A swimming instructor has cautioned parents on why they shouldn't wrap the towel around their children’s shoulders.
Nikki Scarnatii is a certified ISR swim instructor, water safety advocate, and drowning prevention educator. She also has a TikTok page where she shares her expertise with fellow parents.
The 32-year-old mom recently took to her social media account - where she is known by the handle @scarnati.swim - and explained: "I see it happen so many times, and I myself, as a parent, did it without even realizing it was a thing."
Nikki then showed viewers the usual way in which parents tend to dry off their kids, which is by covering the towel over their shoulders and hugging them.
Watch Nikki's TikTok below:Nikki then revealed why that mistake could be dangerous, saying: "If they were to fall in the pool this way, all of their limbs are going to be restricted under a wet towel."
Instead, she showed that the safer way to dry off your little one is by lightly rubbing their arms and then lifting them up so that you can wrap the towel around their body.
"So when you get them out of the pool, dry their arms off, lift your arms up, but put the towel underneath their arms. That’s right. Make sure your towel is under your little one’s arms. NOT on top," she continued. "That way, if they end up in the water, they still have access to their limbs to self-rescue, and they’re that much safer."
After watching her advice, many viewers took to the comment section to thank her for her potentially life-saving advice. One user wrote: "I can confirm this is true. When I was 2 I fell into the deep end of a rec pool with my towel on around my arms, and I had to be rescued."
Another person interjected: "Also- if they trip, they can catch themselves before hitting the ground," while a third commented: "I agree with this if they are lingering around the pool," but added: "However if they are leaving the area, wrapping around is fine."
The swim coach's towel advice isn’t her first video to make a splash on the social media platform. Last month, she went viral after instructing parents not to buy their children swimwear that matches with the color of the pool.
The mom shared a video of her own daughter wearing blue bathers as she swam around in the water to emphasize how it conceals her in the pool.
"This is why you do not put your children in blue bathing suits. Look at how difficult it is to see her under the water," Scarnati declared. "And this is in calm water. This is not with a whole bunch of other kids playing and splashing around and having a good time."
She urged: "So, do not buy blue bathing suits, guys," and suggested that parents should purchase "bright ones" instead.
