Summer arrives, the kids splash happily in the pool… and most parents focus on sunscreen, the little hat, floaties, and snacks. But there’s something almost no one considers and that could make the difference in an emergency: the color of the swimsuit.
It might sound silly, but it’s not. A recent study has shown that some colors become almost invisible underwater, and that, in a critical situation, can be fatal. Sometimes we think that just keeping an eye on them is enough, but safety starts much earlier: at the moment you choose the swimsuit your child is going to wear.
What the experts discovered
The research comes from Alive Solutions, a company specialized in water safety. It was shared by the organization Which?, and since then it has become a warning that’s spreading strongly, especially among parents who don’t want to leave anything to chance. We’re not talking about a neurosis, we’re talking about the fact that the color you choose for your kids’ swimsuits could save their lives.
What was the experiment about?
The experiment was very simple: test different swimsuit colors in real conditions, in pools and natural settings, with different types of light. The result? At 45 centimeters deep, white or light blue swimsuits almost completely disappear from sight. At half a meter. In other words: even if you’re looking, you might not see it.
And if the pool has a blue bottom… worse
If the pool also has the typical blue bottom (like most do) or if you’re at the beach, those light colors blend in with the surroundings and might go unnoticed… The child is there, but visually merges with everything else. The alternative? Dark colors, you might think. Well, not really. Black or navy blue also tend to get lost among the shadows of the bottom.
The colors that really work
The good news is that there are colors that do make a difference. According to the study, the most visible ones are neon tones: bright orange, lime green, fluorescent yellow… All those that seem too flashy when you see them hanging in the store. Well, those are exactly the ones you should choose. And if they’re solid, without prints, even better.
From the shore, from the edge of the pool, even from a certain height, those colors stand out. In a critical situation, that could be what allows someone to react in time and pull your child out of the water.
Other details that don’t help
Besides color, there’s another factor that works against us: prints. The bigger and busier the swimsuit’s pattern, the harder it is to identify the shape of a body underwater. Even if you use bright colors, if the design is a mess of shapes, the effect fades.
So ideally, even if it’s not the “cutest,” a solid swimsuit, with a clearly visible neon color and no distractions, is best. Easy to see, easy to act.
It’s not just about looks
It’s normal to focus on what’s cute when we shop for summer clothes. But when it comes to kids and water, we need to prioritize what really matters!
Other tips
- Never take your eyes off them. Even if they know how to swim, there should always be an attentive adult nearby.
- Pools are for having fun, not for getting hurt. A silly slip can end badly.
- Let them rest once in a while. Water tires more than it seems. A break out of the water and a bit of (drinking) water helps.
- If you have a pool at home, install fences.
- Learn first aid. Hopefully you’ll never need it, but if something happens, you’ll know what to do.
We can’t avoid every accident, but we can make sure that, if something does happen, we’ve got all the cards in our hand to react fast