Summer is in session! By now, you’ve likely caught your breath from the end-of-year school madness. Whether you are settled in for a slow summer, or looking forward to a busy summer full of camps and vacations, it’s important to make sure your family is properly prepared for some (safe) fun in the sun.
1. Water/Swim Safety
Whether your children are avid swimmers or cute little floaters, you’ll want to make sure you have a family swim safety plan for the summer. There are some basic safety measures that are really easy to implement, that can be life saving.
First, no matter your child’s proficiency, make sure there is no chance of unsupervised access to water. When you are near or in the water, a designated adult, or water watcher, needs to be responsible for keeping an eye on each child at all times, no matter what.
Other levels of safety include having your child(ren) complete or repeat an age-appropriate swim lesson session/course each year. Another way to ensure your child’s safety is by making sure you, as a parent, are CPR certified and up to date on the most recent recommendations for infant and child CPR. You can find more ideas for drowning prevention and specific information about age appropriate boat, pool, lake and beach safety on the NDPA website, drowningispreventable.org, and on the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) website.
Other layers of protection for water safety would include the use of approved size and age-appropriate flotation devices. Below are some of my favorite life jackets and floats for kids.
Life Jackets
My current favorite life jackets (PFDs) are made by Stohlquist.
This infant life jacket is designed to keep infants under 30 pounds safe, as well as comfortable.
There are two child life jackets I really like. The first one is designed for children who are 30 – 50 pounds and has a zipper closure.
The second one is a high mobility life vest with three straps in the front to keep it closed and nice and tight.
Swim Floats
My current favorite infant floats are made by Swimways.
Swimways infant and baby spring floats are made with dual air chambers, which provide greater stability. They also have a canopy to protect baby’s eyes and sensitive skin from the sun.
2. Sun Safety
Sunburn prevention is top priority! Babies under six months should have limited direct sunlight exposure on their skin and sunscreen is not recommended at this age.
A mineral-based sunscreen with SPF 30-50+ is what I recommend for ages six months and up. The use of sun shades and umbrellas, as well hats and swimsuits with SPF/UPF protection are also a great way to protect the skin. It’s also best to avoid direct sun exposure in the middle of the day when the UV rays are at their strongest, which is typically within a couple of hours of lunchtime.
Here are some of my favorite mineral-based sunscreens that are safe for babies:
2. Babo Botanicals Sensitive Baby Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50
3. Blue Lizard Baby Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+
3. Outdoor Play/Hiking Safety
If you haven’t checked in on your first aid kit in a while, now is the perfect time! You can buy a pre-made kit or buy the supplies to make your own. You don’t need anything fancy but you’ll need to have basic over-the-counter products to address simple bites, stings, cuts/abrasions, burns and strains/sprains.
For mosquito and tick bite prevention, repellents containing DEET are the most effective. These products are safe to use on children two months old and up. Be sure to avoid applying these products on skin areas of young children where they could be ingested. Wear long sleeves and pants when possible and be sure to check the skin and hair for ticks at the end of the day.
Below are some of my favorite insect repellants (in the liquid form for spraying; do not use aerosol). If you’re unsure which would be best for your child, check out the AAP website for more information.
- OFF Deep Woods Sportsmen (with DEET)
2. Babyganics Natural DEET-Free Insect Repellent
I hope this list of resources makes you feel a bit more prepared for a summer of fun in the sun with your little ones!
What would you add to this list?
