UK SWIMWEAR: BEACH WARDROBE STAPLES

When you go on holiday with a baby there’s a lot of luggage… A hold bag full of his clothes and nappies… A hand luggage case with things that might be needed for the flight… Another hand luggage case full of milk and food (picked up at Boots airside)… A pushchair… A baby carrier… A changing bag…

That doesn’t leave much space for adult clothing!! Adult clothing that six months after having a baby, needs to flatter to make a beach holiday less daunting… Indeed, holiday photos are never perfect… But it’s always nice to have something new and elegant in them! Especially when it was our first family holiday and we’d be taking all the photos!

So when UK Swimwear contacted me to choose some of their beachwear (Gifted) for our trip to Abu Dhabi, I spent a long time scrolling through their excellent range… I was looking for some things that would show me off as a relaxed and serene yummy mummy enjoying her week in the sun, as well as being usefully utilitarian and flattering too!!

Immediately I was drawn to a floaty white Aspiga kaftan. I already love this brand and this coverup with its star print is so elegant and forgiving, even with sweet potato on the shoulder! It’s lightweight and pure cotton so I stayed cool in the heat. It has tiny little Pom Pom’s on the edges that little hands liked too!! The length is good too, I’m tall and it still worked well.

I scrolled a little further through the collection and stumbled across a cute black Piha playsuit. I’ve never dared to wear one before but play is what mummy life is about so I needed to be dressed for the job in the sun! I wouldn’t be able to crawl around in leggings or jeggings in 25 degrees and my old chino shorts didn’t really appeal! I’ve always worried with a playsuit that my height would make the shorts too short, but the nifty draw string waist means they can fit all heights.

And then I spotted a charming Gottex hat which was a slightly different shape to most that you see in the likes of Accessorise or M&S. I have a love hate relationship with hats… They always look nice on the shelf but never on my head. But this one, well, it suits me well and rolls nicely for travel too!

It’s fair to say that my choices were spot on! Clearly I packed other bits too, but mostly I lived in the kaftan and playsuit. Both were easy to throw on over a swimsuit, flattering and lightweight. The hat also had a big enough brim that I didn’t even burn my nose which is too often the case.

Had I not already bought some swimsuits to cover the last bits of my wobbly tummy I would have bought some from UK Swimwear in addition to my gift. Again, a great selection and variety, especially at this time of year when let’s face it, the shops don’t have much choice!

These items were gifted to me, but if I didn’t like them they wouldn’t be in all of our holiday photos, which I think is a reassuring seal of approval. I’d really recommend looking through the UK Swimwear range which is very nicely curated and pulls together things of all difference prices. There’s definitely something for every winter sun holiday…

We stayed at the Rixos Saadiyat Island which was is ultra baby friendly and really rather lovely indeed!