Last summer, I went on a mission to test out as many reusable swim diapers as possible. My favourite one-size model in the bunch was the Omaïki H2Ö. This year, they’ve made one slight design change, so I decided to partner with the ladies at Omaïki to do to a dedicated review of the 2017 H2Ö swim diaper as well as the H2Ö swim shirt.
H2Ö Swim Diaper
The H2Ö is very different than most other swim diapers on the market. Most are fastened like regular cloth or disposable diapers: at the front. The H2Ö fastens at the sides, which means you can pull it on and off like regular swim bottoms or you can use the snaps. Although I dislike side snaps on a regular cloth diaper, for a swim diaper they are perfect. I love that you can pull the diaper off and on like swim shorts, or use the snaps. In many ways, this makes it very similar to disposable pants, which can be pulled down or torn off if the situation warrants!
Even though the 8–35 lbs weight range is comparable to other swim diapers in our stash, the design of the H2Ö makes it the largest one-size swim diaper in our collection. It has a taller rise with four rise adjustments, and it’s wider at the waist on the last snap setting than any of the others we’ve tried. I have seen some swim diapers that do not fit well on a 30-lb child with a large waist even though they are labelled to fit up to 35 lbs.
The inside of the H2Ö is athletic wicking jersey with a light bamboo blend absorbent insert. The previous models had the insert sewn completely into the diaper shell. The 2017 version has the insert sewn only at the top and bottom, so it dries faster. The insert is designed to contain light leaks before baby hits the water. I would love to see this insert snap in and out of the diaper … then you could just remove it before baby hits the pool!
Not all swim diapers have a layer of absorbency. As you can imagine, once the diaper goes in the pool, that absorbent insert just soaks up the pool water, adding weight to baby’s bum. Little Miss Cub was wearing her H2Ö swim diaper during an impromptu stroll around the neighbourhood. She did a huge pee and it simply dripped out of the diaper: this is normal.
The H2Ö has a lovely, thigh-hugging gusset, meaning Mr. Hankie the Christmas Poo will not need to be fished out of the water by a disgruntled lifeguard. If your public pool requires two diapers, you can also fit a sized swim diaper, such as an AppleCheeks, underneath the H2Ö. I do this rather than using a disposable swim diaper with a pair of plastic pants on top, which is what Calgary pools require. (Honestly, no one has ever checked the diaper situation on my kid, but I like to follow the rules!)
The thick waistband is akin to shorts, so this diaper stays up even when your child is going up and down and in and out of the water. The H2Ö doesn’t get too droopy when wet, either.
H2Ö Swim Shirt
Omaïki also makes a swim shirt that comes in solid colours to match the prints in their swim diaper collection.
The H2Ö swim shirt offers UPF 35+ protection and is made in Canada with Canadian fabrics. It comes in three sizes: small (0–6 m), medium (9–12m) and large (18–24m). Little Miss Cub is wearing size large.
The swim shirt has three-quarter-length sleeves, which is my primary complaint. I use a swim shirt on my kids to avoid applying sunscreen to their torso and arms. I would prefer full-length sleeves for this reason.
I like the high collar of the swim shirt, which provides some nice coverage for little necks. I’d love to see them offer shirts in fun prints and in larger sizes!
The Verdict
While the H2Ö swim shirt might not be my favourite swim shirt on the market, the H2Ö swim diaper is definitely one of my top one-size swim diapers. I love the generous sizing: it fit great on Little Miss Cub last year, and still fits great this year. There’s no way she will outgrow this diaper before she potty trains.
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