Summer time is here. Time for warm (and hot) weather. Time for swimming, time for fun outside, and time for a whole new set of dangers for babies and young children.
Every parent cares about their children and wants to keep them from harm, but long winters sometimes make you forget about all of the dangers the warm weather presents. In case you need a little reminder, here or some summer safety tips for parents.
Sun and Heat Protection
Two of the biggest summer safety issues, for both adults and children, are sunburn and heat stroke. There are ways to avoid both of them.
To protect your children from sunburn, mark sure that they are wearing sunscreen anytime they are spending more than a few minutes outside. Pick something SPF 30 or higher for best results.
If they will be swimming you should get a sunscreen that is waterproof, or you’ll need to reapply often. You may still want to reapply if your child’s skin starts to look a little pink. Or it may just be time to go indoors.
To prevent heat stroke, make sure that your child drinks enough water. Water will help keep them hydrated and work to help regulate body temperature on hot days. If it is too hot out have them stay indoors and play.
Water and Pool Protection
Never let young children swim alone and always have flotation devices for them. If they are swimming in a pool and fairly avid swimmers, you should still be poolside keeping an eye on them. Never let kids play around a pool unattended either.
If you go boating with your kids make sure they always have their life preservers on. Don’t let them dive out of the boat. Don’t let them swim in too deep of water without life jackets either. Also, if you are fishing be careful with the hooks!
Bug Protection
Warms days bring about bugs of all kinds. Make sure your child is knowledgeable about bugs and knows how to react. Teach them not to run away and scream when bees or wasps are around them or they’ll be more likely to get stung.
Make sure children are wearing bug spray when you spend time outside and there are mosquitoes, or if you are walking through the woods where there might be ticks. Teach your children the proper way to remove ticks, and how to check themselves for them after spending time outside.
Summer is a time for fun and excitement. Nothing spoils fun faster than a third degree sunburn or a nasty bee sting. Make sure that your child is protected so they can have as much fun as possible before it’s time to go back to school!
Originally posted on June 10, 2015 @ 12:15 pm
