Splash About Baby Snug REVIEW

Have you heard of the Splash About Baby Snug?

Our daughter absolutely loves the water, but she hates more than anything in this world the feeling of being cold. This has made bath time and swimming quite an interesting experience, as unless we get the temperature just right, some tears are inevitable!!! When looking to take our daughter swimming at our local swimming baths, we were looking for something a little more substantial than a dainty girly swimming costume to ensure that Erin stayed as warm as possible in the water. With the temperature of the water always being a little unpredictable, this would hopefully ensure that the tears stayed at bay and she was able to stay warm and content in the water for at least 30 minutes and help build confidence in the water.

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What is the Splash About Baby Snug?

The idea for the Baby Snug was conceived and designed by Splash About in response to a demand from swim schools for a specific product to keep babies warm in water.

The Splash About Baby Snug is unique, and is, in effect, two products in one. Not only is it a baby wetsuit, but also incorporates a Happy Nappy – the most essential item in a baby’s swim kit! This reusable neoprene swim nappy was invented by Splash About over 10 years ago and is so effective against protective leaks that it is insisted upon by 99% of swim schools in the UK.

Starting swimming early for babies has real benefits, however as they move around less, they feel the cold a lot quicker than adults, particularly with many pools turning the temperature down these days to save costs. The Splash About Baby Snug has been specifically designed from supple 1mm neoprene to keep babies warm in water. Tests have shown that a baby could stay in the pool for up to an hour without feeling cold whilst wearing a Baby Snug.

Buy a Splash About Baby Snug

How does the Baby Snug keep babies warm in the pool?

The Splash About Baby Snug was designed to help babies and their familes have a more enjoyable swimming experience because:

The upper body of the Baby Snug opens completely at the back for easy dressing and an elastane finish is ideal for babies needing a softer snug fit.
The Happy Nappy is made from supple, 1mm neoprene and finished with comfortable, double layered ribbing at both the waist and legs.
The BabySnug gives solidarity to the body, making wriggly babies easier to hold, both in and out of the water.
The BabySnug keeps any barrier creams in place, meaning that babies with sensitive skin don’t need to miss out on swimming lessons.

What is the Happy Nappy?

Approved and recommended by swim schools, the Happy Nappy can be bought separately but comes integrated into the Baby Snug design. The Happy Nappy works by preventing any baby bowl movements from leaking into the pool.

The best parts? The inclusion of the Happy Nappy means no need for disposables in addition, which can prove costly – friendly for the environment too! The Happy Nappy also greatly reduces the risk of spreading Crypto Sporidium bugs associated with sickness and diarrhoea!

What age is the Splash About Baby Snug suitable for?

The Splash About BabySnug prices start at just £19.99 and are available in sizes newborn, 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months and 12-18 months. There is a wide choice of colours and designs including Navy, Pink, Apple Daisy, Tutti Frutti, Set Sail and Pink Gingham.

Our Experience of the Baby Snug

We reviewed the Splash About BabySnug Tutti Frutti design is a size 6-12 months for my daughter Erin, who is nearly 10 months old. The product came packaged in a lightweight plastic carrier, including instructions on how to use the product.

My first thoughts on the product was that it looked very very cute. The Tutti Frutti design was bright and colourful with apples and pears across the print, but with gender neutral colours including pinks blues and greens, making it suitable for either a boy or girl.

The material was soft to the touch, yet you could tell it would draw water away from the skin. It has slightly tighter areas around the ankles and wrists, and the top half of the product had a large Velcro opening, meaning that getting my daughter in and out of the product when dry was very straight forward.

My daughter has not been swimming for some time. I previously took her to swimming lessons at around 3 months old, but we had to stop her when she developed quite a bad case of eczema. I was gutted, as she clearly really enjoyed being in the water, but on doctors recommendations, we decided to wait until she was a little older. What is great about the BabySnug for us personally is that the barrier creams we have been prescribed for her skin can be used underneath the product and will stay in place, simply applying them before the product is put on. This meant that I could take her into the water and be confident that her delicate skin was still being protected.

Once on, the product fitted well, fitting tightly around the legs and wrists, but with still some room to spare in the overall design. My daughter is a relatively small 10 month old, but I am confident that this would fit most average size babies up until the 12 month mark as described. Erin appeared comfortable in the product and didn’t try to pull or tug at it, which she will often do now if something is annoying her (like with hats – they never stay on!!).

We stayed in the water with Erin wearing the Splash About Baby Snug for around 35 minutes, and at no point during the swim did she show any signs of being cold, despite being thrown up and down by her Dad, and ‘jumping’ into my arms off the side. The biggest test was when I took her back into the changing rooms, where the wall of cool air was apparent even to me on leaving the warm water. She didn’t moan at all, only letting out a slight winge once the product had actually been removed and as I was towelling her dry.

As with most swimming products when wet, the Splash About Baby Snug wasn’t the easiest to get off, largely because it was tight fitting around the legs and she was of course pretty damp to the touch, but this felt no different to when taking off my own swimming costume after half an hour in the pool!

Overall, we were really impressed with the Splash About Baby Snug, and will definitely be using it again. We are hoping to make the Sunday family swim a weekly thing as it was great to see her splashing about and enjoying herself in the water.

Pros:

The design of the Splash About Baby Snug ensured that my daughter didn’t get cold despite being in the water for over 30 minutes.
Integrated Happy Nappy meant no need to invest in any special (and expensive!) swim nappies.
Long sleeved and legged meant that I could apply my daughter’s barrier cream beneath the Baby Snug, ensuring that her delicate skin remained protected.
Unlike with traditional swimming costumes, Erin did not feel slippy to the touch and therefore we had more control over her in the water.
Attractive and fun designs, suitable for both boys and girls, or gender neutral colours.
Great value for money, with prices starting at just £19.99
In our opinion a great purchase for anyone looking to start swimming with their little ones, and wants to ensure they do not get cold.
Great for holidays, the Baby Snug also protect babies delicate skin from the sun with SPF 50 protection.

Cons:

The only con we experienced with the Splash About Baby Snug was that it can be a little tricky to get off one handed! I say one handed because I was trying to carry Erin in to the showers to rinse us off before getting dry, and the pool I was at didn’t have one of those domed baby changers that I could rest her down on. As it is tight fitting on the legs, it does require a bit of gentle tugging to remove, but this is the same with any wet swimming products in our experience!

You can learn more about the Splash About Baby Snug and their full range of swimming products on their website here – http://www.splashabout.com/en/