Increasingly popular, neck buoys are not without their dangers. Babies can slip through or turn around, experts warn.
They might make cute photos – and still do – but they can be dangerous. Neck buoys are in the spotlight after the American Academy of Pediatrics reported the risks associated with their use.
These are inflatable devices that hug babies’ necks, so they can move freely in the water. But obviously not in complete safety. Many products deflate quickly. The child’s head can then slide through. Users have also reported that the buoys sometimes turn over and children end up with their heads underwater.
Potential deadly traps
“Baby neck buoys scare me,” Dr. Kyran Quinlan told WDSU News, an American physician and member of the American Academy of Pediatrics. I hope they scare parents too. These are potential death traps. “
These objects, originally intended for children with motor disabilities, were notably popularized by Instagram, where photos of babies who wear them abound. Parents do not hesitate to put their children on stage, believing that the buoys make very cute shots.
But they also think that these buoys are so well thought out that they allow them to lower their level of vigilance while their toddler evolves alone in the water.
Armbands and parents
“The isolated activity goes completely against the essence of learning to swim in babies, which is human contact,” says Kayle Burgham of the British Lifeguards Association. It is based on a bond with the child, who can explore the water in a safe, peaceful, and playful way. “
The French Association of Ambulatory Pediatrics had already pointed out, last year, the dangers associated with these products which, according to them, are used by 25% of parents for bathing their children, recalls The Parisian. This would be, according to them, the least secure means of protection.
Armbands or inflatable vests, with CE marking and especially the presence of parents, remain the surest means of avoiding drowning.
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