Always too numerous in summer, drownings are a great source of anxiety for parents. In addition to constantly monitoring your child, specialists recommend this type of swimsuit.
The figures are still worrying: between June 1 and September 30, 2023, 1,336 drownings were recorded in France and caused 361 deaths. 30% of drowning victims were children under six years old, and 15% were children in the 6-17 age group. In 2023, the peaks in drownings observed on July 8-9 and July 15-16 correspond respectively to the first and second weekends after the start of the school holidays.
Although the drowning figures are stable compared to last year, they remain high, as Public Health France is keen to point out, stressing the importance of prevention. This is based primarily on supervision: young children should never swim alone. It is also advisable to enroll your child in swimming lessons from the age of 4 and to equip the youngest with suitable armbands or vests. Also, make sure to explain to them as early as possible that water can be dangerous and give them strict safety instructions.
But that’s not all! The color of the swimsuit is also very important! It must be bright and especially not neutral! Led by pediatric nurses, an Australian Facebook group called CPR Kids First Aids has, in fact, done a chilling experiment. Its members asked a child wearing a pale blue swimsuit to swim to the bottom of a pool and took a photo of him. Facebook users then noted with horror that at first glance, the pool seems to be empty as the child blends in with the color of the water!
This is why Royal Saving Life Australia, an Australian public organisation dedicated to drowning prevention, recommends that parents avoid blue, black or dull-coloured swimsuits and opt for very colourful and bright swimsuits so that they are easy to spot.
According to a 2020 American study by Alive Solutions, an American company specializing in water safety, fluorescent colors are those that offer the most contrast in swimming pools and lakes. In pools with a light bottom, fluorescent pink and orange are the most visible and white and light blue stand out the least. Dark shades like purple and black are clearly visible, but are not recommended, as these swimsuit colors can be confused with leaves or shadows!