The mom swimsuit is nearly as universal as mom jeans. Regardless of era, it seems that the prototypical motherly swim attire consists of a prudish cut with the optional additions of ruching and/or ruffles. The mom swimsuit is sensible — but it isn’t always stylish, and it certainly isn’t sexy. Fortunately, it is a new era for mom fashion. These days, you can find practical and chic swimsuits for moms to keep you looking slim and sensual while you chase your toddler around the beach. Here are some of the best styles for today’s summer-ready mom.
Modern Swimsuits For Moms
Nursing Swimsuits
Not every mom can nurse, and there is no shame in giving your baby formula. However, those moms who do rely on breastmilk know their production doesn’t stop just because they want a few hours at the pool. However, most swimsuits don’t allow for easy access — and many that do add the risk of flashing hordes of swimmers while you try to feed your kid.
Thankfully, some swim designers have considered the trials and tribulations of nursing, and now you can purchase nursing swimsuits specially designed to make nursing easy and stress-free. Most nursing suits boast clips that drop down one or both straps, but there are also versions with lift-up panels on the bust for somewhat discreet lactation. You can find nursing swimsuits for moms that come in one or two-piece suits.
Tummy Tuck Swimsuits
Unlike in the movies, your post-partum tummy doesn’t snap back to its pre-pregnancy size. In fact, it can take as long as 10 weeks for the uterus to shrink to its normal size — and several years for you to work off any unwanted baby weight. In the meantime, low-rise bikini bottoms might not be the most comfortable swim suit option.
Fortunately, you can purchase a tummy tuck swimsuit that helps hold in unwelcome flab, smoothing and tightening your most insecure areas. You can get tummy control suits in nearly every style, from one-pieces with chic cut-outs to two-pieces with high-neck halters — but you should expect high waists, which provide the support your belly needs.
Supportive Swimsuits
Thanks partly to lactation and partly to some weight-gain, your breasts are likely bigger than they’ve ever been. On one hand, it makes you look fantastic in T-shirts; on the other hand, you feel like you are constantly falling out of your smaller-sized bras.
With a bigger bust size come bigger responsibilities — for your swim tops, that is. You need molded cups that have underwire strong enough to keep your chest stable while you chase your little ones around the beach. Many designers have developed techniques for hiding underwire, so you can feel like your old self while getting the coverage your bust needs. To find appropriately supportive swimsuits, you should shop at swim stores for large-chested women.
Alternatively, you may still be small busted, like me, and wish for some supportive shaping. Have no fear, you there are swimsuits for moms that provide shaping and support for small busted women too.
High-Waist Swimsuits
Even when you are past that 10-week post-partum period — even when you have lost all the baby weight you wanted to lose — you might want extra coverage for your belly. C-section scars, stretch marks, and other indelible signs of motherhood can be less-than-desirable at first, and it is definitely okay for you to want to cover up.
Even better, high-waist swimsuits are all the rage, and you can find cute styles almost everywhere you shop for swim attire. You might also consider finding bottoms with ruching or draping, which tend to be more forgiving of little bumps or lumps. The highwaist style is also good for banishing “muffin tops”.
Swim-Dresses and -Skirts
You could throw on a sundress over your swimsuit, or you could buy a swimsuit that doubles as a dress. Dresses hide so-called trouble areas around the midsection and upper thighs, and many modern swim designers are adapting these benefits of skirts into their swimsuits for moms. These days, you can find adult-looking swim dresses with elegant lines.
Swimsuit Cover-up Beach Pants
In the past, the typical beachside cover-up was a flowy dress, an oversized shirt, or a sheer sarong — but modern moms have a new option and can reach for a flowy pair of pants. Beach pants are hot like no other article of summer clothing, and many are predicting beach pants to become as ubiquitous as yoga pants. They are lightweight, forgiving, and come in fun patterns and colors, perfect for the modern mom. Whether you wear them to the pool, the beach, or the grocery store, you should definitely pick up a pair today for a fun new look.
Which of these styles of swimsuits for moms appeals to you the most?
Related Posts: