We all love a day on the beach but with young children of course playing in the water constantly can lead to them getting cold very quickly. This is because water conducts heat away from the body roughly twenty five times more efficiently than in air. It therefore makes sense that your children wear kids wetsuits to help preserve their heat.

Popular Kids Wet Suits:

O'Neill Reactor kids full body wetsuit for surf, scuba, snorkel, swim

Girls UV Protective Tuga Thermal Sunsuit

Boys UV Protective Tuga Thermal Sunsuit

Kids Wet Suits work by trapping a layer of water between the wet suit and your skin which is then warmed by your own body and will then act as an insulator. It is possible that children unprotected could easily show the symptoms of hypothermia - how often do you see children shivering with a towel around them on a hot day?

Wet suits are made out of a synthetic rubber known as closed cell foam neoprene which contains small bubbles of nitrogen gas. This gas has a low thermal conductivity so it will reduce heat loss form the body.

Today some kids wet suits also contain titanium fibres and merino wool to increase the heat retaining characteristics of the child wetsuit. This enables the suit thickness and weight to be kept to a minimum.

The neporene wet suits must be a good fit to work effectively, it is no good putting your child in one two sizes too big as it will allow the water to escape with subsequent loss of body heat. Usually kids wet suits come with good flexible seals at the lankle and wrist cuffs to aid water retention and thus retain heat.

Kids wet suits have one other great advantage in that neporene itself is very bouyant which will help yoru child, particularly if they are weak swimmers, to stay afloat.

Divers using wet suits have to take this into account when achieving neutral bouyancy during a dive . they also have to be aware that as they go deeper the notrogen bubbles are compressed and thus the suit will lose boith bouyancy and thermal insulation.

History of the Wet Suit

Originally, wetsuits were made only with raw sheets of foam-rubber neoprene that did not have any backing material. This type of suit required extra caution while pulling it on because the raw foam-rubber by itself is both fragile and sticky against bare skin. Stretching and pulling excessively easily caused these suits to be torn in half. This was somewhat remedied by thoroughly powdering the suit and the diver's body with talc to help the rubber slide on more easily.

In open water swimming events, the use of wetsuits is controversial, with many participants believing that wetsuits give some swimmers a competitive advantage (by increasing their buoyancy and hydrodynamic curve). Some open water swimmers, in fact, believe that wearing a wetsuit is contrary to the spirit of the sport, and that people who wear the suits should be the objects of derision.

Unlike triathlons, which allow swimmers to wear wetsuits when the water is below a certain temperature, most open water swim races either don't allow the use of wetsuits (usually defined as anything covering the body above the waist or below the knees), or put wetsuit-clad swimmers in a separate category and/or make them ineligible for race awards. This differs in locales and times of the year, where water temperatures are substantially below comfortable

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Bare Sprite Combo Wetsuit for Kids

O'Neill Reactor kids full body wetsuit for surf, scuba, snorkel, swim

O'Neill Reactor girls full body wetsuit for surf, scuba, snorkel, swim

When purchasing a cheap wetsuit there are some things to be taken into consideration before you choose which one to buy. The most important consideration is always going to be the fit. A wetsuit that does not fit well will be uncomfortable, may cause chaffing and will not be warm. Your wetsuit should allow some water to enter which is warmed by the body and provides a layer of insulation. If the wetsuit is too big too much cold water will enter and you will be cold and saltwater and sand between your skin and the suit will cause rashes and be uncomfortable. Always check the fit at the ankles, neck and wrists to make sure water cannot enter through any gaps. If your wetsuit fits well it should stretch and move with you.
In addition to the fit other things to look for include warmth, durability, performance and comfort.

Warmth

A thicker wetsuit will be warmer but will also be less flexible and have lower performance. For a winter wetsuit the neoprene should be between 3mm and 5mm (sometimes 6mm is used) and for summer wetsuits a thickness of 2-3mm is adequate. Warmth can also be affected by the lining. Coated, mesh or lined neoprene is often used to improve warmth and help to reduce wind chill but again the use of these lining will reduce the performance. It is therefore a balance between warmth and performance so keep your particular needs in mind when choosing the thickness of the material and the type and thickness of the lining.

Durability

Durability is affected by the type and thickness of the material used for the wetsuit. Superstretch material, used in high performance suits will be comfortable and highly flexible but will have reduced durability. In general, higher performance, more expensive wetsuits are less durable than cheaper, lower performance suits. If you are purchasing a used wetsuit look for wear at the knees as this is the area that tends to show wear first.
Performance

A wetsuit that stretches with you and offers very little resistance will give good performance and is very dependent on the price of the wetsuit. Expect to pay for an expensive wetsuit if you need the highest performance.

Comfort

All the preceding factors contribute to the comfort of a wetsuit. In addition the number and placement of the seams can contribute to how comfortable the suit is. More panels, with more seams will improve the fit but the seams can be uncomfortable and reduce the flexibility. The suit needs to stretch enough to feel comfortable and allow freedom of movement. The more stretchy a wetsuit is generally the more expensive and less durable. A cheaper, less stretchy suit will be warmer but movement will be more restrictive.

In the end it comes down to a balance between cost, comfort and durability. If performance is ultimately important to you choose an expensive wetsuit and be prepared to replace it more frequently. If cost is the deciding factor be prepared for a less comfortable suit that is slightly more restrictive but will last longer.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/buying-a-cheap-wetsuit-some-tips-660566.html

Author: Janet Ashby

About the Author:
For more information on wetsuits and some good deals on cheap wetsuits check out Cheap Men's Wetsuits or Cheap Women's Wetsuits

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