Keep Children Safe In The Summer
As a parent, you want your children to be safe at all times. You spend a lot of time and energy working to make sure they are both safe and happy.
During the summer months, there are different safety concerns than during the winter or the school year. Kids play outside and go swimming. They spend more time out in the community. They are involved in summer sports and activities.
How can you help your child be safe and take care of themselves in the summer months? Keep reading to see our 8 tips to keep children safe in the summer.
1 – Protect Them from the Sun
Protect your child from sunburn by making sure they have sunscreen of at least 15 SPF or higher applied whenever they spend time out in the Sun. If they are old enough, teach them how to apply it themselves and do so every couple of hours; check to make sure they are doing this. If they aren’t, reapply yourself every few hours, more often if they have been playing in the water.
Be sure they dress appropriately in lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing that allows air circulation and movement.
Limit how much time they spend being very active in the hottest hours of the day, from about 11 am to 4 pm. Make sure they take frequent breaks to cool off and drink water. Be aware of signs of overheating – cramps, nausea, red face, weakness, fever, dizziness, heavy sweating (or no longer sweating, because their body has dried out). Children will keep playing even if they feel ill. Bring them inside, give them a lot to drink – use a sports drink for this rehydration – and take them to the urgent care or ER if they do not cool.
2 – Keep Them Hydrated
Speaking of water, protect your children from heatstroke and sunstroke by making sure they have enough to drink. Be sure what they are drinking is healthy for them; focus on water and occasional sports drinks, not cool-aid or soda.
Make sure they take a break and drink every half hour if they have played in the heat and the Sun. Even if they have been swimming, make sure they get out to drink regularly – external water doesn’t help keep inside the body hydrated.
3 – Keep Them Safe in The Water
Kids love to play in the pool in summer. Whether you have your pool or go to a community pool, be sure your child knows how to swim and understands water safety. Get them lessons from a certified teacher. This is not a guarantee of protection, but it increases their safety.
Make sure they never swim without a lifeguard or other capable adult watching them. And by watching, we mean eyes on them in the water. If you are socializing with other parents, take turns focusing on the kids in the water so that you can talk and to keep the kids safe. This includes when they are doing things like wading in a stream or pond.
If you are boating, canoeing, rafting or other activities on the water, make sure they are wearing life jackets. Never take a child in a boat without making sure they are wearing a life jacket.
4 – Make Sure They Use Proper Safety Equipment
Like the life jackets mentioned above, even if they complain about it, using proper safety equipment goes a long way to keeping kids safe.
Make sure they wear helmets when riding bicycles, scooters, skateboards, and other wheeled activities. Knee and elbow pads are essential as well, especially for skateboards and rollerblades. Floatation assistance in the pool and adult supervision is important.
5 – Know Who They Are Spending Time With
Get to know your child’s friends. Get to the know parents of your child’s friends. Become familiar with the adults at their favorite play places – the lifeguards at the pool, the counselors at the summer camp. Make sure they know how to get hold of you in case of an emergency. Ensure they know that you are an interested and involved parent and want to know what is going on with your child.
Do your research and be sure that any organization at which your child spends time (summer camp, swimming pool, sports teams) adequately screens all workers and volunteers and has excellent safety practices.
6 – Keep a First Aid Kit
Be ready for the injuries an active child can get by keeping a well-stocked, up to date first aid kit.
The first aid kit should include:
- Bandaids of various sizes
- Antibiotic ointment
- Hydrocortisone cream
- Sunburn ointment or aloe gel
- Ibuprofen or acetaminophen
- Thermometer
- Gauze, wrap bandages, and adhesive tape
7 – Watch for Dangers Caused by Heat
Car seats, park benches, seatbelt buckles, and playground equipment become overheated fast on a sunny afternoon. Children can get badly burned instantly from touching something unexpectedly hot; check the temperature of things that have been in the Sun before buckling a seatbelt, sitting your child on a bench, or letting them go down the slide. Make sure they know to check this too.
Never, never leave them in the car. Not even to “just run in quickly.” Cars overheat and become dangerous very quickly, and children die each summer in the oven of a shut-up car. If you see a child locked in an unattended vehicle, call authorities immediately. If your child accidentally gets locked in, call 911.
8 – Use Technology
There are apps that are designed to help keep your child safe and to locate them if you lose sight of them. The FBI Child ID app lets you keep vital information about your child readily available if you need to describe them.
Many apps allow you to locate family members and friends using the phone’s GPS. Android apps for locating people include the Family GPS Tracker app and the Sprint Family Tracker. iPhone has apps such as Find My Friends. With this app, everyone installs it on their phone, and they are then able to locate and meet up with each other.
Keep Children Safe in The Summer
Take these simple actions to keep children safe in the summer, and have an enjoyable summer!
If you are in need of pool services of any kind, please reach out to Skovish Pools & Spas. You can call us, fill out our secure online form, or visit one of our store locations in Luzerne PA and Shickshinny PA
Have a wonderful summer!