Anon Multi year comp leo fit- what’s normal?

[Anonymous (5904)]

Our gym does a 2-year leotard and switched to Ozone last year. This is the first year my daughter hasn’t sized up from one season to the next. Her comp leotard started the season looking a tiny bit big (wrinkled fabric across the back) but she gained height and muscle and it fit nicely by states.

Her gym just did sizing for this year and her coach was going to size her up, but then realized that she was already in the size she thought she was fitting her for. The sizer was probably a bit stretched and the actual next size up is definitely way too big. The sizer fabric isn’t the same as our gym’s comp fabric.

Right now her leo is tight in the front at the bottom in the way that is a bit revealing. I am hoping it will naturally stretch with a few more hours of wear but am anxious that it won’t. Is it normal to have seasons of slightly badly fitting leotards? I wish I’d paid more attention at meets but I never noticed the ones that were too small- only the baggy ones on the tiny compulsory kids.

 

[Anonymous (0709)]

I haven’t tried this myself so proceed with caution! I’ve heard of people stretching the Leo when it’s wet by hanging it after washing and placing a can or other heavy item in the bottom/crotch area so that the Leo gets longer. Not sure if it would work but worth looking into.

 

[Anonymous (5904)]

I haven’t tried this myself so proceed with caution! I’ve heard of people stretching the Leo when it’s wet by hanging it after washing and placing a can or other heavy item in the bottom/crotch area so that the Leo gets longer. Not sure if it would work but worth looking into.

One of the coaches cautioned us that this doesn’t work with crystals/rhinestones/whatever they were. I’ve done the can method for a plain leo with great results but I’m scared of touching this one.

 

[Anonymous (0709)]

One of the coaches cautioned us that this doesn’t work with crystals/rhinestones/whatever they were. I’ve done the can method for a plain leo with great results but I’m scared of touching this one.

Good to know, thank you!

 

[Anonymous (78f8)]

We tried to keep a comp leo for three years here while she was growing (Comp leos infrequently change here).

We do first season wrinkled like a Shar Pei, the second as a good relaxed fit, and the third with ‘competition fit’ which is super tight and, yes, a little bit higher at the bottom although not in any way rude.

At our recent competition there were a few examples of each from our gym, depending where each girl was in their cycle. A few mothers mentioned that their girls leotards were a bit revealling, but honestly, they didn’t look that way - it was more a statement of how the girls felt they looked rather than how they really looked. (but my daughter’s gym allows shorts for competition, so the girls are comfortable no matter what).

Sublimated fabrics stretch really nicely, even with rhinestones. Mystique stretches a bit but you can’t push it too far, and mesh will not stretch at all - don’t mess with mesh! Rather than trying to stretch it on the hanger, I’d get her to wear it around the house for a bit and see if the fit relaxes a bit to her current size.

 

[Anonymous (5904)]

Thank you! This was the answer I was hoping for! The leo in question has a ton of mesh so I will heed your advice. I think I’ll have her wear it under sweats at home with the heat cranked up. No wedgies are visible from the back but the front is another story. Her coach and I are both bothered by that.

 

[Anonymous (8e98)]

You could have her put another leo without any bling on it under the competition leo and wear it for a while to see if it will stretch a little. I wonder if wearing a skin color leotard liner under it would help with the wedgie.

 

[Anonymous (5904)]

You could have her put another leo without any bling on it under the competition leo and wear it for a while to see if it will stretch a little. I wonder if wearing a skin color leotard liner under it would help with the wedgie.

Thanks, great thinking! Her gym has always had dark leos so I forgot that liners are a thing. I’m going to try layers around the house, too. She’s going to be so annoyed with me but hopefully it works.

 

[Anonymous (7e6d)]

Our gym does a two-year cycle for comp leos, so I have always gone a size up, which has worked well up until the last round. Usually, it's a little loose the first year and fits well the second, but as a mom I got so used to sizing up for my kids every year that I kept it up for too long. DD stopped growing but I'd moved all the way up to AM in sizes thinking she'd keep growing, but her last comp leo ended up being baggy for two years. We're now going back down in size to AS for all of her leos. Unfortunately, she has some really cute GK leos I've bought that she won't wear anymore because the AM is too loose. Who knew she'd end up being even shorter than me??

 

[Anonymous (5904)]

Our gym does a two-year cycle for comp leos, so I have always gone a size up, which has worked well up until the last round. Usually, it's a little loose the first year and fits well the second, but as a mom I got so used to sizing up for my kids every year that I kept it up for too long. DD stopped growing but I'd moved all the way up to AM in sizes thinking she'd keep growing, but her last comp leo ended up being baggy for two years. We're now going back down in size to AS for all of her leos. Unfortunately, she has some really cute GK leos I've bought that she won't wear anymore because the AM is too loose. Who knew she'd end up being even shorter than me??

Our gym does not let parents select sizes after some mega fails in the past. The head coach is very particular about fit. On the bright side, it means no gaping compulsory leos bought by parents hoping to not have to size up on year 2. The downside is that the coaches don’t have the insight us parents do into things like “if my child is sleeping all the time a growth spurt is coming” or “my child always stays the same height for 9 months and then shoots up an inch.”