Am I the only person who didn't know this?

Never thought of it so you are not the only one who didn't know.

pull it to one side, it does work having tried it again recently on holiday

jinglebells I manage and I've had three children.

as our outdoor village pool is heated and it's cold to get out for a pee when it's snowing (!) it would never in 1000 years occur to me to roll down a swimsuit for a pee. How bizarre.

I swim twice a week. For years I pulled the wet costume down and up which is difficult and uncomfortable. A year or two ago I tried the side sweep and found it much easier!! I havent looked back. Its never gone on my hands or costume but even if it did I wash my hands after and then
have a shower. My costume is always washed when i get home so i resent the whiffy remark! Btw i have had 3 children.
Never do the hovering thing - what's the point? I make sure seat is dry by wiping with paper first. No more is necessary. It's impossible to catch anthing from loo seats. My daughter works in public health and is very sarcastic about hoverers who sometimes leave the seat wet!

Tankinis are the thing, they cover up as much as a one piece. I always wear one when I know I'll be sitting round in it orwearingit under my clothes.

My mother, who was a keen swimmer when at school in the 30s, taught me to sideswipe. I' m not sure how they managed with the costumes that were available back then.

I still don't understand why anybody has to go when they are swimming. How long do you swim for? I reckon on about an hour and then shower, strip off wet costume and go. All this side swiping is totally unnecessary as far as I'm concerned. I agree about Tankinis great for days out on holiday. If it was so cold Izabella I'd be out of the wet costume asap anyway.

I never knew about the sideswipe system. I have been swimming for years and after about half an hour am always busting to go. With all the faffing trying to get wet cossie back up I just call it a day once I can't hold it in any longer, just go to the loo and then get showered and dressed for home. Please advise. I'm trying to visualise how this sidewipe system works. I get the costume bit but do you sling your legs either side of the pan? Lean forward?

Have always used the sideswipe system since childhood - just seemed the natural and most sensible thing to do. I certainly couldn't be doing with removing the whole swimming costume - what a palaver.

After sideswiping it is essential in my experience to adjust your dress correctly before leaving the cubicle or risk walking out with a great tuft of public hair popping out the side of your cossie.

Public pubic hair!

I've always sideswiped, don't know if someone told me or if I worked it out all by myself. Thought everyone did!

I'm pretty sure my mum helped me do this when I was a kid.

Like chelseababy said make sure you have got a piece of toilet paper ready beforehand and then it's easy! No probs at all but personally prefer a bikini to a swimsuit.

Never occurred to me either. Wish someone had told me this 60 years ago. Feel such a twit.

trisher if you can spend a whole day on the beach or by the pool in your cossie and need to 'go' you are a better woman than me

I suppose you could always pull your swimsuit to the side with your hand wrapped in a few sheets of loo paper, then if your aim wasn't very good you would get the paper wet and not your hand or the swimsuit!

Already pointed out I don't do wet cossies in cold places. If it's the beach I tend to do ones without loos anyway so it's wee in the sea, or a tankini and wee behind a bush. A swimming costume is for swimming in and when I swim I don't do it all day. If it is somewhere warm and sunny and round a pool the cossie dries quickly so no bother pulling it up and down. If it is somewhere hot and sunny I tend to limit my sun exposure anyway and take off costume and cover up. People seem to be posting that they need to wee whenever they swim and I just don't have that problem. Hope this explains fully tanith

Only just found out about this recently and what a deference it's made to my life when on holiday.

I used to do this with school knickers (being a lazy child)and it always worked. Use both hands and pull sideways and away from the body, no problem. But I suspect it only works with elasticated knicker legs and I only ever did it for a wee.
I agree with loathing soggy swimsuits, yuk! In recent years, being a naturist, it's no problem!

Only way to do it , I thought everyone did , but must confess I never asked !!

Yes, that's what I do. The more modern costumes are stretchy and easy to pull over to one side. Give it a go !

Surely it would have been just as easy to pull school knickers down joannewton? And if you use both hands, that implies that you didn't bother to wipe either...

Well I don't go swimming but do sometimes wear body suits with poppers or hook and eye fastening which are the devils own job to fasten up again. I have tried the pull aside method and got in a bit of a mess - I do use p-mates at festivals but still have to get stripped off to do that so don't really think that would work either. It's almost as bad wearing a jumpsuit which I had on yesterday and had to pull the whole thing off at the top to go!