Swimming instructor warns parents not to wrap towel around kids' shoulders

Summer is here - even if it may not feel like it sometimes - which means lovely, warm weather and lighter evenings.

And you know what us Brits are like with weather, we moan if it's too cold and likewise for when it's too hot.

If it's the latter, we're desperate to find ways to cool down as soon as those temperatures begin to soar, and frankly there's nothing better than having a dip in the water - from a small paddling pool in the back garden to one of these outdoor pools or lidos that have cropped up in the UK in recent years.

But as that season truly hits us, parents are being issued with a strong warning from a TikToker and swimming instructor.

Pexels

Also known as a water safety advocate, Nikki Scarnati has taken to TikTok to educate parents about the best way to dry off their child and wrap them up in a towel after they've been for a swim.

In the video, Nikki demonstrates 'a proper way to put your towel around your child' by comparing it to the way most parents would 'naturally' dry off their kids after a dip.

She explains: "I see it happen so many times, and I myself, as a parent, did it without even realising it was a thing."

The TikToker then demonstrates putting the towel over the kid's shoulders - which I think a lot of us would say is the way we'd do it.

However, this popular method of drying down is pretty unsafe.

"If they were to fall in the pool this way, all of their limbs are going to be restricted under a wet towel," Nikki adds.

Instead, you should dry their arms off, then get your child to lift up their arms and wrap the towel around them - essentially like you would with yourself after getting out of the shower.

TikTok/@scarnati.swim

"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," Nikki concluded.

Many parents have flocked to the comment section of the video thanking Nikki for the warning they knew nothing about.

"That's a great idea! I bought my son an oversized towel hoodie so his arms stay covered but he's got mobility," one parent said.

While another TikToker backed up what Nikki had said: "I can confirm this is true. When I was two I fell into the deep end of a rec pool with my towel on around my arms and I had to be rescued."

Topics: TikTok, Parenting, Health

Callum Jones

@CallumJ2709