I come from a long line of swimming fans. We like swimming in pools, owning pools, taking care of pools and all the summer fun that comes along with having a pool. Even my grandfather (who is the one person in our family that doesn’t love the act of swimming) owned a pool in his backyard. Growing up in New Jersey, we had a pool. My parents got a pool a few years ago (I blogged about that process here). And Jeremy and I can not wait till we get our hands dirty…errr…wet with a pool in our backyard. So I thought it would be fun to talk about ALL THE SWIM THINGS.
And it goes without saying that pool stuff for us doesn’t last long. It has an expiration date (usually Sept 1) and as such, we try to buy things that are fun for one summer and if it lasts past that….we are pretty thrilled. And I’m not listing any safety stuff since that requires a certain fit and endorsement. I will list floats or swim aides though for your little swimmers!
I broke it down into categories so that you can see what we use to beat the southern summer heat!
One of our favorite thing is FLOATS! We love all the floats! And manufacturers are so creative with the types of floats, shapes and colors. Some friends swear by the floats with the drink rests in them, some prefer the inner tube style and others like the trending shape. Hello poop emoji! #wehaveafloater
Here are some that caught my eye for this summer….click on any of these smaller photos for a direct link to the item!
When it comes to pool gear, we have a TON. Literally a metric ton. We have bins full of different goggles, flippers and kick boards. We have life vests, puddle jumpers and arm floaties. I personally have found that when it comes to goggles, you get what you pay for. (The goggles listed below are great and are discounted from $69 to $19!) When it comes to helping the little ones learn to swim, I highly recommend that each time you spend time in the pool, you dedicate the first ten to fifteen minutes just to ‘lessons’ where they learn the basics. Every child is different (Weston is terrified of water but LJ is a little fish) and after they finish their lesson, you can strap on swim aides to help them enjoy the rest of the time. We LOVE the superhero swim vests because it still allows them to use their arms and feet freely (vs puddle jumpers or arm floaties).
Boy swim suits and rash guards are a big deal over here to the Bower boys. I hate paying an arm and a leg and my favorite ones are from Old Navy (because they carry all the superhero versions), Target, and Janie & Jack (for the little baby versions!). I will recommend that you don’t get white rash guards or bathing suits with a lot of white on them if you have boys that like to slide in the grass as much as mine. Also the white parts of most suits can discolor easily so if you plan on reusing them for the next kiddo, it makes them look better and last longer!
Let’s be realistic. We don’t all have pools. We don’t all live in swim and tennis neighborhoods. Some of us are completely outnumbered by non swimming babies and pools sound equal parts fun and terrifying. So here are some of things that we OWN, things that we bought that we love. These are categorized as a pool supplement. It keeps us occupied and cool in the sun between visits to my moms house. And yes….we are obsessed with our bouncyhouseswimslide. It keeps the kids happy for hours!
Towels are just as important as any swim gear in our book. We have tried all the different types and I am super excited about this season with new round towels and the thin turkish cotton towels. For the kids, we have figured out that the best solution for our family is hooded towels. Once they are done swimming, we can pop a towel over their heads and not worry about it falling off…plus it makes swim diaper changes more discreet in public. And they still lay flat if the kids want to sit on them poolside.
Now it’s your turn! What is your must-have pool or beach accessory or toy? I geared this post definitely towards the little boys (hey it’s what I know) but if you have a girl item (mermaid towel anyone?!) or something you can’t live without….put it in the comments! And hope you all stay cool and safe this summer!
Oh for the love God, somebody please offer to sponser a pool for them!
Is that how people think this works? I post about wanting something and someone sponsors it? I WISH. Let’s be perfectly transparent…that isn’t how blogs work in my world or any world. I think it would be awesome if it did but nope. We do have a IRL friend who does landscape design and we consulted him about pool design…and we have no doubt he will come up with something awesome. And as far as this post goes…I have gotten a ton of messages, emails and comments that people are asking about swim accessories, the boys bathing suits and pool toys…so I’m just providing answers to questions! Hope this clears things up.
xo – kb
Great post Katie! Hope you get lots of pool time in this summer! Love the tip about spending the first 15 minutes with a mini swim lesson!
Having no kids, I love see a post like this to help me shop for my nieces. Not girl stuff but you get me pointed in a direction at least! Thank you!
(*and who the heck ever heard of someone sponsoring a POOL?!?! Can you imagine!!!)
My son is two and is not grasping the puddle jumpers. Might try life jacket or the super hero ones you posted.
My inlaws gave us a ginormous inflatable ducky (I’ve seen a swan and a flamingo that are a similar size). I was a little annoyed at the time, but it’s turned out to be pretty great. It’s big and sturdy enough I can set the kiddo on top without too much worry. Plus, it’s great for me. I’ve used it several times to read from while floating, during naptime of course!!!
Great post! I have all boys too, and we love many of the same items! I always buy swimsuits at the end of the season, esp. at Old Navy and Carters, when they are on mega clearance! My kids typically follow the “norm” in sizing, so they are pretty predictably easy to shop for, even seasons/years ahead of time. Thanks for the recommendation on the goggles! I swim at least once a week (usually about a mile or so), and have needed to replace my goggles. For 20 bucks, those are definitely worth a shot! Especially with so many 5 star reviews! Enjoy your summer of swimming fun!!!!
This was so helpful!! I have two little boys (3 and 1) and love all the tips and equipment you recommend. I LOVE the tip about the mini swim lesson and the swim vests! Thank-you for sharing!!
The hooded poncho-type towels are the absolute BEST for kids!! I love them. We also got a smaller version of the water blow-up slide that is so fun. Summers in the South are so HOT!! Gotta have lots of cool outdoor options. Thanks for the fun list!
I love this!
So I have a rookie question for you. What do rash guards do? I’ve never had a pool rash – is that what it protects from? Also, did you do professional swim lesson or teach on your own.
Janie and Jack have the cutest swim suits for girls, but just know they run on the small side. We had to get a 24 month suit for our daughter’s first birthday! 🙂
ALSO – My absolute favorite swim wear (rash guards and shorts) for boys is from Hanna Andersson. Definitely check it out. We’ve had our son in the same two suits for two summers now with no visible wear or tear.
Love all you suggestions!! We have the hooded towels and they’re great for all the reasons you mentioned. Our boys are enjoying a few inexpensive things at the moment. We grabbed some less than $3 sand buckets at Walmart, those paired with the foam water shooters (similar to these but cheaper at Walmart https://www.amazon.com/Max-Liquidator-Original-Blaster-Colors/dp/B0017WTYFM) that were a gift have been a hit. We used them this weekend at the lake. The boys loved it because they could play with the water by filling up the buckets and then using that to fill up their shooters without us having to get in the still chilly water to swim lol. That splash pad pool for the littles looks awesome! We may need to get that next year for the twins. Also our next door neighbors have the inflatable water slide too. Our boys think it’s just as much theirs and ask everyday if it’s up and ready to play with
We are in the process of buying a house with a pool…so excited…but we also know nothing. I really like the idea of the super hero life vest, never though about how restricting the others could be on teh arms, but have you seen one that may be for a little girl (not that I am at all against superman muscles for her, it is actually probably quite fitting) but wanted to see if you have seen otherwise in a similar style.
Thanks!! Love your posts!!
As a mom of a 2.5 year old, I love this post! Thank you for all the recommendations! We have the Superman swim vest and love it, except that sometimes it comes up too high on my skinny little guy. Have you guys had that happen? I know LJ is small. Do you guys teach your boys how to swim yourself or do they take lessons from someone?
Thanks for this post, Katie! Do you have a personal review of the bouncy-house-slip-n-slide-pool? 🙂 I’m looking at one for my girls. The reviews I’ve read (like on Amazon) are all over the place, so I’m undecided. Thanks so much!
I do. We own the one listed and we LOVE it. This is our second summer with it and we actually use it about 1-3x per week during the warmer months. We had a couple normal bouncy houses and they eventually all tear up (usually it’s the bigger kids) and so for the water slide, we say that you can’t bring hard toys into it because it could tear it. Balls, noodles, and stuff like that is ok. I do think that if you have it, a pressure washer is kinda necessary at the end of the year to pack it up and you will need a flat surface but in general, set up is easy and the kids play in it for hours.
xo – kb
Actually one of the best swim brands – Speedo – they make a learn-to-swim vest that is very similar (I think the technical term is called a buoyancy vest) and they have some listed on Amazon….like this one, and this one for girls. Hope this helps!
xo – kb
We got two different sizes – the Superman one is bigger than the Batman (at least it was when we got ours) and it fits LJ perfectly. As for swim lessons, we do it ourselves…I definitely considered enrolling them because teaching your own kids is tougher than someone else’s but I was certified as a swim instructor for babies all the way to adults and I taught swim lessons/coached swim team for many many years….so even with that qualification, I would still recommend hiring out 🙂
xo – kb
Yeah…the puddle jumpers are hard! I think some kids are naturally more inclined to them (my sister’s kids wear them) but none of my boys would keep it on! The arms!
xo – kb
No…it protects more from the sun. We have a couple kids with very fair skin and are super prone to sensitivities with sunscreen….so in case the first layer of sunscreen wears off and we don’t get to reapply in time…it’s not like 100% they won’t get burned but it’s just another layer of protection.
xo – kb
That’s super helpful! Thank you Lynn!
xo – kb
Yeah…we could not survive the summer without that slide! It’s been a real help since the heat here is getting awful!
xo – kb
Three kids and all have used the puddle jumpers… but they only really started getting the hang of them when they were 3 yrs old because prior to that their heads were too heavy and they’d either lean back and just end up floating on their backs or face forward. We tried a lot of other bodysuit type floats and they just couldn’t keep the kids high enough out of the water.
Any suggestions on a good pair of shorts to wear over a suit? I can never seem to find any and would love to feel a bit more covered up as I play with my little kids as they play at the pool/water park.
I got these ones for cheap and they work great! I like to wear them with a regular suit to make it more ‘play’ friendly too!
xo – kb
What about swim suits for you? I’m pregnant as well and dreading the August heat. I just can’t seem to find a good maternity bathing suit.