Being a keen swimmer I am dead-set on the young ‘un following my lead. We try and take him swimming as often as we can. The small boy is 3, we potty trained him soon after Christmas, but (sorry son) he’s not quite got the hang of where poo goes and he’s not yet dry at night. We’re not rushing him, he’ll figure it out in his own sweet time with some gentle encouragement from us. It does mean that we still have to be careful about continence at the swimming baths.

Step forward Charlie Banana! For the past three years we’ve put standard disposable swim nappies on him and watched in horrified amusement as they’ve soaked up pints of pool water. We were after something more suitable and something less babyish for him.

We liked the look of the Charlie Banana Swim diaper and training pant. They have a range of designs to choose from. They have a soft, waterproof outer layer and an organic cotton layer inside to absorb any accidents. The elastic around the waist and legs is good and strong, so nothing untoward can escape.

We ordered the x-large size as he’s tall for his age, and they were quite roomy, so they’ll last a while even for fast growing little ones. They were comfortable and not bulky to wear and swim in, and he thought he was pretty smart in them.

To give them a rigorous test we also took them on holiday with us to beach-test them. As you can see from the picture they made for rather fetching beachwear. The small boy gave them the full work out, meaning they endured a dip in the Atlantic, sat on a number of sandcastles and he had both kinds of accident in them (once again, sorry son).

The Charlie Banana Swim Diaper can also be used as a daytime training pant and I can see why, though it might be a bit bulky underneath their clothing, but fine if they’re just ambling about the house on a hot day in just that and a t-shirt maybe.

I regret that we didn’t know about these swim pants sooner, they’re ideal for little ones learning to swim and would’ve saved us the faff with those horrible disposable nappies. They’re just £8.50 a pair, which I think is a really competitive price, especially considering the quality of the swim pants. I reckon they’re a very good buy.

Disclaimer: We were sent the Charlie Banana Swim Diaper shown in the pictures for review. This has not swayed my opinion of the product either way, my thoughts and opinions are always honest.