Parents Leo question

[jessimee]

Im fairly new to the gymnastics world and most of my DD's leos have been hand-me-downs from friends so far. But she needs some new ones. My other DDs are swimmers and we buy Dolfin "Uglies" for practice suits--they are cheap, comfy, and last a long time. Is there an equivalent gymnastics leo brand? Cheap, comfy and lasts for a while and possibly can handle more than a few accidental trips through the dryer?

 

[LouLou]

I don't know about the dryer for any of them, but Plum leos are popular and relatively cheap - about $30. GK often has clearance leos - they just had a huge sale with a lot for $15. In my experience, Plum runs a little smaller than the other brands. If you have a few gyms in your area check out their lobby. Some gyms have a lot of leos for sale and no shipping costs!

 

[MILgymFAM]

All of my girls' leos, including comp leos, go through the washer and the dryer. I wouldn't worry unduly about how to wash practice leos. We've bought most of ours off eBay, but buy from manufacturers when there are good sales. We've occasionally gotten gk leos in the $15 range, and have bought from dreamlight in a mystery lot format- 10 leos for $100. My girls happen to love dreamlight so it worked out, but I know mysteries aren't for everyone.

As for durability, the absolute best luck we have had is with Rebecca's Mom. My DD still wears the hand me down one that was the first leo she ever wore to her first rec class. It's lasted almost 4 years and over 6 inches/25 lbs- and it's still stretching with her!

 

[John]

I can verify Plum can last a few trips thru the dryer. DD loves how they feel but does complain that some of the brighter colored ones bleed color.

 

[wandrewsjr]

I, too, have always put leotards through the washer and dryer(except for the occasional comp leo that had crystals already prone to falling off). GK always has a "value" collection of leotards that don't have bling but can come in cute patterns and same quality as all their leotards. They used to be $29 but think they might be around $35 now. They may be called "best buy" collection.

 

[Flicfliclay]

K-bee leotards are great and last a long time.. not bad price either!

 

[John]

K-bee leotards are great and last a long time.. not bad price either!

I checked them out, can you offer any advice on the sizing?

 

[Gymnast C's mom]

Plum, super comfy and not too expensive. And we put them in the dryer on low heat and they do fine

 

[wandrewsjr]

K-bee leotards are great and last a long time.. not bad price either!

I forgot about K-bee! My girls loved their camisole leotards to wear when it was hot, and they thought they were comfortable.

I checked them out, can you offer any advice on the sizing?

The nice thing about their sizing is they have so many sizes, so you are never in between sizes. Been too long since I bought to give any size advice, would just go by torso measurement if unsure.

 

[Carly]

My daughter got her first plum leo recently and says it's really comfortable. If you sign up for their emails, you will get notified of sales. She has mostly gk leos. They seem to be the most popular here. I wash them in the machine on delicate but never put them in the dryer. They dry quickly on hangers.

 

[FutureGirls]

We use snowflake, gk and plum and all are dryer proof

 

[3rd_time_around]

I NEVER put leos in the dryer, never ever. They shrink and the shiny comes off. My dd's favorites are Snowflake and Ozone. We also love Melody Leotards--very inexpensive and you get to design your own. We've had a couple for 4 years and they look like new (but of course, I NEVER dry them in the dryer. Every leo tag tells you how to wash them.) I can't afford to put mine in the dryer.

 

[jessimee]

Thank you for all the suggestions!

 

[Flicfliclay]

I checked them out, can you offer any advice on the sizing?

I can! My daughter has at least 15 k-bee Leo's! ( head down in shame knowing she has way too many leotards) My daughter is 9, about 62 pounds and wears an 8/9 in K-bee, other brands she is child M. She has a few CL, but are still big. She was an Ambassador for their company, so we have many different styles. You can check out her Instagram page and there are many you can look at. Message me and I will give you her Instagram name

 

[notthatmom]

Speaking of leos, both Snowflake and K-Bee have Texas strong leos right now and the proceeds go to hurricane relief

 

[Flicfliclay]

Speaking of leos, both Snowflake and K-Bee have Texas strong leos right now and the proceeds go to hurricane relief

They do! Ours gets here tomorrow! ( k-bee ) 100% of proceeds go towards hurricane relief!

 

[sce]

My dd always preferred GK and Alpha Factor for the fit. Alpha Factor has lots of sales, often down to $10 or $15. They last forever though and yes some occasionally, accidentally went trough the dryer. I tried to be careful if the fabrc was mystique or there were sparkles on the leo, those were hand washed. Honestly it takes so little time to hand wash leos that it was no issue.

 

[John]

I can! My daughter has at least 15 k-bee Leo's! ( head down in shame knowing she has way too many leotards) My daughter is 9, about 62 pounds and wears an 8/9 in K-bee, other brands she is child M. She has a few CL, but are still big. She was an Ambassador for their company, so we have many different styles. You can check out her Instagram page and there are many you can look at. Message me and I will give you her Instagram name

Thanks. I make DD buy CL. She prefers CM but I can only see her fitting CM for a short period of time.

I hold my head down in shame as well, DD has more leos than you could count. Thankfully half have been donated to her by older friends.

 

[MILgymFAM]

I NEVER put leos in the dryer, never ever. They shrink and the shiny comes off. My dd's favorites are Snowflake and Ozone. We also love Melody Leotards--very inexpensive and you get to design your own. We've had a couple for 4 years and they look like new (but of course, I NEVER dry them in the dryer. Every leo tag tells you how to wash them.) I can't afford to put mine in the dryer.

We've never had any leo shrink in the dryer and we have owned at least one of nearly every brand. We've not had issues with stones, sequins, or foil coming off either. How odd.

 

[twinmomma]

Never had a leo shrink here either. I'm a huge fan of etsy (Leo Lines) and Look-it leos out of Oregon. Awesome for practice leos and reasonable prices. At Stars and Stripes this year GK had a HUGE sale rack and DD got leos for $20. I think I'll wait for meets to get sale leos this year rather than order online unless she needs them. She only wears under armour or nike pro shorts so those I can get anywhere.