Left Coast Mama

When Hatley asked on twitter if anyone would like to review some kid’s swim wear I thought why not.  I would like to get to know some more Canadian online companies as I am tired of looking at lovely things and having to decide not to get them because of exorbitant shipping costs or things not being shipped to Canada.

I got to choose some swim wear for Aidan (they don’t have any for infants) and we have put it through some rigorous tests.  We chose the Shark Beach Swim trunks in a 5T.  These are large enough that Aidan will be able to wear them next year as well, but not so large that they fall off.  They are made of 100% polyester microfibre with a mesh underwear insert.

Shark Beach Swim Trunks

Things I liked:

• The website was easy to navigate.
• They were shipped very quickly.
• The bag the trunks were in was biodegradable.
• The swim trunks are fast drying.  A must when you have swimming everyday and don’t want to run the dryer.
• The trunks seem to be very hard wearing.  They have been in chlorine, washed in a normal wash and dried (against fabric care warnings) in the dryer.  (I have no patience for hand wash, hand to dry clothes for kids.)

Things I didn’t like:

• There were no swim shirts to go with the swim trunks.  While I can get rash guards that match well enough it would be nice to have something that matched to keep my son from burning in the water.
• They are hard to get off quickly when wet.  This is a fabric issue, but when you are trying to get you son to the bathroom in time it becomes an issue.
• It would also be nice to have more fabric choices. While some boys are ok with all the dark colour choices (except for this suit) a lot of boys would really like to have brighter colour choices like the girls have.
• They were a little more expensive than I like to pay for children’s clothes.  Because kids grow so quickly they are not going to get much more than one summer out of a bathing suit.  I find it hard to pay $36 + tax + shipping for a pair of swim trunks.

Overall I liked these trunks, but I am not sure they are worth the extra expense.  I did like the look of their raincoats, but like a lot of stores I wish they had a lot more unisex clothing.  Though maybe I just need to get over myself and let Aidan wear a pink horse coat, it will go really well with the princess shoes he wants. 😀

*Please note that I wasn’t paid for this review though I did recieve the pair of swim trunks.