Summer is a great time for kids to get out of the house, get some sunshine, and have fun. Because summer can kind of sneak up on you, here are a few important reminders to help keep safety top of mind. These simple summer safety tips for kids will help keep them healthy and well protected all summer long.
5 Summer Safety Tips Kids Need To Hear
It is a great idea to read these summer safety tips over with your kids just so they know to be careful. The best way to stay safe is to be aware of dangers before hand.
Protect Against Drowning
More than 800 kids a year die in accidental drowning incidents, don’t let your child be one of them. OK. That sounded really serious but it is serious so discuss water safety tips with your child. Unfortunately I know a mother that lost her child to drowning. It happens so quickly and it needs more awareness.
- If you have a pool in your yard, restrict access with a fence, locks, and alarms.
- Never leave your kids unsupervised and don’t allow yourself to be distracted by your phone. If you have to walk away, make sure to ask another responsible adult to watch your kids.
- Learn CPR, hopefully you’ll never need it, but it’s important to know how to do it.
- Learn about the dangers of secondary drowning. This can happen hours after your child inhales water into their lungs and long after they get out of the pool.
- Remember that drowning happens silently. There usually isn’t splashing around or a call for help. Know the signs of distress.
Protect Against the Sun
The sun’s damaging rays can cause more than sunburn. Their UV rays can cause eye damage as well. And sunburns can lead to skin damage much later in life, including skin cancer.
- Apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before going outside, even on cloudy days. Make sure to use a generous amount of UVA and UVB blocking sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15. Reapply every two hours and after swimming or intense sweating.
- Wear sun-protective clothing. You can now buy Hats, shirts, and pants with UVA and UVB protection built right in for extra protection. These are great options for fair, extra-sensitive skin.
- Wear sunglasses that offer 99 to 100 percent blockage of UVA and UVB rays.
Protect Against Bugs
Use insect repellant to protect your kids against ticks, mosquitos, and other bugs that carry harmful diseases. (Note: While products with DEET are highly effective in repelling insects, they can be toxic. Never apply DEET products to your child’s face or hands.)
- Wear long-sleeve shirts and pants to keep skin covered and easily repel bugs.
- Never leave stagnant water in a kid’s pool, this attracts mosquitos.
- Avoid scented soaps and don’t allow your kids to carry around sweet beverages like juice as this attracts bugs.
Protect Against Dehydration
This is one of the most simple summer safety tips but it will help you avoid a very common problem. Excessive heat leads to faster dehydration so it’s important to stay on top of your kids’ water intake. If they’re active in the heat, they need water every 15-20 minutes. Also, they’ll stay better hydrated if they get electrolytes as well. Switch between water and Gatorade or Smart Water to keep their electrolytes up.
Protect Against Head Injury
Whenever your kids are on bikes, scooters, roller skates, or anything else with wheels, they need to wear a helmet to protect their head against injuries if they fall. Be sure to wear one yourself to set a good example.
Protect Against Food Poisoning
Foodborne illnesses are on the rise in the summer because bacteria grow faster in the warmer temperatures. Since many people are eating outside more, food often isn’t refrigerated properly and hands aren’t getting properly washed before eating.
- Always wash hands before preparing, serving, and eating food. If you can’t get to soap, water, and a clean towel, and hand sanitizer is the next best thing.
- Don’t cross contaminate food by allowing raw meat to come into contact with any other food or plates and utensils.
- Make sure meat is cooked to the proper temperature by using a thermometer.
- Keep perishable foods refrigerated as long as possible and throw them out if they’ve been unrefrigerated more than an hour or two.
Using these summer safety tips to keep your kids protected will ensure that you all have a wonderful and healthy summer. Just going over these summer safety tips with your kids once at the beginning of the summer will help you all be prepared for all the outdoor fun for the rest of the summer. Do you have any other summer safety tips for kids you’d like to share? Tag us in your summer fun pics @familyfocusblog #familyfocusblog!
Related Posts:
Pet Summer Safety Tips
Keeping Kids Safe From Pedophiles