[deathanatos]

> cheap wetsuits

See "rash guards". They're light-weight UV-opaque T-shirts that are intended to get wet, essentially. I wear one, and I do not burn under it, even at the beach, in the sun, all day. Do not forget to apply sunscreen to your hands, since it doesn't cover them — I made that mistake exactly once. (And other exposed areas, of course.)

[fractallyte]

Here's a European manufacturer: https://iq-uv.com/en/

Excellent quality, and their clothing really works. (I wore their Water Sports shirts extensively while swimming and diving in south Italy, where the sun is fierce.)

[LorenPechtel]

Never heard of them before, sounds like they might be useful.

[TedDoesntTalk]

I've never heard them called wet suits or rash guards. Here we call them "sun shirts" or "UV shirts". They are most definitely not wet suits like scuba diver gear.

[deathanatos]

Oh, rash guards are most definitely not wet suits, I wasn't intending to imply that. Just for what the parent was using them for (protecting kids while doing what sounds like playing in the lake) they sound like they'd be a better fit than a wet suit.

"UV shirt" would be a far more sensible name than "rash guard", I admit. That was just the name I learned for them when I first found out they existed. (Which was in Hawaii, under a brutally unforgiving sun.)

[lancefisher]

Rash guards are halfway between a wetsuit and a sun shirt. I have one for surfing, but I got the kids wetsuits because Flathead Lake can be cold as well as sunny. They have more fun and play longer in the water with them.

[Incipient]

Down under we call the rash vests, or "rashies". They're typically a thin neoprene like material, often as thin as a t-shirt, but some can be a bit thicker for warmth too.