Best and Worst Colors for Your Child’s New Swimsuit

Children grow fast. It seems like they’re always outgrowing their clothes. Despite the stretchiness and flexibility swimsuits inherently have, your child’s going to need a new one at some point. If you’re in the market for a new swimsuit, you know that color matters. The thing is, choosing a color isn’t just about making your child happy–it impacts safety too.

Best Swimsuit Colors

Some swimsuit colors show up a lot better in the water than others. The best swimsuit colors from a safety perspective are neon colors like orange, yellow, and lime green. These colors show up best under the water, regardless of whether it’s pool water or open water (lakes, rivers, etc). Bright contrasting colors are easier to spot and are less likely to be mistaken for leaves, debris, or even cloud reflections.

Worst Swimsuit Colors

Blues and greens are popular swimsuit colors, but they aren’t great for making your child visible in the water. It’s best to steer away from dark colors too. They show up well against pools with light bottoms, but they can be mistaken for leaves or debris on the bottom of the pool. On the other end of the spectrum, white isn’t a good choice either. White swimsuits can look a bit like cloud reflections on the water in open water.

Help Your Child Choose

Of course, just because neon orange, yellow, and lime green are the best choices for visibility, that doesn’t mean that your child necessarily wants to choose something like that. Fortunately, contrast is a major plus, so you may find success by finding swimsuits that feature those bright neon colors along with your child’s favorite color. Alternatively, you can try to direct their focus to fun design elements. See if you can find a swimsuit in the best colors with a favorite animal on them or other fun features. Help your child choose a swimsuit that will keep them safe by selecting options that you think will work well and then letting them choose from among them.

The next time you buy a new swimsuit for your child, think carefully about what color the swimsuit is. Opt for bright, colorful swimsuits with contrasting colors. Consider where your child is swimming too–neon pink shows up well in pools, but practically disappears in open water. And remember, while making your child as visible as possible helps keep them safer, it’s no substitute for careful, focused supervision. That’s the ultimate way to keep your child safe in the water.

Safety should always come first when swimming. Click here to learn SwimJim’s 10 golden rules for water safety and drowning prevention.