Gymnastics Fashion Question

My daughter is in a 3-5yr gymnastics class and out of all the kids only one girl wears a leotard. My daughter goes with sweat pants and a tshirt. I say have her wear whatever makes her happiest! They are just preschoolers so it does not matter as long as it is not something flowy that will get in the way. You will not be an oddball if she is in a dance leotard.

Buy her shorts with no buttons and a tshirt. You can take her the first day in that and see what everyone else wears. My youngest took gymnastics last year and they only wore shorts and tshirt.

I competed for years... And my 10 has been on the rec-league for 7 (he lives gymnastics but competition just isn't his thing, so no pushing :)

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Gymnastics leotards are usually made of Lycra / or another heavier duty stretch fabric (like some of the velvet ones) are a LOT stronger than dance leotards (so they don't rip off you while tumbling... Gymnastics is a very 'contact' sport, and also so they don't stretch out).

That SAID... A few times with a dance leotard probably won't be disastrous (depends on how thin it is).

There ARE solid color gymnastics leotards. ESP solid reds and blues (because of the Olympic aspect of the sport, there's a lot of USA colors... Solids, flags, stars & stripes), in addition to the more swimsuit style wild and crazy patterns.

Plain colored is FINE (unless she's on a team that has a uniform pattern). But you REALLY want to get the sturdier leotards.

Hotshorts / spanks are 50/50 (some love, some hate... Some gyms allow, some don't). They're more common now, so you're less apt to be told to take them off, but the do need to be skin tight so they're not catching on the equipment (boys and girls use different equipment).

Underwear is a BIG NO-NO.
This is the one that new parents (and dads!) tend to good on. No no no no no no underwear!!!! Especially if you're concerned about modesty, because it means that everyone will be staring at Bunche lumpy privates, and due to how active one is, the normal body movements ALWAYS start shoving it through leg holes (and then not only are people staring, but your daughter will be griping and digging at herself a LOT). Big no-no. :)
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Saftey Side:

No

- Jewelry (ESP earrings which get ripped out, but also rings/ watches/ bracelets) which can cause injury when they get caught

- floaty clothes (shirts, skirts, loose shorts, sweats) which can also cause injury getting caught AND block the instructor from seeing if their form is correct (form is only 2% about being pretty, and 98% about avoiding injury)

- Hair up (so it doesn't get ripped out, fall in your face blinding you when your arms are busy and you need to see... As well as so it doesn't get caught in equipment causing neck injuries)

- No tights or socks (you need traction that bare skin offers!!!)

I know you didn't ask about those, but since skirts and sweats were brought up in other posts, I just wanted to put up why those are NOT good options, and why most good Gyms don't allow them for saftey reasons).

At my daughter's gym, most of the girls are in gymnatics leos. The ballet leos do stick out a bit. But she is 4. She's not going to be ostracized for not wearing the correct leo. Parents might notice (in an innocent way) and kids won't care

My daughter always wore the simple leotards sold at Target at that age. You see a real mix -- if you haven't observed a class there, I would, just so you know what to expect from the class, but you'll also get an idea of the dress. A lot of kids do wear underwear under the leotard, but we stopped doing that after I learned kids could fall on a bar or beam and find themselves wedged uncomfortably and wearing it was unnecessary.

My dd is a team gymnast now, but most of the little kids your dd's age either wear a tank leotard (almost looks like a swimsuit), a long sleeve leo if it's cold, a unitard (a leo with shorts built in) and plenty of them wear dance leotards with a little skirt.

Some kids just wear shorts...not a big deal at this age and level.

Really she can wear anything as long as the clothes stretch and move.

You can always call the school and ask what your daughter should wear. Gymnasts need to feel comfortable and able to move about easily, and the leotards or such outfits help the instructor to see that they're doing the moves well (even when they're four-year-olds).

When I first signed up my daughter for gymnastics, not knowing if she was going to stick with it, I just had her wear leggings or knit shorts and a t-shirt. Once she decided she wanted to keep going, I did get her a leotard for class. If you don't like anything too colorful or crazy, I am sure you can find a simple solid-colored one somewhere. Some parents like the mid-thigh unitard types since they won't show underpants by accident. But something with a skirt attached is a big no-no where we go.

Before you go out and spend a ton, see what the Instructor suggests and see what the others wear.
This is only 4 years old.
And make sure your daughter likes it, before you spend a ton on an entire "wardrobe" for it.

Where my kids go those super sparkly, bright, patterned, leotards are the norm. I was shocked when I saw the price tag but my daughter really wanted one too. So, I've actually bought her two and a lot of the other kids do have quite a collection. None of the girls at our gym wear the dance leotards and only the boys wear shorts and tees. I would maybe let her wear the dance one to the first class and see what the other kids look like. My daughter did just wear play clothes the first time since it was a trial class. She just turned 5 by the way, so we are right about the same age.

For a beginner in gymnastics the biggest most embarrassing thing YOU can do is make her wear underwear under her leo. When they are on the bars or on the tumble trak her leo will come up higher on her leg joint and her underwear will hang out, sometimes if even hangs below the waist of them down their legs.

If you go to some gymnastics online shops you will see that gymnastic leo's have various colors in them, they are often made of a shiny fabric, they flash when the little ones are bouncing and moving. This is good.

Please do not buy any leo or biketard online. I can tell you from selling leo's for over 4 years that I have leo's that are the SAME size that are 6" different in the length. Every designer has their own idea of what a size is, every garment factory has their own sizes for their patterns, each and every company WILL be different.

I would never buy one expecting it to fit even if I have that same brand leo on my granddaughter.

We order the same raspberry velvet leo year after year. A couple of years ago they came in and they were several inches longer for the sizes from the previous years. The little girls size small was longer than the girls large that was already in stock before these came in. They were totally different sizes. The company had sent them out of their regular factory too. They had just decided that ballerina's were usually taller and thinner so they changed their patterns.

I will suggest that you look at the different leo's available to you and try them on to find a couple that are reasonable prices and fit with enough room for her to grow this coming year. I always like to see the neckline, underarms, and legs have a little bit of ease. When they are moving their arms around they don't want it to rub or make them raw.

Sometimes a seam or the inside fabric texture is irritating to their little nipple too. If they have it on trying it on and are picking at it then it's a no go.

Biketards are a good compromise for a lot of moms. BUT some will have a 1" inseam and look like men's speedo's once the kids start bouncing and jumping. Some others will have a 2" inseam. I like this length because it is not binding or irritating. It doesn't move up and down the leg very much. It stays put. The longer ones seem to move up the leg with each leg movement. They don't seem to be as comfortable.

Here are some links to some specific items that I feel are staples in a gymnastics wardrobe.

GK is a name brand with leo's starting in the $20's and all the way up into the hundreds. They have some plain and some with crystals. They are THE name brand in gymnastics attire.

http://www.gkelite.com/Gymnastics-Shopby-GKids

Body Wrappers in mostly dance class attire but it will work for gymnastics too> They probably cannot wear the tutu ones since they get in their way and can be dangerous.

http://www.bodywrappers.com/landing_girls.php

Something else to think about is a 2 piece outfit. I get these almost all the time now. As a child grows taller they often don't get much wider until they start growing their adult bodies. So if you get a good fitting top and the boy cut briefs you could have an outfit for a couple of years. I have the longer pink zebra top and the boy cut briefs in both lime, turquoise, and the pink. My granddaughter loves them.

The longer top:
http://www.pizzazzwear.com/index.php?main_page=product_in...

The boy cut brief:
http://www.pizzazzwear.com/index.php?main_page=product_in...

When you signed up there should have been suggestions for what to/what not not wear(?)
At four it's still pretty much whatever is comfortable and flexible and safe.
If she sticks with it for more than a year or so, then you can decide what to invest in as far as leos.
My daughter is a competitive gymnast and all her leos are the GK Elite brand. Very well made, but expensive to buy new, so we buy used from ebay. She doesn't like a lot of flash and glitz either (most of the girls here don't) so we prefer the velour ones with just a stripe, or pop of shine. And they offer great coverage, no riding up the butt, which you (unfortunately) get with a lot of the Target and other off brands.
And remember, swimmers don't wear tights either, but that doesn't make them inappropriate or immodest, it's simply the nature of the sport.

That age, a lot of the kids just wear shorts and tshirts. We have done dance leotards, mainly because they are less expensive, and have some of the shorts style unitards. All the kids wear something different, I wouldnt worry about it.

I just signed my 4 year old up for gymnastics too. She wanted the ballet leotard (with the small skirt attached) and that's what she has been wearing to class and she fits right in! As long as you don't send her fully clothed, it really doesn't matter. Good luck. My daughter has been loving gymnastics.

A lot of the girls in my daughter's gymnastic class wear shorts and a t-shirt. I do not like to reveal too much when she does her back bend kick overs etc so my daughter wears a unitard.

I do not like the leotards because they either show her underwear or crawl up into the unknown.

I teach gymnastics and the preschool girls usually WANT to wear a leotard because it's the fun part of doing gymnastics. Most of them wear the cotton ones from Target.

Do NOT get a leotard with a skirt attached!! I can't tell you how annoying they are! We don't allow them, but every so often someone sends their child in a leotard with a skirt attached. The skirt gets in the way of the gymnast's safety. I'm always kneeling on the skirt when spotting them, and they can get wrapped around the bar. Several times the skirts have gotten ripped off. THAT is embarrassing.

Dance leotards aren't as sturdy as a gymnastics one, but your daughter is only 4 so it would be fine. Unitards with the shorts attached are fine, they also prevent the undies from showing.

Shorts and tee shirts are okay, provided they aren't loose. Footless tights or leggings are okay.

Really, the leotards at Target are fine. They are cotton, so they are durable. They have colors or a few rhinestones so they are still cute, but not wild.

Hope she enjoys her class!

My DD is in gymnastics and most of the kids wear a leorard with shorts, a biketard or a t-shirt with shorts. My DD has a bike tard and a leotard that she wears with shorts. As it's getting colder, I'll be headed to Academy to get a long-sleeved leo with stretch pants.

We have one by this line http://www.destira.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY...

These are also nice http://www.gkelite.com/Gymnastics-Shopby-GKids