Why Your Kids’ Swimsuit Color Matters For Water Safety
I’ve loved the water since I was a kid. At the age of five I joined a swim team and swam competitively until I was seventeen. There’s something so calming about water. But water can be dangerous, especially for those who don’t swim or aren’t strong swimmers. The color of your child’s swimsuit can help to keep them safe.
According to Huffington Post, the CDC reports that drowning is the second leading cause of death for kids ages one to four. The shade of the swimsuit your child wears can keep them safter in the water.
Alive Solutions, a company specializing in water safety, did some research to test how visible different colored swimsuits are in different pools and lakes.
Their testing reveals:
- Neon colors that provide contrast performed best in both pools and lakes.
- In light-bottomed pools, neon pink and neon orange stood out most. Dark colors like purple and black could be seen well but aren’t recommended because they could be mistaken for leaves or a shadow.
- Light blue and white swimsuits stood out the least in light-bottomed pools.
- For lakes and dark-bottom pools, neon orange, neon green and neon yellow were most visible. White was visible but could be mistaken for light reflection on the water’s surface, so it’s not recommended.
- And in lakes, visibility went down to zero at a depth of just two feet.
- But experts caution that the color of your kid’s swimsuit doesn’t matter much if other water safety measures aren’t being taken.
Always be alert while your child is swimming, especially in the ocean. No current will pull you under, but strong currents can take you out into the ocean or move you sideways. You can find out more about water safety here.
It's a little-known factor to take into account when your kids are at the pool, drowning experts say. https://t.co/RnRCHh9ICo
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) June 20, 2022
