper. Easy to put on my baby and easy to remove. Love that it adjusts with him as he grows! We have several and the fish pattern is my favorite yet!”

“This swim diaper is amazing! We used it for the first time this past weekend. Baby pooped 3 times in it and none ended up in the pool!”

"I started using this when my son was 4 months and weighed 8 pounds. He was premature and no other swim diapers fit him. These are adjustable and fit great around his skinny legs with no leaks so far.”

Specs

• Size range: 6-35 pounds
• Material: Polyester
• Color options: 6
  

You can't beat disposable diapers for sheer ease of use. What gives Pampers Splashers an edge is the elastic around the waist. When trying to find disposable swim diapers for my daughter, I found that extra stretch around the waist provided a more snug fit; perhaps that's why there was never a blowout, even though she did poop a few times in years of baby/toddler swim classes. The fit, however, wasn’t so snug that it left red marks on her chubby waist or thighs.

Unlike other types of Pampers, Splashers don't have a wetness indicator, for obvious reasons, and they pull on like underwear instead of closing with tabs. When you're ready to take them off, they rip easily at the sides so you don't have to pull them down and risk making a mess, a quality you will genuinely appreciate if you're changing your child's diapers in a cramped poolside public bathroom.

Heads up
The sizing on these diapers is different from regular Pampers: small, medium, and large instead of numeric, so be sure to read the guide to find the right fit. .

Parents say
“Soft and comfy. They are not bulky and do not leave red marks on his skin. Definitely recommend.”

“These swim diapers are awesome!!! They can last a long time in the water, and I find they are easy to rip off (along the little seams by the hips) when you are done, just throw them away.”

“The best of the swim diapers we’ve tried. Easy to pull up, and tear sides to take off, or pull down. Absorbent, and not leaking from the sides.”

Specs

• Size range: Small (13-24 pounds), medium (20-33 pounds), or large (31-40 pounds)
• Material: Polyethylene and spandex
• Color options: 1
  

This swim diaper is so solid and well-made that BabyCenter's Senior Director, Engagement & Product Marketing Lindsay Day says she used it for all three of her kids. "I appreciated the bazillion adjustable snaps," she says, which at first seemed "over the top" but ultimately worked great for her family because she had “one with pencil thighs and the other with delightful chubby thighs." The snaps were strong and attached well to the diapers' fabric, too.

In addition to being easy to adjust, Lindsay said Storeofbaby’s swim diapers held solids far better than any disposable diaper she tried: "I found the disposable ones were pretty useless as they immediately get full of water from the pool and couldn't possibly be holding much else.” She was also impressed by the longevity of the Storeofbaby swim diapers, saying they held up for all three of her children and were in good enough shape to donate after.

Online reviewers like the close fit of these diapers, which makes it harder for errant poop to escape, as well as the variety of designs.

Heads up
Some parents don't like how snug these diapers are; you may want to consider another brand if your child is on the outer edges of the weight range.

Parents say
“I put this on my 5-week-old who is currently wearing size 1 diapers and it fits wonderfully. I really like that these swim diapers will grow with him. They look like they would fit my 3-year-old who wears 3T if I were to put them on him if he still needed diapers.”

“While I was hopeful that these swim diapers would hold baby poop I was a little worried they would not hold infant breastfed baby poop. (Breastfed baby poop tends to be very loose and regular diapers sometimes have trouble holding it!) We took my kids to a water park this week and have been very lucky, we finally had 'that poop.' These swim diapers held EVERYTHING! Honestly, it was amazing!”

“These are great for my 8-month-old son's swimming classes. They are adjustable in that you can choose to snap them at different places, but I have a chunky baby, so even snapping the last snaps are a little tight on him, but I suppose that also helps with keeping leaks contained. Great quality, washes nice, and I love the colors!”

Specs

• Size range: 6-28 pounds
• Material: Polyester outer layer; nylon mesh inner layer
• Color options: 19 different sets with 2 patterns each
  

Alvababy's adjustable and reusable swim diapers are loved by parents for the many ways you can alter the size. Thanks to cleverly placed snaps, you can raise or lower the waistline, and tighten or loosen at the waist and thigh area. Depending on your child's size, these could last from your first swim to the end of the potty training process.

Heads up
Some parents complain that the printed outside layer of fabric could be softer.

Parents say
“We purchased these since they are a two-in-one combo. It’s a diaper/swimming bottom. You don’t have to add a diaper underneath these. These are lined with a waterproof liner (might sound like it’s uncomfortable but it’s extremely soft and flexible) and then a soft mesh cotton liner on top of the waterproof part!!”

“These are swim diapers, so they obviously won’t absorb pee, but they do a great job of keeping the poop in! The first time I put my baby in these, he pooped (of course!), and they were super easy to clean! No spots or stains were left in the diaper.”

“My daughter has been wearing these all summer from 8-12 months of age and they have worked well for us in the pool.”

Specs

• Size range: 10-40 pounds
• Material: Polyester, PUL
• Color options: 45 different patterns

Huggies Little Swimmers are one of the few disposable swim diapers available in anan extra-small size that fits babies from seven to 18 pounds. That said, this size is hard to find in stores, so you will likely have to buy it online.

In addition to the fit for smaller children, parents say Little Swimmers stay on well, are comfy for kids, and do their containment job well. "They were also pretty low profile and didn't swell up with water," says Jeanne Beacom, BabyCenter's Senior Campaign Reporting Manager, who liked that Little Swimmers didn't give her daughter a "saggy butt." She also liked that the side panels tear away when they're wet, so you can detach both sides and lift your baby up and away from a blowout, should it occur.

Heads up
The extra-small Little Swimmers are pull-on and don't have Velcro tabs on the sides like the Little Swimmers in the blue box.

Parents say
“These are awesome! My little boy loves the water, but obviously is still in diapers. We spent an hour at the pool and there were no leaks (even with a dirty diaper towards the end).”

“First time using pool diapers I wasn’t sure what to buy, read the reviews and was very happy with the product, it fit well and is of good quality.”

“They don't bother her skin and it holds for hours! Haven't had an issue with it.”

“Comfortable diaper that does the job. Don't put your baby in a swim diaper in the car seat, they are meant for bowel movements only!”

Specs

• Size range: Extra-small (7-18 pounds), 3 (16-28 pounds), 4 (22-37 pounds), 5/6 (33 pounds and over)
• Material: Polypropylene
• Color options: 1
  

Reusable swim diapers tend to be much better looking than their disposable counterparts, and this inexpensive Amazon brand has the cutest prints we've seen yet. Available as three-pack sets, each diaper in the set is a different design: up-to-date florals and botanicals, sea creature and zoo animal designs, fruit and vegetable line drawings, colorful prints of unicorns and mermaids, to name a few.

"The prints are so cute that I paired these with rash guards instead of putting a suit over them," says Shelley Gingrich, BabyCenter's Executive Director, Brand Solutions; this simplicity may be a bonus for parents of wiggly babies who resist being dressed.

Like other reusable diapers, Babygoal’s have snaps so parents can adjust the fit as their baby grows. It’s worth noting, however, that Babygoal’s swim diapers have four rows of snaps to fasten and unfasten as opposed to three. Some parents find this frustrating, but not enough to negate all the good qualities.

Heads up
The diapers are sold as three-pack, so there's always a spare when one (or two) get dirty.

Specs

• Size range: Small (0-8 months) and large (6 months-3T)
• Material: Polyester and waterproof TPU (outer layer), polyester, lycra (inner layer)
• Color options: 28 different sets with 3 patterns each
  

Suitable for children up to 55 pounds, iPlay by Green Sprout’s reusable diaper is one of the few on the market that can work larger kids or later potty trainers. The design makes sense for bigger kids, too: one quick row of snaps on one side instead of the multiple rows of snaps you'll find on reusables made to be adjustable for quickly growing infants.

Parents peg these as soft and absorbent, with a snug fit that doesn't sag and start to fall off once babies hit the water; they say that the close fit also keeps potential poop leakage in place. This swim diaper has three layers of fabric instead of the usual two; it holds in potential messes better that way, but it also takes longer to dry after washing.

Heads up
This diaper's fabric is UV protective for an additional safeguard against the sun.

Parents say
“This is a great swim diaper! Held up well in the water! After using the iPlay diapers last summer, I will never go back to disposables.”

“This is a great option for toddlers. They don’t poop as often as infants and their poop is more solid.”

“My 2-year-old has been using this swim diaper for 6 months. It is great quality: the fabric, the snaps, the color, etc. Even though we've worn it for 6 months weekly and washed it regularly (we hang dry), it looks new.”

"I’ve used the iPlay brand for all three kids. They’ve always worked good so far! I only have one per size and then I just have some disposable ones in my bag in case."

Specs

• Size range: 6 months (10-18 pounds), 12 months (18-22 pounds), 18 months (22-25 pounds), 24 months (25-30 pounds), 3T (30-38 pounds), 4T (38-46 pounds), 5T (46-55 pounds)
• Material: Polyester
• Color options: 7
  

All swim diapers work to hold poop in while letting pee flow through. There are two main kinds:

• Reusable: These diapers are designed to be worn over and over again, so they're much more sustainable than disposable diapers. That said, you'll want to buy more than one pair, because if your baby poops while swimming, you'll need to empty the solids into the toilet, then wash the diaper before using it again. Reusable swim diapers often fasten with snaps, but there are also pull-on styles. Reusable swim diapers usually cost more upfront than disposable swim diapers, but can cost less per wear over time depending on how much you use them.
• Disposable: Disposable swim diapers are generally inexpensive. They may be a good choice for your family if you're swimming multiple times a day and don't have time to wash and dry reusable diapers in between uses. Disposable diapers usually pull on so they may be slightly harder to get on and off than reusable diapers, particularly after your child has soiled it. At that point, you may want to rip diaper panels apart rather than trying to ease the diaper over your child's feet.

Who needs to wear swim diapers?

Public pools generally require swim diapers for children who are under a certain age or not yet potty trained. Pools will require either a reusable or disposable swim diaper, and may even ask for a disposable swim diaper to be worn underneath a reusable.

What to look for in swim diapers

Factors to consider when shopping for a swim diaper include:

• Fit: Swim diapers should fit snugly, so they mold to your child's body and hold in everything they're meant to hold in. Diapers are sized by weight, so know your child's before you shop for swim diapers, and follow size charts online or on product packaging. Many reusable swim diapers are adjustable and fit a range of sizes. Don't be surprised, though, if swim diapers sized for your child seem tighter than regular diapers.
• Type: Do you prefer reusable or disposable diapers? Reusables are often easier to put on and take off and can be easily adjusted for sizing, while disposables are cheaper and easier to find in stores.
• Price: Reusable swim diapers are more expensive initially. But when you consider that they can be reworn (for years in the case of adjustable diapers), they may end up costing less per wear.
• Style: Disposables usually come imprinted with cartoon characters or other colorful designs; reusables are often made of stylish waterproof fabric with attractive and modern prints.
• Quantity:If your child won’t be swimming often or for a long time, you may be able to get away with just a single reusable swim diaper.

Is pool water clean?

All this talk about swim diapers may have you nervously wondering if pool water is safe for children to swim in. In short, yes. The chlorine and other chemicals that kill pool germs are up to the task of handling most potential pathogens. The one major exception is the Cryptosporidium parasite, which causes diarrhea and is found in poop. The CDC says swim diapers can keep the Cryptosporidium parasite from leaking into the water for a few minutes, but should be changed promptly if you child poops.

To further prevent the spread of diarrhea and other swimming-related illnesses among children, the CDC has recommendations for healthy swimming for kids:

• Keep your child out of the water if they are sick with diarrhea, and don't allow them to swim until two weeks after the diarrhea is gone completely.
• Wash your child thoroughly with soap and water before swimming,especially their backsides.
• Check your child's diaper regularly and plan to change diapers every 30 to 60 minutes.
• Change diapers in a bathroom or other suitable location, not poolside.
• Don't go in the water with an open cut or wound or cover completely with waterproof bandages.
• Don't pee or poop in swimming water.
• Don't swallow swimming water.

The CDC also publishes guidelines for pool operators so they can keep swimmers safe. But rest assured, if you follow the CDC's healthy swimming guidelines as well as the rules at the places where you swim, the most likely outcome is a great day in the water for everyone.