Is there actually a full coverage swimsuit that will cover my bum?

Before having a baby, I loved my suits from Lilly Pulitzer. They made me feel confident and sexy, which is something I think everyone wants when being seen in a swimsuit. Recently, we planned our first trip to the beach with our nine month old baby. I was excited when I tried on my Lilly suits and they fit! But what I would soon realize is that “fit” is a loose term when it comes to wrangling a baby on the beach.

Instead of spending my beach time lying on my chair in the sun or relaxing in the water, I found myself on a blanket in the sand, moving all around with my baby as we played, had snack, and did “baby” things. When she got fussy, I walked with her and showed her the water and shells. Through it all, my Lilly suit constantly rode up my bum, and while some people love the cheeky look and feel great in it, I definitely do not.

After I got home, I began asking for recommendations on full coverage suits that would stay put. I got some recommendations from a mom Facebook group, a question box on Instagram, and a few other bloggers’ posts. Armed with all of this information, I purchased more bathing suits than I ever had at one time before to try and find one that worked.

Before I begin my assessments of these suits, I need to explain something. I often find that when other people say something is full coverage, it isn’t for me. My butt is… voluminous (a bubble, if you will) and that means that things fit me differently. I also have wide hips. This combo makes finding things to cover me difficult. Please understand, I am not complaining about my body. I love my shape (and so does my husband), but this is the reality of finding what I am looking for, so I wanted to explain.

Also, for reference, I am about 5’3 and my stats are – bust: 39ish in (currently breastfeeding), waist: 31 in, and hips 46 in.

Summersalt

When I asked for recommendations, I got SO many for Summersalt, so although their suits are a bit pricey, I decided it would be worth it if they were great. Well, friends, both suit 1 and suit 2 were the absolute worst. Immediately up my butt before I even moved around. I hated the way they fit my chest too. Overall, just bad. 0/10. Absolutely hated.

American Eagle

I was sucked in by an Instagram ad and the reviews of this suit and decided to give it a go. It actually wasn’t bad, and if I was buying a suit to just lay on the beach, this would fit the bill. But the wraps were confusing and the bum coverage still wasn’t super great, so I turned this down. 7/10.

Amazon

Good old Amazon. You hate that everything you get is from there, but you get everything from there anyway. Surely Amazon had to have some options, right? I mean, they have everything else. The Cupshe brand came highly recommended, as did a few others like Hilor.

Suit 1 & suit 2 are both by Cupshe and I really wanted to love them, but they went up the bum as soon as I bent over. They were super cute otherwise. 8/10.

Suit 3 I absolutely loved from the front, but the back was immediately up my bum when I got it on. 2/10.

Suit 4 was allll over the blogs as the best suit out there and was from Hilor. I tried it in two sizes and one was too small, while the other was too big. The straps felt scratchy. 5/10.

Suit 5 was my attempt at a two piece, but given that my hips and bust are wildly different sizes, I usually can only get a bikini if they are sold as separates. This was an excellent case of that. I would have liked the bottoms in a size bigger and the top in a size smaller. 4/10.

Suit 6 was so frustrating! It has the BEST bum coverage. So good. Exactly what I wanted. But the arm hole was soooo tight on me. I tried it on multiple times just to be sure I couldn’t make it work, but there was no hope. That arm hole hurt. This was also a Hilor suit. 7/10.

The Winner

Out of all the suits I tried, one emerged as a clear winner, and it actually came from Amazon! It is from Hilor and under $40. It checks all the boxes. It covers my bum and stays put, even when I bend over. It has some cute details with the ruffles, and it is a fun color.

Phew, that was a LOT! There were even some suits that I put on and just had to laugh, so I didn’t mention them here. I’m exhausted. But before I leave you, I will say this: if you are looking for a full coverage suit and you are not quite as endowed in the bum as me, I think that any of these suits would probably work for you. They are all probably designed to be full coverage, just for a very different body type. I just wish there was more out there for my body type, but alas, there are more stores to try, I am just tired.

Also, my floor has looked like this for a week, and I am ready to get my life back.

You can see my try-on video on Instagram, HERE.