How to Put On a Kids Wetsuit Without a Fight
Half the toddlers and kids who own wetsuits never wear them, because getting them on is a 10-minute battle. Here's the trick we figured out after years of beach days with our own kids in Southern California.
Step 1: dry skin, not wet
Trying to slide neoprene over wet skin is like trying to put on a wetsuit underwater. Skin must be totally dry, ideally with a small dusting of cornstarch on legs and arms. Cornstarch acts as a lubricant, way better than baby powder, which can clump.
Step 2: scrunch the legs first
Don't pull the wetsuit up like jeans. Instead:
- Scrunch one leg of the suit down to the ankle, like rolling a sock
- Have your kid step in, foot first
- Pull the leg up to the knee in one motion
- Repeat with the other leg
- Now pull the bottom half up to the waist
This avoids the dreaded "fingertip yank" that always rips the neoprene at the seams.
Step 3: arms in, then chest, then zip
Slide one arm in, then the other, then pull the chest panel up. Save the back zipper for last. If your wetsuit has an extended pull tab on the zipper (ours does, and it's a small detail that matters), use it. Don't yank by the small zipper pull or you'll break it within a season.
Step 4: do the "wiggle test"
Once everything's on, have your kid do three things:
- Squat down (the back panel should not pull tight)
- Reach both arms up (the suit shouldn't ride up over the hips)
- Walk in a circle (no chafing at the neck or armpits)
If any of those fail, the suit is the wrong size. Get the right size and the rest of beach day gets dramatically easier.
The 60-second goal
With a properly fitting wetsuit and the cornstarch + scrunch technique, you should be able to get your toddler or kid into a wetsuit in 60 seconds without tears. If it's taking longer, it's almost always (a) wrong size, (b) bad fit pattern (adult suit scaled down doesn't fit toddlers), or (c) skipping the dry-skin step.
What we built
We designed The Grom Fullsuit (Toddler 2T-6T) and The Grom Fullsuit Youth (8Y-12Y) with the easy-on workflow in mind. Back zipper with extended pull tab, stretchy cuffs that won't fight your kid's ankles and wrists, flatlock seams that don't chafe. Sized using actual kid measurements, not adult patterns scaled down. Both are in stock and ship within 1 to 2 business days.
