Where to find "tween" girl swimming suits?

[traces7]

My almost 11 year old DD needs a new swimming suit and we're having a hard time finding one. Can anyone recommend a place to look?

She wears about a girls size 16, the problem is finding one that fits right and that's not too skimpy. She likes the two piece suits with shorts, but can't really find those too much. She's having a problem finding a suit that fits her top and bottom, bottom is probably 16+ girls size and top 14 girls size.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

 

[AKL_Megs]

Kohls

 

[Ohiodislover]

We had that problem last year. Try Justice for Girls. My DD loves there tankinis.

 

[mom2travel]

Lands End and LLBean sell up to size 18 or 20. Not sure if they do separates for girls, but know they do for women

 

[Minnie_me]

We had trouble getting suits for my 12-year old DD this year. Even at Justice and Kohls -- NOTHING fit her!! (she's also wearing a size 14 or 16)

We had the best luck at JCPenney.

 

[My2Cinderellas]

land's end has separates this year in the girls section. they also sell plus size tankini sets - take your DD's measurements and then figure out what size to order, the charts are accurate. The plus size tankini's are great.

My 11 DD no longer fits into girls sizes - finding something I thought was age appropriate and she thought was cute was a real trick. Aeropostale only has tiny bikini bottoms in the store, but online there were slightly larger "boy short" bottoms. They don't really look like boy shorts but at least there is fabric on the sides of the bottom piece.

 

[maelstrom]

Delia's.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

I also prefer Lands End over some if the ones mentioned. The material really holds up and doesn't fade or get see-through as quickly.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

swimoutlet.com! great selection and they sell swimsuits that actully cover. This was the only place I could find a swimsuit with a closed back (im sun sensitive).

 

[clarabelle]

If you want a one piece that has coverage -but no padding I would consider a competition suit
www.swimoutlet.com has them as well as other places.
Sometimes you can get them pretty cheap
something like this:
http://www.swimoutlet.com/product_p/7882.htm

 

[traces7]

Thanks for all the ideas. We tried Kohls and nothing fit her there. We'll have to try Justice and JcPenney. I couldn't find much on the Lands End and LL Bean website, not sure I want to order online though. She'd probably like to try it on before we buy it. I'll check into some of the others mentioned too. Thanks again! More ideas are appreciated too!

 

[clarabelle]

traces -if you decide to get a competition suit -the women's section has sizes that fit kids
There is more selection with the women's' suits There is a size chart

 

[Hyonlyf]

Landsend!!

free returns at local Sears

also, there are always coupon codes out on the WWW


Good luck! My girls are 11 and I agree, it is difficult to find suits that are modest and fit.

 

[CruiserMom]

I found really cute suits for DD12 at LL Bean. She does NOT like skimpy at all, and only likes 2 piece suits. She is thin but doesn't like things tight. LL Bean has mix and match tops and bottoms, and she got tankini tops and skirted bottoms that are so cute

ETA: I see where you said you would rather she try things on before you buy. I was the same way, but was lucky that we were spending spring break in the DC area, and there is an LL Bean store in the DC area (northern VA). Maybe there is one near you where she could try on clothes?

 

[robinb]

If you want a one piece that has coverage -but no padding I would consider a competition suit
www.swimoutlet.com has them as well as other places.
Sometimes you can get them pretty cheap
something like this:
http://www.swimoutlet.com/product_p/7882.htm

My 10-year old swimteam DD adores the Dolfin Uglies: http://www.swimoutlet.com/product_p/16732.htm

They do run a bit small compared to Speedos and TYR brands. As a comparison my DD wears a size 10 in clothes and a size 26 in practice suits (and a 22/24 in technical suits but she can barely breathe in them ).

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Try the women's petite section in department store, I've done that before for my oldest daughter.. The suits are a bit pricier, but good quality and will hold up.

 

[aprilgail2]

My 10 1/2 year old daughter will only wear swimshirts on the top and bikini bottoms or the surfer type shorts on the bottom- she needs an 8/10 on the top (only because she likes them really big) and a 6/7 on the bottom so I end up having to buy 2 different bathing suits and only use one part of each one!

 

[ahutton]

We had trouble getting suits for my 12-year old DD this year. Even at Justice and Kohls -- NOTHING fit her!! (she's also wearing a size 14 or 16)

We had the best luck at JCPenney.

I swear by them for my girls. Very, very rarely we can find something at Target too.

 

[StitchFanZ]

My DD preferred the mix and match women's seperates on lands end at that age. Order a few and you can return anything you don't like to a local sears. They have really great swim shorts which I find that all my DDs friends love to borrow and wish they had. They are really great and hold up well.

 

[mamamary]

Back in February when I was in Target there was one bathing suit like what you are looking for. That's what my dd likes to wear also. I grabbed it just in case we didn't find any others. Usually Justice has some but we haven't been there lately.