When it comes to shopping for kids clothing, there is little that is more frustrating than shopping for kids bathing suits. The material shrinks, colors fade, and how hard is it for you and your child to agree on a swimming suit?! With these shopping tips, you can get the very best bathing suits for your children.

First, always try on kids bathing suits before buying them. Kids grow very fast, and what fit them a few months ago may no longer fit. kids bathing suitsIt can be convenient to skip the dressing room in favor of a faster checkout, but you may end up paying for it when you get home, rip the tag off, and realize that the swimming suit doesn’t fit. At that point, you can’t return the swimming suit. Always take the few extra minutes it takes to try on the suit.

While trying on the suit, make sure you see your child in it. You want to be sure it covers everything it needs to cover, and that your child can move comfortably in it. While they try on kids bathing suits, make sure they can walk, bend, and stretch comfortably. After all, swimming is a physical activity—what good is a swimming suit that’s only comfortable for a mannequin?

Be sure to shop at the best times for swimming suits. If you accidentally left it until the last minute, shop as early as possible. Swimming suits get picked over pretty quick, and you want to make sure you get the right size. If your child ends up with a swimming suit that they think is ugly, they could spend the summer trying to get out of swimming trips.

If you have lots of time before you need kids bathing suits, shop well in advance of the swimsuit season. In fact, you can shop up to a year in advance. Retailers begin clearancing out swimming suits towards the middle and end of the summer season, at which point you can stock up for the next summer. You can save up to 80% on the swimming suits you buy by doing this.

One of the most important things when doing this is to buy the right size in kids bathing suits. The spandex in kids bathing suits makes it clingy. Unfortunately, it can also make the swimming suits shrink in the wash, leaving them unwearable after just one go in the washing machine. Have your child try on a couple different sizes. If they are between sizes or if they seem on the verge of growing out of one size, buy the next size up. This will account for any summer growth spurts and any shrinking that happens in the washing machine.

Shopping for kids bathing suits doesn’t have to be a stressful experience. If you go about it the right way, it can be a fun and exciting experience for your child. It gets them in the spirit of summer and gets them excited for 3 long months of swimming.