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I’m a swimming instructor – don’t put your kids at risk with ‘deadly’ pool toys
THEY'RE a holiday staple which can keep kids entertained for hours.
But pool floats, commonly used by youngsters who can't yet swim, can prove fatal, a swimming instructor has warned.
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Nikki Scarnati said they lull children into a false sense of security, making them think they're safe when they're not.
They could spend all day wearing armbands or a float suit to splash about without any issues, only to run into the water without protection later and potentially drown.
The mum, who issued the advice in a video on TikTok, said: "Ditch the floaties.
"I know that using flotation [toys or devices] in pools is super convenient, but they come with their own set of risks.
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"Flotation devices make our kids think that they can swim when they can't.
"Our strong-willed kiddies are getting in the water by themselves 70 per cent of the time.
"So if they think they can swim when they can't, if they enter the water without that flotation device they're used to, you can imagine what the outcome will be."
Nikki, from Florida, US, explained that as a general rule of thumb, you don't want your children to be vertical in the water.
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And flotation devices, like swimming costumes, armbands, vests, rings and waist belts, do just this.
"If they're horizontal, they're going to be more productive and able to self rescue easier," the water safety advocate added.
Nikki credited Swim for Vinny for the potentially life-saving information.
The organisation was set up following the death of two-year-old Vinny, who passed away after entering a swimming pool without a buoyancy aid.
He had been wearing arm bands earlier in the day, so his parents believe he thought he could swim when he couldn't.
Nikki previously went viral after begging parents not to buy their kids blue swimming costumes.
She said the colour made it almost impossible to see youngsters playing in the water.
The parent also urged mums and dads not to wrap their kids up tightly in a towel after going for a dip as it restricts their limbs.
If they were then to fall into a pool, there is a high chance they could drown, she added.
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