4 retailers that sell adaptive swimwear for kids

Summer is just around the corner, and you know what that means—swim season! It’s time to start pulling together flip flops, sunglasses and, for parents of growing children, new swimsuits.

Finding comfortable and stylish swimwear isn’t always easy, and parents of children with disabilities have an additional hurdle: finding swimwear that is stylish and functional for kids who need extra help. As a parent to a child with cerebral palsy, I scoured the internet for adaptive swimwear. I’ve read up on what each site offers in terms of variety and convenience and gathered together a summary of what’s available.

Here's what I’ve found:

1. Target Cat and Jack adaptive

Target has a wide variety of adaptive clothing with their Cat and Jack line as well as a selection of swimwear. For girls, they carry both tankinis and one-piece suits. The tankini tops have hidden slits (it’s under a layer of ruffles) for abdominal access that make it easy to support girls who use a feeding tube or insulin pump. The bottoms are sold separately. The one-piece suits have a Velcro back closure, a pocket for abdominal access, as well as snaps on the bottom of the suit for easy bathroom access. They come in sizes from toddler to girls all the way up to an XL (or girls’ 14-16).

Options for boys include swim trunks with a drawstring to keep a tight and comfortable fit. They also make rash guards with a hood and a full-length zipper, so you don’t have to pull the shirt over your child’s head—a super helpful feature for kids with mobility challenges.

All items have flat seams and no tags, making them sensory friendly. While there are a few options to choose from, I hope they continue to expand the line. Several sizes were out of stock during my research. I also found some of the same suits on the Disney Store website as well.

Shop adaptive swimwear Target

2. Wowease

These one-piece girls’ swimsuits were created specifically for any girl to have easy access to the restroom. They come in a variety of styles and colors, like rainbow or cheetah, and have a magnetic strip at the waist so there is no tugging or pulling to get it off when nature calls. They range in size from 12M to 16. I also found a few of these suits at Walmart.com and on Amazon.com.

Shop adaptive swimwear at Walmart

3. Kohl’s Jumping Beans adaptive swimsuit

Kohl’s carries several options for girls, including a one-piece suit with ruffles and abdominal access similar to what I found at Target, but this suit also has snaps at the waist for easy access to the bathroom. Kohl’s carries a few choices, but not many. They also have short sleeve and long sleeve cover-ups with a full-length zipper and abdominal access in girls' sizes 4-16. The toddler-sized tankinis come as a set, and they also have abdominal access.

Shop adaptive swimwear at Kohl’s

4. Victory Adaptive Collection

This site has quite a few options for both boys and girls. Swim shorts for boys come in several different designs with elastic waistlines and Velcro fasteners in the front, so they are easy to get on and fit a variety of waist sizes. They also sell a full-body rash guard that has a Velcro opening all the way down the back, so it’s easy to get on and off. The rash guard also has hidden bilateral tubing openings. If you don’t need the tube opening, the company offers to make the rash guard without.

The girls' suits come in one piece or two, and they have bilateral hip-and-back Velcro fasteners as well as hidden feeding tube inserts. The site also indicates that the suits are handmade and diaper friendly. Suits range in size from 6-14, so the site is for older children and not toddlers.

Shop the Victory Adaptive Collection

The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews, and more.

Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.