Bathing Suit - New London,PA

We buy two piece suits but not bikinis. Mostly be cause my kids are all Very fair and I want them covered where they are less likely to get sunscreen (like their backs). Two piece suits are so much easier to go to the restroom in and to change out of at the end of the day.

Get her a two-piece, but don't call it a bikini. There are LOTS of very appropriate two-piece suits out there.

Oh gosh.
I live in bathing suit haven.
Here, everyone wears whatever for the beach.
Some wear bikinis. Some wear one piece suits.
Some or MANY wear (because of the hot sun and sunburn) a "rash guard" top, and then boardshorts with it. Both girls and boys and, adults.

"Bikinis" comes in MANY styles.
It is not all always, skimpy and tiny.
Even Grandmas here, wear bikinis.
It is not "string" bikinis."
Some bikinis are very conservative.

Take her to Macy's.
They have many bathing suits in the girls department. At least they do here where I live.

Per any type of clothing for kids, it is up to you. Then, each child has their own tastes.
Then you teaching her about dressing and about whatever you think is appropriate or not.
I've done that with my daughter since she was 3 years old. She is 10 now and has good ability to discern clothing. For whatever reason.

The thing is: at some point and age, a girl will probably get and wear, a "bikini" or 2-piece or whatever you want to call it. Even as a Teen. Or as a college girl or adult, etc.
So, at some point, you need to teach your daughter about clothing. And about choices. So that, SHE can also discern clothing and "attitudes" and her own style. So she is not just doing what other girls are doing.

I think two piece suits are better on little girls than one piece. They fit better, and are easier for using the washroom. I often see little girls in one piece suits that are too big and the crotch hangs down showing everything, or suits that are too small and half of their butt hangs out. It doesn't have to be a string bikini. She will have to get someone to sunscreen her back for her though.

Why do you want to buy it for her? To make her happy, or because you see nothing wrong with it?

If your husband (I assume that means her father) is against it, I'd respect his opinions. I wouldn't take the opinions of random women on the internet over my husband's input. He has the right to make these decisions about his daughter's appearance just as much as you do. Talk to him and come to a decision together.

There are plenty of cute two piece suits that are not overly sexy. I would get her one if she wants. Could a tankini be a compromise?

Get a tankini - best of both worlds.

I think that a bikini on a little girl is cute, HOWEVER, one that is really small both on top and on the bottom is so not appropriate. And I lean towards liberal. But when I see an 8 year old in a string bikini, I cringe.

Decide on a suit by having her try it on, making sure it fits, stays in place, she likes it, and you agree that it is appropriate. Done.

This question has brought many, many, answers here in the past. It is your decision alone as parents.

(I personally think when men think of "bikini" they have a different picture in their heads than what your 8 year-old will look like in a 2-piece suit.)

My husband will not allow our 3 daughters (4, 6.5 & 10.5) to wear bikinis. Luckily the 10.5 year old (his daughter, my step daughter) is a tom boy and would never be caught dead in a bikini. She wears shorts and a rash guard shirt. The 6.5 year old (his daughter, my step daughter) wears a tankini at our house, but I think in years past her mom has allowed her to wear a bikini at her house. Our 4 year old (both of ours) wears a 1 piece or tankini. I tried to buy her a cute little bikini when she was 2 and he made me return it. She's a little self conscious and this year wouldn't wear the tankini at first because you could see a little bit of belly between the bottom of the tank and the top of the bottoms. She finally warmed up and wears it. Anyway, just wanted to say, your not alone with your husbands reaction. If he feels it's inappropriate, I would respect his feelings and go with something less revealing.

Also, if she's going to be in the sun all week, I'd be more concerned with getting burned in a bikini.

Get her a tankini. 2pc but not showing so much skin. Little girls grow up fast enough.

It's a two-piece bathing suit. It's fine. It's not like she's going to end up dancing in a music video.

There are lots of modest and cute two piece suits out there for young girls. For young girls, they are not usually "string bikinis" - they are more like a bathing suit cut in half.

Your husband is probably thinking of "grown-up bikinis", and that makes him nervous.

ETA: I agree with Queen above, your husband's opinion is important. I just think he might have the wrong idea about "bikini". See this link, many two-pieces on here (Macy's):
http://www1.macys.com/shop/kids-clothes/kids-swimwear?id=...

One piece or a tankini. Tank top with bottom. An 8 year old does not need a bikini.

I don't think bikinis sexualize little girls, but I don't really see a point. A bikini IS supposed to show off the boobs and the stomach--that's the REASON they were created.

My 12 year old got one when she was 10. She was excited and she wore it swimming. Once it got wet, it started to ride and move up. She spent the whole day at the pool self-conscious that the bathing suit was going to somehow fall off (it wasn't going to, but that's how it felt to her). Since then she has not wanted one.

Can you compromise on a 2 piece or a tankini? Ask her to show you in a store circular or on line what she thinks is cute. Maybe it's not as bad as you and your husband think. It doesn't have to be - and shouldn't be - a string bikini. Make sure there are real sides to the bottom - not just strings. Make sure there is a solid back (not just strings) and also a top that isn't going to come undone at the neck (again, what strings would do). I'd also explore why she wants one. Let her know that they are not so easy to deal with in the water and she'll have to hold on to the parts when diving. The strings are a pain, tell her, because they give you a funny tan line. If it has a little skirt and doesn't have any inappropriate design or saying on it (like some of them have words on the butt that basically say "come get me, boys") it might be cute. Also, some body types can do better with a 2 piece than a one piece. She doesn't have much in the way of breasts to hold the top in place, so maybe a one-piece with some cut-outs would do it (if they aren't super sexy). A lot depends on what she thinks a bikini is and why it's a good idea. Her wishes might be very tame, or they could be totally inappropriate.

There's nothing wrong with a one piece.
We all wore them growing up and never had to worry about anything falling off while jumping through the waves.
Also, there's less skin area exposed for sunburn - face it - sun screen doesn't get put on as often as it should be.
If you get her a 2 piece, make it a rash guard suit that covers her to her knees and down to her elbows.
There will be less chance of skin cancer for her when she's an adult.
Melanoma is never fashionable.

I think bikinis are inappropriate for young ladies. However my SiL mentioned that she buys bikinis because her daughter (10 years) tends to outgrow the length before she outgrows the fit. I would say compromise and find a tankini. There are several cute styles =)

It's up to you but my 8 year old wears a bikini

Does she want a two piece or does she specifically want a bikini?

What is his objection? Is it to being too skimpy? If your hubby doesn't want her to have a bikini, would he be ok with a tankini? or a tankini w/ a skirt style bottom? What about the rash guard shirt and board shorts?

In a marriage and with parenting, Yes + No = No when it isn't a life-or-death issue. Your husband said No, so unless you convince him otherwise you need to be respectful and skip the bikini.

"I decided" is a great start to undermining your marriage and his authority as a father.

I allowed my daughter to wear bikinis at that age.

I know you already got it but IMO questions like this are really not about the thing. My DH does not want our DD's ears pierced til she is older. It is not a hill I feel I need to die on and it is important to him. So she doesn't have them pierced. If my DH felt strongly about a little girl bikini then I would find a more appropriate suit out of respect for him instead of thumbing my nose at him. Frankly, I feel that one piece or tankinis are much more appropriate for vacation water play anyway.

It's a personal preference. My now 18 yr old daughter and I have never owned a 1 piece suit or tankini.

You can get age appropriate bikinis for girls if you look.

Good luck!!