What style swimsuit do you wear?

So. I've just signed DS up for swimming lessons, which means ... I have to buy a swimsuit. Gulp.

I'm not a swimmer anyway - I haven't worn a cozzie in years! Not much body confidence, even before DS arrrived.

What style of swimsuit do you wear? What is most flattering for your body shape/type? What styles offer some coverage, but are still fashionable?

And any advice for me? I'm a size 10, a C-cup, quite "soft" all over and I carry most of my extra kgs on my tummy, so I have an awful pot belly (always have had this, even when I was a teenager and super skinny!). My thighs are a little wobbly, and I have a few short stretch marks high up on each thigh. Plus I'm very pale and fake tan doesn't seem to work for me (it always comes up patchy?) Gee, what a catch, hey? ;)

Thanks ladies!

I wear a pair of board shorts over the top of my bathers, and then a singlet over the top of it all. Inside pools and out lol! It's what I feel most comfortable in.

I also got a nice beach top from Best and Less a few years ago. It's a loose shirt that goes over bathers designed to get wet. It doesn't cling at all. Good luck!

I wear a bikini, boardies and a singlet to cover my fat.

But i see more and more tankini's so maybe could try one of those. I can't wear them as my torso is long and it doesn't cover anything at all!

I wear a tankini with board shorts to cover my thunder thighs but make sure I have bust support cause I have boobs to be proud of (or so DH says)

I have a tankini ( the top has underwire in it for support, cause I feel more secure with support) and then wear board shorts ontop of the bottoms.

Covers what needs to be covered for me. :)

I was a bikini gal pre-kids (man why did I EVER curse that body?!) since having kids I have gone with one piece or tankini all the way. Thing is the style that I have been wearing was SO unflattering, I had a tankini set that had a halter neck and NO boob support - badddd. I recently bought a pair of navy, red and white speedo beachwear bathers and OMG I LOVE them. Firstly they aren't halter neck (they give me a headache!) they are just normal straps. They are a V-next which show a bit of cleavage so I still feel hot ;) but the best bit is a the tummy, it has firm fabric underneath and then rouching on top that covers up my belly!! They are ace! I will never again go back to el-cheapo bathers. These were $80 on sale and normally $140 and totally worth it as I haven't felt nice in bathers since before the kids! :)

I wear a burqini.

There are some really stunning- and flattering - one pieces around now including boy leg and normal leg cuts. If you have a tummy look for swimsuits with ruching or gathered fabric around the torso. Jets by Jessica Allen is my favourite brand for one pieces but most lines do nice ones now :)

Sounds like I have (well had, before getting UTD again) a pretty similar bod to you. Before having DS I wore bikini's. But after having him, and especially given that we were going to be doing swimming lessons, I personally didn't feel comfortable wearing a bikini. I spent a day (a depressing one) trying on all different sorts of bathers from tankini's, to one pieces before settling on a one piece halter. For me it is relatively flattering to my shape, hides most of the squishy bits, but doesn't do much for my short, stubby legs (mind you not much does). It was pricey, but well worth it because I've gotten quite a bit of wear out of it. Only thing I found a PITA is that because my boobs are quite big, when we would do swimming lessons they would kind of float out of place a bit. They never popped out fully, but the halter didn't do the best job of maintaining my modesty either. And, when you're holding a bub and are standing in chest deep water for the most of the lesson, keeping them and in place can be a bit of a challenge. So if I was buying a new pair for swimming lessons, I would be looking for something that kept the girls right where I wanted them and didn't provide any opportunity for escape :)

Personally, I think the best thing you can do is go shopping by yourself and try on as many different styles as you can until you find something that you feel comfortable in.

I wear a bright pink bikini with black/fuchsia board shorts. Most of my excess weight is on my thighs and lower tummy so this covers those bits. Can I just say though, when you get to the swimming pool have a look around at all the people there and what they are wearing. I guarantee you will see lots of wobbly bits, pale skin (nothing wrong with that btw, I wear mine with pride because it matches my hair :lol:) stretch marks and pot bellies. Nobody will notice when you are in the water, and when you are out of it nobody will care. So whatever swimsuit you get, wear it with pride and enjoy the swimming time with your little one :)

Thanks everyone for your speedy replies so far!

Miss E, I think I will go shopping on my own and try on heaps of styles, that's good advice. I think I need to prepare myself for a long day!

Traveller, you are right too. Especially at swimming lessons - I suppose the people most likely to understand and not think twice about what swimmers you're wearing are other mums! But, we also live close to the beach and I anticipate spending more and more time there as DS gets older, so I want to feel nice and confident in my swimmers. So I guess I'm thinking so hard about what to buy because I'll also be wearing them around family and friends, not just other mummies at the pool!

I wear a black all in one. I don't do bikinis due a large mole on my stomach that I have had forever. To much hassle to get it cut out LOL. Although you can see the lump of it poking out through the bathers anyway, so I generally wear a t-shirt over top too.

Where my kids have swimming lessons most of the mums wear tankinis or one piece bathers.

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so I want to feel nice and confident in my swimmers. So I guess I'm thinking so hard about what

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Might be worth doing one of those body shape quiz things? I now know that I need v-necks in most clothes as they are the most flattering but also trying onto lots is a great idea. I don't know if you have a Swimwear galore nearby but it's worth having a look at their site too as they have a huge range. Having said that I found mine at a Speedo shop where I never would have thought I would find something but their beach wear stuff is lovely.

I wear a plain black one peice with a deep v neckline, a halter neck (though I don't really like the halter, the knot where I tie it always hurts and if I wear it all day, I get a headache and a sore spot from it). It has ruched fabric on the tummy with really tight fabric under it, so it helps suck in my tummy a bit. I don't bother with singlets or boardies, cause I feel like I am fully dressed and swimming in clothes if I wear all of that on top. People can suffer the atrocities of all that is me- cellulite, lilly-white skin, tubby rolls and all, before I will swim fully clothed. If they don't like it, don't look at me!

As a swim instructor I'm going to say it doesn't matter. LOL I don't think people really look at what others are wearing at their kids swimming lessons. Everyone is so focused on their own kids that they don't bother looking anywhere else.

Outside of work I'm a tankini & boardies girl. Or a rashie & boardies to be sun smart.

Tankini and boardies

another with tankini and boardies if i'm going in the water inside - usually add a tee if outside

i'm of the "if the sunlight touches my skin for a microsecond i'll burn to a crisp" breed of people, so i'm as covered up as i can be - and then some!

Tankini, no boardies. I like my legs! :P

Rashie and boar dies here, with my pre DS bikini underneath! DS loves that Mummy wears a rashie like he does, plus I like setting a good example. And, I really feel the cold, so the easier keeps me a bit warmer.

All the other mummies here wear the same.... Though there is one mummy in mums group who wears a teeny tiny bikini and, at 20 weeks pregnant, had a smaller tummy than all of the rest if us! Personally, I wanted to throw something at her!

You can get some great tummy sucking tankinis - or ones with ruching or side gathering hidea tummy well. I always wear boardies over my bottoms as I have atrocious legs!

birqini for best-ever sun protection. actually mine's a 3/4 length one, so technically not a proper birqini, but anyway. I'd like one with full-length top and 3/4 length bottoms...maybe I should write to the company

I have a one piece - its got a bit of structure to it and sucks a few flabby bits in a bit and is super comfortable, I hate wet board shorts against my legs - ewwwww

I am currently a size 18, I have cellulite and my body has seen better days, but as a Mum I really don't care what people think anymore and am comfortable in a good fitting one piece.

At swimming lessons I must tell you I have never bothered to look at what the other Mums are wearing, I honestly have no idea!

Where does one purchase a burqini? Online? I burn badly and I love the idea of them.

I currently wear a tankini.

Addit. Le duh, googled it!

Indoor pools it's a tankini and boardies, outside I add a rashie as well. BBQ red and crispy is not a good look :D

Bikini here, in fact hubby bought me a new one yesterday :) I have matching board shorts too just so if I can't be bothered shaving my bikini area it's easily hidden.

I wear a one piece that my cousin made for me. She has her own boutique surewhat swimwear range cos she's ridiculously talented (shakes fist). Halter neck and has boy leg cut, & I love it.

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I love my tankini cos it has a built in 'bra'. Need to get a nicer colour, its a brown one.

Honestly I can't even remember what other mums in swimming lesson wear, I often wear a Rashie even though indoors because my two both have habit of pulling at swim suit. The Rashie also gives them something to grip onto instead of my skin! Underneath I wear swimsuit, tankini basically whatever I grab first. But overall my main criteria is that I can't easily be exposed by my grabby children.