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6th June 2024
05:08pm BST
The summer season is fast approaching and parents across Ireland will be scrambling to pick up the usual holiday essentials before the kids finish up with another school year.
Whether you’re headed to Ireland’s sunny south or are venturing farther afield to the likes of Spain, Portugal or Italy, pool days will no doubt be a planned activity for all the family.
A CPR awareness group on Facebook has posted an alarming swimming warning that all parents should be aware of.
Posting a photo of what appears to be an empty pool to the online group, experts quickly pointed out that there is a lot more to it than you'd expect.
A circled area of the photo - which is pictured below - is actually showing a child under the water, but they're practically invisible to the naked eye.
The point of this post is to act as an urgent reminder to parents of the dangers of letting your kids wear blue swimwear.
The child was captured wearing pale blue shorts and swimming near the bottom of the water, but because of the colour of their suit, the child is incredibly difficult to see by anyone sitting nearby.
The Facebook group called CPR Kids, is run by expert paediatric nurses, who shared the image back in 2021 in the hopes of raising awareness.
They are urging all parents to make sure their children wear visible and brightly coloured clothing while in the water all year round.
The group said: "Yes, there is a child there, it's hard to believe, we know.
"Following on from our post recently on the importance of fluoro (sic) and bright-coloured swimwear for kids, one of the CPR Kids Educators was at a party with friends and noticed how cloudy the water had become after being used all day.
"She asked one of the children who was wearing a pale blue swimsuit, to swim to the bottom.
"The result shocked her, as it did everyone in the CPR Kids team."
The original Facebook post attracted hundreds of comments from those who were alarmed by the image, and it has since been widely shared across the globe online.
According to the Speedo.com, the key to avoiding any incidents at the pool on holiday is to “set clear ground rules before they take their first dip. These should include only entering the water when a known adult is present, and absolutely no running by the wet, slippery poolside.
“If in doubt, snap up some slip-resistant children’s slides or jelly shoes for extra peace of mind.”
Speedo.com warn that head injuries commonly occur when children and adults mistakenly dive or jump into shallow areas, “so get to know the pool layout, its depth and where the shallow and deep areas are.
“If you’re at a hotel pool, check how and when it’s supervised, and don’t assume that a pool attendant is a trained lifeguard.
“For their own swimming safety, children should never be left unsupervised in a pool, even if you consider them to be strong swimmers.
“And while swimming aids such as armbands can be helpful for little ones learning to swim, they should never be relied upon for their buoyancy.”
If you’re considering heading to a private villa on holiday this year, “increase your swimming pool safety and provide another barrier to entry by choosing a villa or gite with pool enclosure or lockable gates.
“Many European destinations have their own laws surrounding private swimming pools – in France, for example, it is a legal requirement for all outdoor swimming pools to be fenced off with safety barriers and self-locking access points such as gates.”
“A private pool is a one-way ticket to all-day family fun.
“Inflatables, dive toys, water pistols, foam noodles, rubber rings… the scope for pool accessories is endless.
“Here, the golden rule for swimming pool safety (and water safety for kids in particular) is to keep the number of swim toys in the pool at one time to a minimum.
“As tempting as it can be (for kids and adults!), a busy pool choc-full of inflatables is a distraction and can mask your view of the pool floor.”
For more information on pool safety if you have young kids coming away with you, visit https://www.rospa.com/leisure-water-safety/water/advice/holiday-swimming-pool.
