Your Kid's Swimsuit Color Matters, Water Safety Experts Say

Swim wear water safety swimming Drowning

By Mavic Thompson , Parent Herald Jun 22, 08:55 am

It is summertime, and many families would spend time in and around the water. As families head to bodies of water to cool themselves, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns to keep an eye on the kids as drowning is the second leading cause of death in kids aged one to four.

Water safety experts suggest that the color matters when buying swimsuits for kids and adults. According to Natalie Livingston, co-founder of Alive Solutions, a company specializing in water safety, many parents look for cute and fashionable swimwear, which could cause their children to disappear underwater.

Lifeguards and aquatics professionals know that certain factors make it easier or more challenging to see in the water, HuffPost reports. Active Solutions conducted a study in 2020 using different colored swimsuits in light-bottomed pools, dark-bottomed pools, and lakes.

For the lake, the company tested the different swimsuit colors on the water's surface from a shore view and an elevated view to simulate what it would look if parents viewed their kids from a boat. The water was only 18 inches deep.

Swimsuits for pools and lakes

The team found neon colors that provide contrast performed the best in both pools and lakes. For light-bottomed pools, neon pink and neon orange were the most visible, while white and light blue suits stood out the least. Dark colors like purple and black could hardly be seen; hence are not recommended as they could be mistaken for dirt, leaves, or a shadow, 11Alive says.

The colors neon orange, neon green, and neon yellow were still the most visible in lakes and dark-bottomed pools. However, neon pink did not perform well in the lake setting. White was visible in that environment, but the team said it could easily be confused as a light reflection on the water's surface, so it isn't recommended.

Overall, neons came out as recommended in all the categories. The safety team noted that at two feet of depth of the lake setting, visibility went down to zero for all the colors tested. The group recommends wearing life jackets in open-water environments to keep swimmers afloat.

Other safety measures are important

According to Reviewed, when packing swimwear, it is also essential to consider other environmental factors that impact visibility. These factors include lighting, water current, water quality, and weather.

However, water safety experts warn that the color of your child's bathing suit is of little importance if other safety measures aren't taken.

Mario Vittone, a former Coast Guard rescue swimmer and drowning expert considers the swimming gear's visibility "not a bad idea" and that avoiding white and blue ones in pools is brilliant. Still, he wouldn't go so far as to say that wearing neon-colored suits is "safer."

Other safety measures are critical. Vittone advised that getting kids to swim lessons at a young age is crucial as it reduces their risk of drowning. However, the guardian must have a good understanding of the child's swimming abilities and the guardian's skills as well.

The American Academy of Pediatrics said that even advanced swimming skills will not always prevent drowning. Parents must also consider swimming lessons only within the "context of multilayered protection."

Lastly, water safety experts say that constant, careful, undistracted adult supervision is crucial when kids are in and around the water. They warn that drowning happens in seconds, so looking away to check your phone or grab a snack can be dangerous.