Summertime days outdoors provide your child with the chance to get out and get active. But warm weather activities also come with risks. Take a look at what you need to know to keep your child safe, healthy, and happy during the summer months.
Hydrate Well and Often
Between sports, pool days, and everything else your child does outdoors, hydration becomes a major issue. Signs of dehydration in children include a dry or sticky mouth; irritability; drowsiness; dizziness; or dry or cool skin.
To keep your child hydrated in the summer heat:
- Give them plenty of water.
Fill a reusable water bottle before going outdoors. Refill the bottle as your child drinks the contents.
- Avoid soda and sports drinks.
Even though these liquids may seem refreshing, they come with unnecessary (and often unhealthy) additives, such as sugar and caffeine.
- Limit juice.
Like sodas and sports drinks, fruit juice also adds excessive sugar to your child's diet.
Take breaks during outdoor activities to minimize the risks of dehydration. Proper hydration is nonnegotiable. If your child refuses to drink, head indoors to cool down.
Avoid Ticks
Ticks hide in tall grass, trees, shrubs, leaf debris piles, and other similar outdoor areas. Reduce the risk of tick-borne disease (such as Lyme disease) with a few easy-to-follow steps:
- Wear long clothing.
If possible, dress your child in clothing that covers their skin.
- Examine your child thoroughly.
When your child comes inside, examine them for ticks. This includes spots you might not think to look, such as in between toes, in their belly button or under their hair.
- Bathe after outdoors activities.
While a shower may not remove a tick, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends showering within two hours of outdoor activity to reduce Lyme disease risks.
- Know the signs.
Educate yourself on the signs of Lyme disease, such as a bull's-eye rash, fever, chills, joint pain, and fatigue.
Along with these preventative steps, cut your grass often and remove brush and debris from your yard. This decreases the likelihood of a tick invasion outside of your home.
Use Sun Protection
The sun's UV rays can cause serious and long-lasting damage to your child's skin. Avoid sunburns and later-in-life issues, such as wrinkles or skin cancer, with the proper protection steps. To minimize the chances of a burn or severe skin damage:
- Use sunscreen.
Cover your child in a broad spectrum (UVA and UVB), water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. Apply the sunscreen 15 minutes before outdoor activities and reapply every two hours (or after swimming or sweating).
- Cover exposed skin.
Along with sunscreen, cover your child's exposed skin (if possible) with SPF-treated clothing.
- Stay in the shade. Stick to shady areas during high-sunshine times, such as midday.
- Use a hat.
Shade your child's head and protect their scalp with a sun hat.
- Use sunglasses.
The eyes are also susceptible to the sun's rays. Make sure your child wears sunglasses during outdoor activities.
If your child does burn in the summer sun, watch for signs such as dehydration, nausea, blistering, dizziness, fatigue, fever, or oozing. These symptoms could indicate a serious skin issue that requires medical attention.
Get Active
It's easy to fall into a sedentary summer routine. Even though the park and pool are open for a day of play, some children prefer the comfort of an air conditioned home. If your child sits on the couch more often than you'd like:
- Go for a family walk.
Take a walk around the block after dinner or walk (instead of drive) to your summertime activities.
- Have a dance party.
When the weather is too warm to go outside, throw a living room dance party. Turn on your child's favorite music and dance the day away.
- Play an active game.
Instead of computer games, switch off the screen and create a backyard obstacle course or play follow the leader.
Organized activities, such as summer camps, also offer an easy way to get kids up and out of the house during the non-school months.