Let's Talk Leotards:o)

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I'm a newbie gym momma and still learning :D

I finally found an awesome gym for my dd that looks very promising! Yay! Leotards are a requirement.

Is there certain leotards that are more for workout? Are long sleeve just for comp or can they be worn in practice in the winter? Does your child wear basic/plain leotards or the fancy foil with rhinestones? Are there does and don't to leotards or does your child wear whatever they want? :confused: Thanks in advance!
 
Long sleeved are generally only worn in competition, even in the cold months. As a coach, I don't care what a kid wears expect that I do not like the tutu-skirts a lot of parents dress their little ones in. It's hard to spot a kid when you get a handful of skirt everytime you grab them. Get your kid whatever she like - plain, sparkles, velvet - it doesn't matter. Velvet is a bit warmer so I don't like wearing those in my non-air conditioned gym in the summers.
 
For little ones starting out, simple is best. Nobody determines who's the best based on how fancy the leo is. As for price, long sleeve leos are more expensive as are the ones with stones on them(more bling=more bucks!). She only needs 1 or 2 to get started, so maybe pick a couple in favorite colors or some pattern she likes. Biketards are fine too.

Look in some children's consignment stores in your area, you may get a good deal on a couple of used ones. Some gyms also have used leo sales and again you can pick something decent up for a fraction of what it costs new.
 
Sleeveless tanks are pretty much the standard for practice wear. I know a few of the younger ones like to wear the biketard type, but honestly, if you get one that fits properly they won't be dealing with the ride-up issue on their bottoms (which is the most common reason I hear from people when they ask for unitards!).

I do occasionally see kids in long-sleeves, but not very often!

One of my dds loves velvet - doesn't care HOW warm it is in the gym!! She also goes through phases where she "hates leos" and "only wants the shorts ones", so I made her velvet workout shorts she can throw on when she's in THAT mood (she's 5... it happens a lot!) The other prefers the thinner materials. And she hates shorts. I suspect that's because there aren't a lot of shorts wearers in our gym!

I don't think there are dos & don'ts unless your gym has specific requirements! My kids usually pick what they want to wear!
 
Thank you all for your replies! I was wondering about the velvet/velour in summer, too. I've seen sooo many adorable leos and didn't know if the flashy ones could be worn for workout or not. I've been skimming Ebay all day for good deals. I already have a simply biketard for her and now I need to pick out a few more....oh the torchure! LOL
 
Be careful, very, very careful, there is a horrible disease that some of us gym moms have and that is leo addicition. I have a 7 year old level 4 that has nearly 35 leos:blush:, and now I cannot stop buying them the next size up.

Barb

Mom to a :kazakhstan: (Kazakhstan cutie)...............OK I could not resist this from the smiles list, as my DD and DS are adopted from Kazakhstan.
 
When my dd first started I just got leos from Target or Kohl's. She liked the biketard ones (tank with shorts attached). It wasn't until she was on pre-team that I sprung for the more expensive leos. I tend to be conservative though - I don't want to spend the money unless they are going to be doing it for a while. If I spent a ton of money on leos and then she decided she didn't want to do gymnastics, she wanted to do ... instead - I would be seriously annoyed.
 
I'm a little more on the conservative side. My DD only had 8 leos. :D

But I agree with everyone else. Unless your gym has specific rules, leos are very much personal preference. My DD doesn't really wear the long sleeved ones, except for competition. And the gym requires that the team girls wear the gym practice leo once a week so there's really only two days that she needs something to wear. Gee..... I hope 8 choices are enough..... LOL
 
We have this disease too!

Be careful, very, very careful, there is a horrible disease that some of us gym moms have and that is leo addicition. I have a 7 year old level 4 that has nearly 35 leos:blush:, and now I cannot stop buying them the next size up.

Barb

Mom to a :kazakhstan: (Kazakhstan cutie)...............OK I could not resist this from the smiles list, as my DD and DS are adopted from Kazakhstan.

It's worse now that my DD has been in a size CM for nearly three years and I can see the growth spurt, so I started checking out ebay for some CL's.

I LOVE ebay! You can get some really nice gently used or NWT leos for 1/2 price. Alos, Target, Kohl's or Wal-Mart has some inexpensive ones. My DD likes regular no sleeve leos. She has only one with long sleeves she'll wear in the Winter occasionally.

Dare I even mention the cute little velvet shorts they have to have to match their leos???
 
I'm a little more on the conservative side. My DD only had 8 leos. :D

But I agree with everyone else. Unless your gym has specific rules, leos are very much personal preference. My DD doesn't really wear the long sleeved ones, except for competition. And the gym requires that the team girls wear the gym practice leo once a week so there's really only two days that she needs something to wear. Gee..... I hope 8 choices are enough..... LOL

Shawn, I admire your restraint, LOL

We have a TON of leotards! Because my DD has been in the same size for so long, we have even accumulated the yearly "team practice" leos. She can still fit into her pre-team team leo, had 2 team leos from last year that seem almost new because they only wear them once a week, and we just got another new team leo last month. Only good thing about the team leos is that they are CHEAP because the gym buys them in bulk and they have only cost me about 30-$35 for a GK

I can't resist ebay though....such great deals! And, a couple times I've been to the Danskin outlet store in Delaware and couldn't resisit not buying leos from their discount rack for 6-$10 each!
 
Be careful, very, very careful, there is a horrible disease that some of us gym moms have and that is leo addicition. I have a 7 year old level 4 that has nearly 35 leos:blush:, and now I cannot stop buying them the next size up.


Hahahaha, I said exactly that to the mother of a 4yo who has been to exactly 3 classes as she ordered 2 more leos (4 total) from me... ;)

She said "I've noticed your dd hasn't worn the same one again yet!" BUSTED! ;)

All I can say is the girls have been my guinea pigs when I want to try something new and it's hard to say no when I hear "Oh Mommy, I LOVE that fabric!". Any excuse is good enought for me! :D

But at least I'm not alone. LOL I know there are other girls at the gym with more (and their mommies don't make them!)!!
 
Be careful, very, very careful, there is a horrible disease that some of us gym moms have and that is leo addicition. I have a 7 year old level 4 that has nearly 35 leos:blush:, and now I cannot stop buying them the next size up.

Barb

Mom to a :kazakhstan: (Kazakhstan cutie)...............OK I could not resist this from the smiles list, as my DD and DS are adopted from Kazakhstan.

Yeah be careful is right lol, that disease is VERY contagious...dd has only been to her trial class/evaluation and we are already up to 10 leos. It's addictive, I can't stop lol. :eek:
 
Can't resist to post about the "leo disease." Lexi and Leah have about 18 leos, each! They are both the same size, so they can just wear each others. My 4 year old just been invited to pre-team and she has 9 leos already! I have it bad..

Usually the no sleeved leos are more for workout. I would think that competition would get too hot for a practice, or\and be too nice of a leo, and only wear it for competitions. Usually Target has a pretty good selection. :)
 
You guys are pretty funny :)
I'm strict, I only buy black 3/4 or long-sleeve leos for the girls so they can work for their pre-ballet class and gym, but then I get funky scrunchies and workout shorts for them to accessorize with. It makes it easy since they usually wear theirs under their school clothes as we usually go straight from school to gym.
I like the longer sleeved ones because they seem to last longer for my girls, but most kids wear tank ones.
I haven't tried ebay yet. I usually order leos from the Motionwear Store.
 
where to find leos

Leotard Gymnastic Leotards and Custom Competition Leotards by Snowflake Designs Home of Snowflake Designs - Leotards & More!
GK ELITE Sportswear: Choice of Champions for 25 years
http://www.quantumleotards.com
GYMNASTICS LEOTARDS from DISCOUNT LEOTARDS Gymnastic leotard Discount Leotards Gymanastics & More - Home
Leotard World Offers Gymnastics & Dance Leotards for Gymnasts, Dancers & Athletes.
Link Removed
my fave website is snow leotards. :D:D:Dgood luck with finding a leotard. but, as a gymnast, i will warn you all leotards are cut diff. even if same size. i have 1 am and it fits me with a bit of growing room. i dont fit into al but i actually have one that is smaller than my am.:D also, gk can tend to be a little expensive. also, velvet holds up best

:beam:
 
I agree. It's hard to buy leos online because they all seem to fit differently. Case in point, we bought three leos from Snowflake, all the same size. One fit fine, one was too small and one was cut so strange my daughter hated it. So, we kept the one, returned one and exchanged one for size- all the same brand.
 
It really is a horrible addiction! My dd love the adidas leotards, and so far we have purchased almost every new one they have! She says they are the most comfortable, and very thin. She does not like any thick material.
 
From GK Elite

We are a little biased - but most important is fit. We suggest that you get her as many as she wants!!!!

All joking aside. GK prides itself on Quality and Fit.

YOu can either get them through your Gym, or buy them online at www.gk-elitesportswear.com.

Thanks and Good Luck.

Andrew Foss
GK Marketing Rep and Parent of 5 Girls
 

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