Does the color of a child's swimsuit really matter?

Summer has arrived, and many are heading to the pool, lakes, or ocean for some fun in the water. While there are numerous water safety considerations to keep in mind, have you ever thought about the color of your child's swimsuit?

The color of your child's swimsuit can play a crucial role in their safety at the pool or beach. The hue of swimwear greatly impacts the visibility of the child when they’re underwater. Alive Solutions, aquatic safety experts, released swimsuit color visibility testing in water. They tested a spectrum of colors in a pool with a dark bottom, a pool with a white bottom, and a lake. Check out how the water and environment impact the visibility of various swimsuit colors.

Swimsuit Color Testing

WOW! The bright and contrasting colors remain the most visible in the water. Neon yellow, green, and orange are ideal choices for a dark pool bottom environment. Neon pink and orange stand out the most in a light pool bottom. Lastly, the lake results show the top colors were neon yellow, green, and orange. It makes sense that the bright colors are most visible, but it’s interesting to SEE the colors that seemingly disappear when underwater. It’s best to avoid light blue, green, and gray as these blend in with the background.

What about bold patterns?

Neon colors are still the most visible in the water. Small patterns don’t drastically interfere with visibility; however, the large dark patterns decrease the visibility underwater.

Overall, bright, neon colors are highly visible on the surface and underwater, making them ideal for quickly spotting children while playing or in an emergency situation. This makes sense, but sometimes, these are not the most common children’s swimsuit colors retailers sell. Next time you’re purchasing swimsuits keep these colors in mind!

Making Safer Swim a Priority

Of course, the color of a swimsuit is just one piece of water safety. Ideally, you should never have to depend on their swimsuit color to locate them in a drowning situation. Safer swim is a priority!! Drowning is the number one cause of death for children ages 1-4 years in the United States. It can happen to anyone anytime there is access to water.

Here are ways to prevent drowning, along with some important PedsDocTalk resources.

• Constant supervision: Always keep a close eye on children when they are in or near water, whether it’s a pool, beach, or bathtub. Never leave them unattended, even for a moment. You can designate a responsible, attentive adult (not a child) to supervise children near or in the water. They need to be attentive and not distracted by their phone or book or impaired by alcohol.

• Swimming Lessons: Enroll children in swimming lessons at an early age to help them become confident and competent swimmers. Understanding basic water safety and how to float or tread water can be lifesaving. What about infant swimming resource (ISR)? Listen to this PedsDocTalk podcast episode about what ISR is, misconceptions, benefits, how it differs from traditional swim classes, and things to consider when signing up. Click HERE to find swimming lessons in your area.

• Use life jackets: Ensure children wear properly fitting life jackets when swimming in open water, boating, or participating in water sports. Life jackets provide essential buoyancy and support. Check out this PedsDocTalk blog post about the risks and concerns of using puddle jumpers so you can be informed!

• Pool safety measures: Install barriers around home pools, such as four-sided fencing with self-closing and self-latching gates. Use pool covers and alarms to provide additional layers of protection. Remove all the toys from the pool so they do not tempt young children.

• Educate About Water Safety: Teach children about the dangers of water and the importance of following safety rules, such as not running near the pool, not swimming alone, and always asking permission before going near water.

Check out more ways to prevent drowning, including knowing the water conditions, learning CPR, swimming at designated swim sites, and MORE!

On The Podcast

I created this podcast because I believe we can learn so much through community and hearing people’s stories, whether we are experiencing something similar or not. I connected with Moshe Popack, a real estate entrepreneur, the co-founder of a national community gardens non-profit that serves to enrich and empower children, and the father of 11 kids.

He joins me to discuss:

• The importance of “chief adaptability” as a parent

• Non-negotiables to his family and relationship with self and his partner

• What he hopes all parents would let go of as a father of 11 children himself

Ask Dr. Mona

An opportunity for YOU to ask Dr. Mona your parenting questions!

Dr. Mona will answer these questions in a future Sunday Morning Q&A email. Chances are if you have a parenting concern or question, another parent can relate. So let's figure this out together!