Ah, Summer. The best time of the year (for most people). Barbeques, picnics, fun in the sun, vacations, and splashing around in the pool
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Table of Contents
1. Keeping Your Kids Cool And Protected Is Important
Children love playing outside and enjoying the sun, but just keep in mind that being exposed to the sun isn’t always a good thing. Keep refreshing items ready at hand for your child. Also, popsicles are a great treat to beat the heat. Be sure to buy popsicles with little to no added sugar. If you want, you can easily make your own popsicles out of natural fruit juices. Your kids will absolutely love it and they will stay cooled off at the same time. And be sure to keep plenty of water available for your thirsty kiddos.
The recommended daily amount of fluids is:
5 glasses (1 litre) for 5 to 8 year olds
7 glasses (1.5 litres) for 9 to 12 year olds
8 to 10 glasses (2 litres) for 13+ years
Keeping direct sunlight off of your children as much as possible is also helpful. When you dress your child, dress them in lightly colored clothing that is breathable. This will help keep them from becoming unnecessarily hot and sweaty. Also, be sure to keep a hat on their head if you are able to (I know my kid really hates hats
Eye Sunburn Is Real
Believe it or not, eyesunburn is a real thing and kid’s are most susceptible to it. Symptoms can include:
- A sensation of grit in eye
- Extreme sensitivity to light
- Tearing
- Redness
- Blurry or haloed vision
- Swollen and twitching eyelids
- Headache
- Small pupils
- In rare cases, temporary vision loss
To avoid photokeratitis (a fancy term for sunburnt eyes) the American Optometric Association recommends wearing shades that:
- Block at least 99 percent of UVA and UVB rays.
- Screen 75 to 90 percent of visible light.
- Have no imperfections that cause distortion.
- Feature gray lenses.
2. Keep A Close Eye When Little Ones Are In Or Near The Pool
Swim time can be an incredibly fun way to spend a hot summer day with your kids. Kids love splashing and giggling while riding around on their favorite pool floaties or going down water slides. It can be a great way to bond with your kids too! Please still keep in mind though that water can be dangerous to young children. Water safety steps must be taken to protect your children in the Summer months when water play is prevalent.
Here are some startling facts about kids and water to consider.
According to the CDC children 1-4 have the highest drowning rate. Most of those drownings happen in their own home swimming pools. Statistically most of those children were unsupervised and were simply wandering around the water where the incident occurred. Some of the children may have had no intention of going into the water at all but slipped or fell in by accident. All of this is preventable. Be always aware of where your children are playing. It does not take long for a drowning to occur.
IN THE TIME IT TAKES TO…
Cross a room for a towel (10 seconds), a child in a bathtub can be submerged.
Answer the phone (2 minutes), a child can lose consciousness.
Sign for a package at the front door (4-6 minutes), a child submerged in a tub or pool can sustain permanent brain damage.
3. Take Extra Care During Your Firework Shows and Festivities
The Fourth of July can be one of the best holidays to get together with your family. Food, fun, and fireworks! Everyone loves seeing a spectacular light show in the night sky whilst among your closest friends and family. Children and parents alike will be awestruck by the colorful splendor. Just remember that fireworks can be extremely dangerous if not handled properly.
Beware of Sparklers!
One of the potentially most dangerous type of fireworks for a child to be exposed to is the average sparkler. A childhood staple for some. Many parents often fail to see the potential dangers a simple sparkler can yield to a child. Did you know that sparklers can burn at temperatures of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit or higher? That is hot enough to burn some metals. In fact back in 2016 there was an estimated 900 emergency room visits related to the use of sparklers. 400 of those visits were children ages 0-4 years of age.
Monitor your children closely with any kind of fireworks.
To prevent firework related injuries, monitor your child closely if they are handling sparklers. Keep a bucket of water handy to throw the sparkler in once it is done burning as they can still be extremely hot long after they have gone out. If adults are lighting fireworks at home make sure to keep a safe distance away from them after lighting, keep a garden hose handy in case of a mishap. No one wants their Fourth of July festivities to end with a trip to the hospital.
4. Use Proper Sunblock For Your Kids (And Yourself)
Keeping you and your children safe from overexposure to the sun can be critical. No one likes a sunburn, it can be extremely uncomfortable and painful. I speak from my own terrible childhood experience after a day out at the public pool (ouch). We all know the obvious potential negative impacts the sun can have on our bodies. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States.
What the CDC recommends.
The CDC recommends that you use a broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF 15+ at least. I prefer SPF 30+ personally because of the increased protection it offers. Do your best to avoid spray on sunscreen, it is hard to keep children from breathing in or ingesting some of the product.
Choose Wisely When It Comes To Sunscreen.
Even some of the safest types of sunscreen contain at least some potentially harmful chemicals. Using a sunscreen above SPF 50+ is not recommended as they tend to get used improperly. Higher SPF sunscreens contain a higher concentrated amount of chemicals and do not provide the balance of protection from UVA and UVB rays as lower SPF sunscreens.
5. Take Care With Little Ones In The Car During Hot Months!
This one is hard for me to write about as it is one of the most horrifying things I can imagine as a parent. 761 children have died due to pediatric vehicular heat stroke since 1998. There have been at least 18 cases documented already this year. 54% of the incidences were result of a caregiver forgetting a child in the car. More than half of the children were ages 2 and under. To me this is absolutely unbelievable as I wonder to myself how could a human being simply FORGET a child in the car.
Statistically, it is possible.
I am unsure how this is possible, but statistically it is and it does unfortunately happen. According to the CDC when temperatures outside range from 80-100 the temperature inside a car parked in direct sunlight can quickly climb to between 130 to 172. Children have died in cars with the temperature as low as 63 degrees.
This video may be hard for some viewers to watch but it is a reenacted version of what could happen when a child is left alone in a hot car. (No one was hurt in real life in this video!) It is simply to bring awareness to the sad epidemic in the United States. I did not create this video.
Products that can help prevent the worst from happening.
If this video has you worried for one reason or another there are some products out there that could provide a bit of peace of mind. I would have to assume that most of these cases involved a parent or caregiver who was rushed, hurried, late, frantic, or forgetful. But, whatever the case may be, there are several products on the market for helping you keep track of your children.
Even if you, like myself, feel it’s impossible to forget your own child in a car you know that it only takes a matter of moments for your child to leave your side and end up somewhere they don’t belong. For instance if you are playing out in the yard with your kid or at the store and turn around for a moment your child could be feet away from you doing something they shouldn’t.
This eClip clips to your child’s seatbelt, diaper bag, or anywhere you need. It gives you alerts to several things via low frequency Bluetooth. The alerts include high or low temperature and proximity warnings.
Mommy I’m Here is a child locator that alerts you when your child is more than 30 feet from you.
Stay Vigilant!
Protect your children in the Summer months. Be extra vigilant and keep track of them at all times. May your summer be fun-filled and stress free by being prepared. Our little ones are what makes life worth living, and let us all take a little more time this season to make sure everyone can have a safe and joyous Summer.
– Sincere Mommy
All images courtesy of Pexels.com
If you liked this post then you may also like my post about getting back into exercise after pregnancy.
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Great bit of useful information. That many parents don’t often seem to be aware of.