Emily Brown
A certified Infant Swimming Resource (ISR) instructor has demonstrated why blue is a bad colour for children's swimsuits when you're trying to make sure they stay safe in the water.
Nikki Scarnati has gained thousands of followers on her TikTok account thanks to her informative videos about how kids can stay safe while swimming; a topic that's especially important at this time of year as families prepare to enjoy the water on summer holidays.
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Last month, Nikki shared a video to highlight how something as simple as the colour of a swimming costume can make 'all the difference' when it comes to water safety, specifically when it comes to spotting your child in the water.
The TikToker demonstrated the impacts of different colours with three toy fish: one blue, one red and one yellow.
Nikki admitted that while all three colours were clearly visible in still, calm water, the same couldn't be said when the water was disturbed, as would likely be the case when a child is splashing around.
"As you can imagine, the blue fish is much much more difficult to see, and the yellow and the red are easier to see," she said.
"So, the same thing goes for your bathing suit. When you put children in blue colours or pastel colours, they blend in with their environment, leaving them to be more difficult to see if they were to fall in the water."
Nikki's demonstration came after she previously shared a video of her own daughter swimming in a blue costume, saying:
“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 and splashing around and having a good time.
“Even in the sunlight. Look how difficult it is to see her with that bathing suit on because it’s the same colour as our environment. So do not buy blue bathing suits, guys.”
Alongside her latest video, Nikki wrote: "Bathing suit colors make all the difference. Stick to neons, and bright colours! It also makes it easier to spot them quickly if you're at a public pool. The more you know."
As part of her mission to encourage people to stay safe, Nikki has also recommended and praised a company which 'makes bathing suits in colours that are scientifically proven to be best in pools and open water'.
The company, called Hue Under Blue, also warns parents if any of their products are not the best option for swimming in open water, versus swimming in a pool.