With spring already here and summer rapidly approaching in the U.S., parents are beginning to take their kids to the pool. However, a certified swim instructor on TikTok is urging parents to not buy their children blue bathing suits.
Nikki Scarnati warns that blue bathing suits may potentially match the color of pool, putting children at risk of not being seen if they are struggling in the water.
In a viral video, Scarnati shows her young daughter wearing a blue one-piece suit while swimming in a pool. The girl’s blond hair can be seen on the water’s surface. However, once she slips under the water her blue swimsuit makes it hard to see the rest of her body, nearly camouflaging her entirely.
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“This is why you do not put your children in blue bathing suits. Look at how difficult it is to see her under the water. And this is in calm water. This is not with a whole bunch of other kids playing and splashing around and having a good time,” Scarnati says, urging parents to purchase brightly colored swimsuits for their kids.
The Tennessee-based swim instructor bought the swimsuit for her daughter just to demonstrate her point and show that the suit is the “same color as our environment.”
Watch the TikTok video below:
In the comments section under the video, some viewers revealed they had never considered the color of their kids’ bathing suits before.
“That’s crazy … I would have never even thought about it, wow,” one person wrote.
Others confirmed Scarnati’s warning.
“I’m a former lifeguard and this is absolutely right! Any shade of blue is difficult to see, and so is any pastel light color in general,” someone commented.
“My kids will forever wear neon everything so I can clearly spot them no matter where they are,” another shared.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more children between the ages of 1 and 4 die from drowning than any other cause.