Childrens wetsuits are becoming really popular as more parents understand the benefits:

• Protection from the sun’s harmful UV rays
• Allows children to play in the water for longer without getting cold
• Wetsuits add a little buoyancy which may help to improve confidence in the water
• Children think they look cool!

Young children’s wetsuits
Younger children are particularly sensitive to changes in ambient temperature and can easily become cold when paying in water. They’re most likely to be wearing a wetsuit for beaches and outdoor pools, so there’s no need for a really expensive, technical wetsuit. A reasonably priced shorty wetsuit is the ideal choice. Children enjoy the freedom of movement of a shorty, and they’re easier to put on than a full length wetsuit.

Older children’s wetsuits
Older children may be involved in sports or want to spend much longer in the water. A three quarter or full length wetsuit can be a good choice.

Thickness
As with adult wetsuits, you need to pick the right thickness of wetsuit for the conditions in which your child will be using it. For really warm water (above 75ºF / 24ºC) a 2/1* will suffice, for water between 65ºF/18ºC – 75ºF/24ºC a 3/2* may be a better choice.
* These numbers refer to the thickness of the suit in mm. The bigger number represents the thickness of the material on the torso, the smaller number represents the thickness of the material on the limbs.

Getting the right fit
Just like adults wetsuits, it is imperative that children’s wetsuits fit properly. The wetsuit must fit snugly; neither too tight or loose. When your child first tries the wetsuit on at home it may seem a little too tight, this is normal, it will feel more comfortable once they get into the water. Resist the temptation to buy a wetsuit that’s too big with the idea that your child will ‘grow into it’. A baggy wetsuit will not work properly (see here for how a wetsuit works).

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Water conducts heat from your body 25 times more efficiently than air, so if you’re to spend any length of time in water colder than 32ºc you will require some extra insulation to prevent you becoming uncomfortably cold or suffering from hypothermia . Bring on the wetsuit.

Most wetsuits are made from neoprene or a combination of neoprene and other materials. Wetsuit neoprene contains tiny nitrogen gas bubbles. Nitrogen gas has very low heat conductivity. Your wetsuit works by trapping a small amount of water next to your skin. The nitrogen gas bubbles, in the material, reduce the amount of heat loss from the trapped water, keeping you comfortably warm for longer.

The thicker the neoprene, the warmer the wetsuit will be. However, thicker wetsuits are usually less flexible.

You’ll notice that when you first get into the water in your wetsuit that the water will slowly seep in, and initially it will feel cold. Within a few minutes that water will heat up to match your body temperature, and keep you warm. Some people pee in their wetsuits once they get into cold water to speed up the warming process.