I come from a long line of swimming fans.  We like swimming in pools, owning pools, taking care of pools and all the summer fun that comes along with having a pool.  Even my grandfather (who is the one person in our family that doesn’t love the act of swimming) owned a pool in his backyard.  Growing up in New Jersey, we had a pool.  My parents got a pool a few years ago (I blogged about that process here).  And Jeremy and I can not wait till we get our hands dirty…errr…wet with a pool in our backyard.  So I thought it would be fun to talk about ALL THE SWIM THINGS.

And it goes without saying that pool stuff for us doesn’t last long.  It has an expiration date (usually Sept 1) and as such, we try to buy things that are fun for one summer and if it lasts past that….we are pretty thrilled.  And I’m not listing any safety stuff since that requires a certain fit and endorsement.  I will list floats or swim aides though for your little swimmers!

I broke it down into categories so that you can see what we use to beat the southern summer heat!

One of our favorite thing is FLOATS!  We love all the floats! And manufacturers are so creative with the types of floats, shapes and  colors.  Some friends swear by the floats with the drink rests in them, some prefer the inner tube style and others like the trending shape.  Hello poop emoji!  #wehaveafloater

Here are some that caught my eye for this summer….click on any of these smaller photos for a direct link to the item!

When it comes to pool gear, we have a TON.  Literally a metric ton.  We have bins full of different goggles, flippers and kick boards.  We have life vests, puddle jumpers and arm floaties.  I personally have found that when it comes to goggles, you get what you pay for.  (The goggles listed below are great and are discounted from $69 to $19!) When it comes to helping the little ones learn to swim, I highly recommend that each time you spend time in the pool, you dedicate the first ten to fifteen minutes just to ‘lessons’ where they learn the basics.  Every child is different (Weston is terrified of water but LJ is a little fish) and after they finish their lesson, you can strap on swim aides to help them enjoy the rest of the time.  We LOVE the superhero swim vests because it still allows them to use their arms and feet freely (vs puddle jumpers or arm floaties).

Boy swim suits and rash guards are a big deal over here to the Bower boys.  I hate paying an arm and a leg and my favorite ones are from Old Navy (because they carry all the superhero versions), Target, and Janie & Jack (for the little baby versions!).  I will recommend that you don’t get white rash guards or bathing suits with a lot of white on them if you have boys that like to slide in the grass as much as mine.  Also the white parts of most suits can discolor easily so if you plan on reusing them for the next kiddo, it makes them look better and last longer!

Let’s be realistic.  We don’t all have pools.  We don’t all live in swim and tennis neighborhoods.  Some of us are completely outnumbered by non swimming babies and pools sound equal parts fun and terrifying.  So here are some of things that we OWN, things that we bought that we love.  These are categorized as a pool supplement.  It keeps us occupied and cool in the sun between visits to my moms house.  And yes….we are obsessed with our bouncyhouseswimslide.  It keeps the kids happy for hours!

Towels are just as important as any swim gear in our book.  We have tried all the different types and I am super excited about this season with new round towels and the thin turkish cotton towels.  For the kids, we have figured out that the best solution for our family is hooded towels.  Once they are done swimming, we can pop a towel over their heads and not worry about it falling off…plus it makes swim diaper changes more discreet in public.  And they still lay flat if the kids want to sit on them poolside.

Now it’s your turn!  What is your must-have pool or beach accessory or toy?  I geared this post definitely towards the little boys (hey it’s what I know) but if you have a girl item (mermaid towel anyone?!) or something you can’t live without….put it in the comments!  And hope you all stay cool and safe this summer!