Review: Sand Dollar Swim UV swimwear for protecting kids in the sun

When I read the bio of the passionate founder of UV protection swimwear brand Sand Dollar Swim I knew it was a brand I wanted to try. Ex-model and fashion boutique owner Maureen Dolan established the US brand after experiencing low risk melanoma, making her passionate about UV clothing.

I’ve had a rough time with moles myself, having removed several pre-cancerous ones, and I’m now determined to do my utmost to protect Baby Boy and Big Girl from the harmful rays of the sun.

Last year, however, I didn’t do very well. I couldn’t get Big Girl to wear a rash vest on the beach. The plain, white rash vest I’d bought was not to her liking, and looking back I realise I didn’t do a good enough job of finding something that she would love as much as me. 

There are now several quality brands like Sand Dollar Swim offering UV swimwear in a variety of styles and I should have been able to find something even a stubborn two-year-old would have wanted to wear.

The Sand Dollar Swim collection looks very glam, including girly designs with sparkly ruffles and glittery fabrics. I’m not as glam as Big Girl, so most styles would not work for me if they’d been available in adult sizes, but when it comes to UV clothing, it is all about finding something children will love to wear on the beach and by the pool.

This time, I had Big Girl choose a piece to review from the selection online, and she adores the Starfish Bling Bling rash vest (WAS £37, NOW £28) and bottoms (WAS £17, NOW £13) she received. The name says it all. It is pretty bling and pretty awesome. The brand is spot on for girls who like girly details, or boys who want to look cool with alien prints or little ‘wet-suit style’ outfits. 

The UV 50 clothes are breathable and machine washable, and the rash vests are quick drying. The bottoms that go with the Starfish Bling Bling set is made of a thicker material, so it took longer to dry than the other pieces, but it was comfortable to wear for Big Girl and the set became her favourite swimwear when we were away for half term.

Baby Boy looked cool in the long-sleeved Surfer Dude 2 rash vest (WAS £37, NOW £28) and matching shorts (WAS £17, NOW £13), and I found it practical to have a two-piece set on him for nappy changes instead of a baby onesie. The bottoms for his set was a tight-fit because of the large swim nappy, but would have been spot on if he’d been out of nappies.

The result were two happy children who didn’t complain once about their clothing and no one got sunburnt – apart from Daddy T. 

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