Swim Diapers for Older Children with Disabilities

Due to Crypto and other diseases that can be spread while swimming, pools have cracked down on wearing swim diapers for people who are incontinent.  (Although I have only ever had 1 person ask if Ellie was wearing a swim diaper...which is actually really inappropriate for them to ask, but that is another matter entirely)

We purchased this reusable swim diaper from Amazon about 5 years ago.  She has used it probably about 15-20 times in those 5 years.  It has held up beautifully.  It has a water resistant fabric on the outside and a soft fleece inner fabric.  It has strong velcro on both sides.  The velcro sides make it quite adjustable to the person's size.  I feel like I can get a good seal around the legs and the waist with the velcro.

Here are the reasons I like this particular swim diaper (although to be honest I have not tried others)

1.  Durable, has held up really well

2.  Comfortable, soft fleece lining

3.  Good fit with the velcro tabs, can get a good seal around legs and waist

4.  Not too bulky under swim suit

5.  Washable

6.  Velcro instead of pull-on, easier to get on and off

It looks like at the time of posting this blogpost (9/13/16) they are running around $56 on Amazon with shipping.  https://www.amazon.com/Discovery-Trekking-Containment-Medium-29x32-Inch/dp/B004GX5YTY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1473788903&sr=8-4&keywords=discovery+trekking

Directly from the website they run $50-$60

http://www.sosecureproducts.com/

(This is a sister company of Discovery Trekking)

It is kind of pricey...but like I said, it has been extremely durable it hardly looks used...I would pay the price again.

There are sizing charts on both Amazon and the actual website.

Because it is so pricey I wanted to make sure I got the right size.  I called customer service and spoke with someone who walked me through every step of measuring Ellie to help me.  They were really kind and helpful.

Here you can see the swim diaper on Ellie

We also purchased a swim suit 1 size too big.  Then we cut the crotch seam.  

We folded over the fabric to make it stronger and used plastic snaps (so they wouldn't rust) on the crotch.  Swimsuit fabric does not fray, so it does not require any sewing.  Only scissors, the plastic snaps and a snap tool.  We purchased the swimsuit a size larger so that we could have a little extra fabric in the crotch to do this.  (as a note, it may require shortening the straps, but ours did not.)

Having the snaps on the crotch makes it easier to change back and forth from her 

regular brief to her swim brief and her change her brief if she needs a dry one.

 Here are the snaps done up over the swim diaper.

Then you just slip some shorts or a swim skirt over the top and wa-lah, you cannot see the swim diaper or the snaps.

OTHER OPTIONS

Disposable Swim Diapers
Search Amazon for "Disposable Adult Swim Diapers" and you will come up with some options.
I have not tried any of them.
Here are 2 options I found in a quick search on Amazon these or these
Some of the disposable brands I found were:
Swimmates
My Pool Pal

Cheaper Pull-on Reusable Swim Diapers
Search Amazon for Reusable Adult Swim Diapers
There are cheaper reusable swim briefs on Amazon such as this and this and this, that run about $27. I have not tried any others I really love the SOSecure (Discovery Trekking) one I reviewed above and would pay the extra.
These are some of the other reusable brands I found:
Swimsters
My Pool Pal
Swimmates
Kiefer

What about you?  What do you use as a swim diaper for your larger child?  What swimming tips and tricks do you have to share with other parents?  Please comment with any suggestions or questions.

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