If You See a Boise Child in a Blue Swimsuit, Pull Them Out of the Pool Immediately

For most, just the thought of losing a child can shake a parent to their core. Before their first breath to our last, nothing comes before our child's health and safety. Yet despite our best intentions and judgement, accidents still happen.

In March 2023, Nikki Scarnati, a mom and swim instructor, went viral for her TikTok warning parents about the danger of light blue swimwear for children. Using her own child as a model, Scarnati showed 6.2 million viewers how her daughter's light blue swimsuit made her virtually undetectable in a still swimming pool. In additional to light blue, Scarnati and other sources like Pool Magazine note white, pastel, and light tan colors also make it incredibly difficult for parents and lifeguards to spot a drowning child.

Each year 3,572 Americans die from drowning. A closer look at the devastating data shows 945 drowning victims are children, and nearly half are toddlers and infants.

According to the Children's Safety Network, between 2010 and 2014, children ages 0 to 4 accounted for 48% of drowning fatalities. Data further showed a decline for children ages 5 to 9 at 14%, and ages 10 to 14 at 11%. The trend was then disrupted, however, by minors ages 15 to 19 with a jump to 27%. Overall, boys accounted for three quarters of child/minor drowning fatalities.

CSN reports infants are most likely to drown in bathtubs while kids ages 1 to 4 typically drown in swimming pools. Data from the Center for Disease Control shows older kids and teens are more likely to drown "in natural water settings" such as lakes, oceans, and rivers.

The Encyclopedia of Children's Heath has linked teen drownings to alcohol consumption, illicit drug use, and boating accidents, where "boys are 12 times more likely to drown than girls" as they're more likely to exhibit riskier behavior.

For every one child that drowns to death, CSN reports "5 more are treated in the emergency department for near-drowning." The ECH further states near-drowning incidents can yield serious, long-lasting consequences, or none at all. In certain cases, death can occur 24 hours after a person has survived the incident.

Research from the Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation & Emergency Medicine indicates the "neurocognitive outcome of children after drowning incidents cannot be accurately predicted in the early course of treatment." However, it is understood that both short and lengthy submersion times can lead to severe neurological complications as "organs such as the brain, lung, and kidneys are mainly affected by drowning accidents."