Kids' Swimwear

Swimming in the UAE is not a holiday activity, it is a weekly one, which changes what swimwear has to survive. A costume worn once a summer can be flimsy; one worn every Friday from October through May needs to hold up against chlorine, salt water and strong sun without the elastic giving out by February. That means checking two things above everything else. The first is how quickly it dries, because a child sitting in a wet costume in a heavily air conditioned car gets cold surprisingly fast. The second is sun coverage, since the strongest sun exposure a child in this country gets is almost always at a pool or a beach, and fabric is more reliable than remembering to reapply cream to a moving target. Longer sleeves and higher backs do more work here than they would in a cooler climate. Beyond that, look for flat seams that will not rub after an hour in the water, and a fit that stays put through jumping in rather than needing adjusting on the poolside. Delivered across Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the Emirates, with free delivery over AED 200.