WHETHER you're staycationing with the family or have booked and paid for some guaranteed sunshine, the essential new addition to every child's holiday wardrobe is a swimsuit.
"We've definitely seen lots of summer brights this season, and plenty of fishy characters, from mermaids to sea horses and everything in between," says Jeni Bolton, head of design at Frugi. "Our collections have a design story. This season our inspiration is the Isles of Scilly, so our swimwear is filled with seaside brights, ice cream cones, paddling puffins, characterful sea creatures, sharks and comical seagulls.
"We believe children's swimwear should appeal to children but also be fit for purpose and reassure parents, so it's great to see so many brands with UPF50+ sun protection ratings. We also use Oeko-Tex approved fabric, which means less chemicals and it's kinder to children's skin. Our board shorts are also made from recycled plastic – a small reminder of our ethics in creating sustainable fashion choices."
Bright and bold, frilly and feminine or perfectly print-tastic, here are some of our seasonal favourites...
PERFECT PRINTS
We all love a fun print once the weather warms up, and swimwear offers the perfect excuse to inject a little personality. You can even kit the clan out in the same swimmers if you're into the mini-me vibe...
:: Tropical Swimwear, from £5 for children and from £7 for adults, Matalan (matalan.co.uk)
:: Floral Two-piece Sunsafe Set, from £14; Floral Swimsuit, from £10, both Next (next.co.uk)
:: Mantaray Boys' Green Jungle Print Swim Shorts, currently reduced to £8.80-£13.60 from £11-£17, Debenhams (debenhams.com)
:: Little Sun Safe Suit, £25, Frugi (welovefrugi.com)
:: Young Boys Captain America UV Swim Suit, £7.99, Studio (studio.co.uk)
ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL
All children should be encouraged to wear gorgeously bright colours, before they decide all they really want to wear is black. Dressing them top to toe in prime colours also makes little ones nice and easy to spot of the beach.
:: Mini Rodini Blue Sea Monster Swim Shorts, £39, AlexandAlexa (alexandalexa.com)
:: Baker by Ted Baker Girls' Orange Floral Print Bikini, currently reduced to £22.40 from £28, Debenhams (debenhams.com)
:: Mini Club Crocodile Two-piece Set, £14, Boots (boots.com)
FANCY FRILLS
Nothing says 'feeling hot, hot hot' like a sunny samba frill. Perfectly suited to this season's swimsuits and bikinis, they really up the cute factor around the pool.
:: Kuling Pale Yellow Caorle Pinapple Bikini, £20, AlexandAlexa (alexandalexa.com)
:: Strawberries Baby Frill Swimsuit, £14, Cath Kidston (cathkidston.com)
:: Lipsy Girl Floral Frill Swimsuit, from £14, Next (next.co.uk)
:: Mini Club Fearne by Fearne Cotton Swimming Costume, £10, Boots (boots.com)
