Annie Walton Doyle
A frightening image has reminded parents to avoid putting their children in blue swimwear.
The ultimate aim of parenthood is to keep your kids safe and sound. But sometimes, there are unforeseen dangers that even the most vigilant parents couldn’t predict.
Such is the story that’s going viral now.
It turns out that kids should not be wearing blue swimwear and a horrifying image has proven why.
People have been left shaken by the news, with one parent vowing: “The kids are never wearing blue around water.”
A second says: “I’ve never heard this before and [it] made me stop and think… it may or not be true, but I’d rather not take that chance!”
“I’m a former lifeguard and this is absolutely right!” a third writes.
Somebody else comments: “I would’ve never thought of this.”
So, why should you avoid putting your children in blue swimwear?
A horror-inducing photo (shown above) is serving as a reminder to parents that they shouldn’t let their kids wear blue swimming costumes.
The image appears to show an empty swimming pool, however, the circled area of the pool – pictured below the original – reveals that it’s anything but.
A child is actually beneath the water, but practically invisible, all because of their choice of bathing suit.
The Australian Facebook group CPR Kids, run by expert paediatric nurses, has shared the important photo.
They’re campaigning for parents to ensure their children are wearing visible and brightly coloured clothing in the pool.
The group writes: “Yes, there is a child there, it’s hard to believe, we know.
“Following on from our post recently on the importance of fluoro and bright-coloured swimwear for kids, one of the CPR Kids Educators was at a pool party with friends and noticed how cloudy the water had become after being used all day.
“She asked one of the children who was wearing a pale blue swimsuit, to swim to the bottom.
“The result shocked her, as it did everyone in the CPR Kids team.”
The group confirms: “We can assure you the image has not been edited in any way – this is why the person who captured it thought to in the first place, as they couldn’t believe how hard it was to see their little one at the bottom.”
Annaville Fire Department has echoed this sentiment in a Facebook status, writing: “There were 14 colours tested by Alive Solutions (a group that specialises in aquatic safety, training, and risk assessment).
“Popular colours, such as blues and greens, almost completely disappeared.
“Just as bright-coloured clothing can help you find your child in a crowd, test results proved bright, neon colours, including bright orange, yellow and green, are crucial in helping you spot a child in a body of water! The biggest losers are the white and light blue.”
Nikki Scarnati, a certified ISR (infant swimming resource) instructor, shared a viral video on the matter.
She demonstrated the issue with blue bathing suits by showing her young daughter wearing one in a swimming pool.
In the TikTok video, Scarnati said: “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.
“Look 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, 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 colour as our environment. So, do not buy a blue bathing suit guys.”
In an interview with Good Morning America, she added: “In the industry, it’s kind of widely known that blue bathing suits are problematic in pools and open water. So it was just one of the many things that I could help educate parents on, that would be applicable to really everyone.”
@scarnati.swim Just dont do it! Why think about which bathing suits for the splash pad? Just buy bright ones!! ☀️☀️ #selfrescue #selfrescueswimming #selfrescueswim #watersafety #drowningpreventionawareness #springhillisd ♬ original sound – Nikki Scarnati
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