Maybe a dumb swimsuit question

[EllasMum]

I fell in love with a Carter's swimsuit (for 9 mo DD) that I saw on a website (pink, frilly with small red/white flowers - very girly). I couldn't find it anywhere in Canada but a friend was going to Phoenix and offered to pick one up for me. Since DD is big for her age (consistently 95+ percentiles for weight and height), I asked my friend to get the 12-18 month size swimsuit. So my friend got the 18 month size which is supposed to fit 24.5-27.5 pounds and 30.5-32.5 inches. I haven't had DD measured/weighed in a while, but my estimate is that she's around 22 pounds and probably 29 inches. When I tried the swimsuit on her, it looked small to me - I did put it on over a regular diaper (as opposed to a L'il Swimmers which are smaller), but even taking that into consideration, the suit seemed snug, to put it mildly! I've never been great at getting well-fitting swimsuits for myself, so I am totally at a loss here if I've got the right size suit for DD or not. Should infant swimsuits fit snugly? Will it relax or 'bag out' a bit in the water? We have our first swimming lessons on Monday, and I do have another suit for her that should fit (Old Navy, I've had good luck with their sizes) in case this one is just too small (but I'm really hoping it is ok because it is SO cute!).

TIA,
Susan

[american_mama]

My sister says swimsuits often run small, and she has two girls aged 5 and 8 years, so she should know. I too once had a very cute suit that should have fit DD, but was too small. I don't recall them getting much baggier when they are wet, but they do get clingier.

One exception is the Speedo suits sold at Costco, although I think they are sizes 3T and up, so won't fit your DD for a while. I got my tall 4 year old a size 5 suit earlier this year and it's a bit baggy on her.