Summer is just fast approaching and one mom is warning other parents about buying blue swimsuits for their kids!
Mom of two and swim instructor in Spring Hill, Florida, Nikki Scarnati, shared a video post recently on her Tik Tok page where she explained why this is not a good idea. She shared in a viral post recently why she does not recommend them.
“This is not a regular bathing suit my daughter wears on a regular basis. I bought it on clearance specifically for this example for parents who wanted to learn,” the 32-year-old mom says in the TikTok video. She then turns the camera to her 2-year-old daughter, Claire, who is swimming in a pool wearing a light blue swimsuit.
“Look how difficult it is to see her under the water — and this is in calm water,” Scarnati continued to explain. “This is not with a whole bunch of other kids playing, splashing around, and having a good time. Even look in the sunlight, look how difficult it is to see her with that bathing suit on ’cause it’s the same color as our environment. So, do not buy a blue bathing suit guys.”
Scarnati is a swim teacher who focuses on teaching children between the ages of 6 months and 6 years old.
“My mom had three kids so she wanted us to be easiest to spot because we were always in different places at one time. But as I’ve gotten into the teaching role and working with students, I discovered it wasn’t as widely known as I thought it was,” Scarnati explained to “Good Morning America.”
Scarnati said she has noticed blue children’s swimsuits are widely available and very easy to find, but she strongly encourages parents to avoid them!
The National Drowning Prevention Alliance recommends parents practice five layers of protection to keep kids safe in the water. Those five layers are:
1. Barriers and alarms, like fencing around pools and alarms on doors and windows that open to the pool so an adult is alerted when they’re opened.
2. Supervision that is “close, constant and capable” is critical for water safety, according to the Alliance.
3. Water competency, meaning that both adults and children should know how to swim. The Alliance recommends talking to your child’s pediatrician about when to start water safety or swimming lessons.
4. Life jackets are needed whenever “on or around open and natural bodies of water and when boating,” according to the Alliance.
5. Emergency preparation includes keeping a phone poolside to be able to quickly call 911 and learning and practicing how to perform CPR, according to the Alliance.
Scarnati recommends parents seek out neon-colored swimsuits, such as neon yellow and orange that will stand out in the environment.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is a leading cause of death for children between the ages of 1 and 4.
