Summer's just around the corner...is your older child ready for swimming? You have a few weeks still to dust off your sewing machine and whip up some disposable swim pants.
There are times when disposable swim pants are an ideal solution for swimmers who must wear incontinence protection. They travel easily to summer camp or on vacation where laundering cloth swim pants would be impossible. Some pools require swim pants for children with continence issues.
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| Can't find disposable swim pants to fit your larger child? These will fit a 34" hip or 85 pounds. |
Even bigger kids can benefit from these handy disposable pants. These adapted swim pants fit up to a size 34” hip or 85 pounds. They can be made in less than 5 minutes a pair.
Note: I have no vested interest in the Huggies brand shown; it is simply one available in my area. Feel free to substitute with brands you have locally. The brand I’ve used can withstand a few trips through the washer and dryer to extend their use over several wearings (just make sure the Velcro sides are closed before you start the wash, as with all things Velcro). Cool!
Materials needed:
1 pair disposable swim pants, size 4-5T
1 pair disposable pull-on pants with hook-and-loop side openings, size 4-5T or larger
Sewing machine, thread, scissors
Step One:
Cut side stretch panels off Pull-Ups where they are fused to the main absorbant pant. These will become side extensions to add up to 4” of unstretched width to each side of the swim pant for a total of 8" of added width!
Pull the two sections of each side panel apart and set aside. Do not throw the absorbent main section away, as it can be used to line the inside of another diaper when extra protection is needed (at night, on an airplane, when spending a long day at the mall…).
Cut open the side panels of the swim pants where they are fused to one another. Leave the fused “seam allowance" attached to one side, as this adds ¼” extra width to each side.
Step Two:
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| The red arrows show the fused seam allowance still attached to provide a little more width. |
Lay one side panel of the Pull-Up face up on the sewing machine bed. Velcro side up, overlap the front side panel of the swim pant by ¼”, matching top and bottom edges. Stitch down the overlapped edge with a plain or 2-step zigzag stitch set at a wide, long stitch.
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| Wahoo! Pinless sewing... We're aiming for speed and utility here. |
I prefer a 2-step zigzag at 2.0 length and 6.0 width. The 2-step zigzag stitch will not tunnel. A 3-step zigzag is commonly found on most machines and will work also; it's just a tad slower to sew out.
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| This is a "2-step zigzag" stitch, which keeps the stitches from pulling into a tunnel. |
Repeat for second front side panel.
Step Three:
Overlap the longer side panel from the Pull-Up onto the swim pants back panel and zigzag into place. Make sure the Pull-Up is facing up and the Velcro tape is facing down.
If the shape of the extension is longer than the panel on the swim pant, it can simply be cut off after it is sewn.
Repeat for second back panel.
That’s it! In one quick afternoon you can whip up a whole package of large-sized disposable swim pants to take your child through the summer. Now your older child is ready to slip a swimsuit over their protective disposable swim pants and hit the beach or pool insecurity and style!
Happy swimming!
If you found this tutorial helpful, please share it with a friend. Let's make life a little easier for all those terrific moms and kids who are adapting their lives creatively!
If you found this tutorial helpful, please share it with a friend. Let's make life a little easier for all those terrific moms and kids who are adapting their lives creatively!
