I bought a youth 8 size for my 7 year old boy and we just returned from almost 2 weeks in Mexico where this got near constant use. The boy is as skinny as a rail and while a strong swimmer had to bow out of an ocean snorkle trip last year after 45 minutes because he got too cold - so we figured that getting him a wet suit would help him last longer in the pool and in the ocean. The Aqua Sphere Stingray kids shorty wetsuit is well made, with nice lycra stretch panels at legs and shoulders and neck and a good neoprene wetsuit torso. There's a big beefy zipper and a velcro zipper lock at the top. None of the stitching or construction showed any sign of weakness in the first couple of weeks of use and it certainly did help the boy stay warm in the ocean and the pool. It also helped with solar cover up. When he wore the suit it protected all his body except limbs and face from sun burn.
There were only 2 downsides:
1) Leg opening cuffs too tight. I pulled and stretched them out as much as I dared and that helped - but there were still a bit tight. This is suprising because the boy is skinny as a rail and I bought one size up and it fits him otherwise. I'm considering cutting a notch and then doing my own reinforcement stitching (if I can find the requisite stretch lycra thread.
2) The neoprene grips on waterslides so he had to take it off when using waterslides - which definitely put in crimp in the usefulness on waterslide days.
All in all well recommended for kids for a wide range of circumstances. Consider going one to two sizes up to account for the tight legs. Aqua Sphere Stingray 2mm Youth Core Warmer (X-Large 8-10, Purple)
I bought this to keep my kid warm in an outdoor pool in Orlando in February. It bought us about and extra 10 minutes of swim time before he turned into a total popsicle, but that was it. The water was heated to 72, and the air was 70. I really didn't think I was asking too much, but apparently I was... I think I needed something thicker and I KNOW I needed something with insulated arms - preferably long sleeves (this item has spandex sleeves and that's it).
After reading the reviews, I was torn about buying a size larger or the children's true size. I decided to go by the sizes recommended in the Amazon product description. I bought a purple medium and a blue x-large. They fit my children perfectly -- not too tight anywhere. My son is very thin, so it was a little looser on him but not noticeably so.
It's a good thing I didn't buy larger. The size chart in the description was spot on. Now, my children can swim and I don't feel guilty about sending them in for their lessons when the water temp is less than ideal.
We bought this for my son to keep him warm during his swim lessons. It has worked great. My only complaint is that when we bought it he was a true size 4. I hesitated to buy the next size up 6-8, which I thought would be too big. But, the 2-4 is probably more like a size 3 and is really too small for a size 4. We like it enough to buy another one in the next size.
Based on other reviews I bought a suit that was 1 size bigger. It's a little big on my son all over, though, he is fairly skinny for his age. Even with the extra room I notice that he no longer shivers at swim lessons in an indoor pool. I would recommend this suit.
On a different note. The suit has a smell to it that I can't seem to get rid of. It has a very strong spandex smell and no amount of swimming or washing it has had any effect on the smell. It has been this way since I opened it. The smell gets stronger when the suit is wet. Hopefully this is an isolated incident and not all the suits carry such a strong spandex smell.
I really don't know if this wetsuit would have kept my son warm if it was the right size. i had read some reviews that talked about the size 6-8 being tight around the legs for their skinny 5 year old. my 5 year old is 50% in height and weight and the size 6-8 is enormous for him. it may keep him a tiny bit warmer, but in 83 degree water he still freezes. i'm going to try the smaller size because i like the weight, style, and comfort of the suit in general. - Swimwear - Thermal - Swimming - Kids'
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