After a frightening almost drowning instance, Adam Lisberg, a New Jersey father is trying to caution other parents about the dangers posed by mermaid tail swimsuits which are a widely held design that binds the legs and may put children at risk.
Adam said that his two daughters, Annabelle, 5, and Ruby, 7, were swimming in a small baby pool while wearing the popular accessory.
He said that his both the daughters have always loved mermaids and they even had similar swimsuits in the past and had worn them so many times that they fell apart. Their parents knew that it is hard to kick in the swimming pool due to its blocking their feet but also aware that the baby pool was just 2 feet deep and even if his daughters sit down, they can get themselves up without difficulty. Moreover, the parents habitually oversee the girls while they are splashing around.
On this particular day, though Adam’s 5-year-old son, Ben decided that he wanted to make guacamole but only mentioned it to his parents after he had begun smashing avocados. Adam thought that his two girls in the pool keeping eye and each other and he too, can hear them as the baby pool was placed right below the kitchen. So Adam figured out that it was safe to go up and make guacamole with his son while looking out the window.
Adam said there was even a false alarm that he responded to immediately but only to find out they were playing a game together. But just a few minutes later, 7-year-old Ruby came inside and said to Adam that Annabelle wasn’t moving. But when he got over there, he found that Annabelle’s eyes were wide, she wasn’t actually moving and at first, Adam really believed that she was dead.
Adam said that Ruby was lying on her side with her arms inside the mermaid tail. She wasn’t breathing, but she began to respond after Adam did basic CPR on her. Paramedics and police arrived quickly and took Annabelle to the hospital, where she stayed for two days.
Ruby described that Annabelle had been under the water and she saw her there and was trying to talk to Annabelle, but she wasn’t reacting. Ruby took the efforts to get her sister completely out of the water. Adam said that he wish Ruby had shouted something, but her first instinct was to protect her sister and she did exactly that.
Once Annabelle was able to describe what had happened to her, she told her dad she was playing potato when she pulled her arms inside the suit. Adam said that she pulled it up to her shoulders and ended up under the water. He further said that Annabelle tried to reach for the part she could pull off, but couldn’t move her hands and bubbles came out when she tried to talk. She just realized that she couldn’t do anything and that put her into shock.
Dr. Suzette Oyeku at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in Bronx, New York, agreed with Adam that the suits can be dangerous. The Doctor said that if a toy or swimsuit constrains child’s legs or arms and they are not able to float, then that can be a safety hazard for them. Dr. Oyeku said that any kind of device going into the pool that will obstruct a child’s ability to wade through the water is not advisable and that the mermaid tail swimsuits are definitely cute, but it constrains their ability to move and can cause drowning.
Adam said that he and his wife have both felt awfully awkward that they weren’t exactly watching the girls in the pool every single second. They thought they were doing the very best they could but that one dreadful moment happened when things can go wrong and as luck would have it their, older daughter was turn out to be a hero.
Adam advised parents to avoid purchasing the mermaid tail swimsuits, no matter how much children may want them and warned that anyone who has a mermaid tail swimsuit, should never get near water.
