Summer Safety for Your Toddler

It's summer time again and everyone will want to be spending as much time as possible in the wonderful summer weather. While spending a lot of time in the summer weather can be very enjoyable, it can also be hazardous to your health, especially to your active toddler. Here are a few tips on summer safety for your toddler while you are enjoying the summer weather.

Summer Pool Safety - Swimming pools can be a huge danger to toddlers, even small kiddie pools can be a drowning hazard. Always watch your toddler when they are playing in or around any size or type of body of water. Never allow your toddler to run around a pool or jump into a pool that is too shallow. You should always be within arms reach when your toddler is splashing around in the pool. A drowning accident can happen in the blink of an eye. Make sure that your toddler is safe and secure. Some sort of floatation device is usually needed when it comes to toddlers being in a swimming pool. Most do not know how to swim so make sure that your toddler is safe with a life jacket, swim floaties, one of those swim suits with built-in floats, etc.

Summer Bug Safety - Insects are just awful in the summer time. Insect bites can be itchy, irritating and, sometimes, can cause major health problems. Protect your toddler from insect bites by using an insect repellent, regularly. There are many insect repellents available on the market today, but you need to be on the lookout for the ones specially formulated for children. Toddlers have thinner layers of skin than adults do, therefore their skin absorbs more of the chemicals in the insect repellents than adults would. You should find an insect repellent that does not contain any DEET, or at least less than 10% DEET. Make sure that, with whatever insect repellent you decide to use, you do not apply it around your child's mouth or eyes. You may also want to keep it off of your toddler's hands if they have a tendency to rub their eyes. I like to use Avon's Skin So Soft BugGuard Plus because it is DEET-free, comes in a disappearing color lotion (which helps you know what areas haven't been covered yet) and has a built-in sunscreen, which covers two things at once - bugs and sunscreen.

Summer Sun Safety - Next to bug repellent, sunscreen should be the top on your toddler's summer safety list. Anyone can get a nasty sunburn in a matter of minutes, even on cloudy days, during the summer time. Everyone should wear sunscreen when they are outside, but we all know that doesn't happen 100% of the time. Luckily, it only takes about five minutes to get a generous coat of sunscreen lathered onto your toddler's body. Pick a sunscreen with a high SPF rating, I like to use the baby formulas, with an SPF of 50, on all three of my children. Make sure to cover any skin that is showing with a generous amount of sunscreen. Many experts say that you should use at least a shot glass full of sunscreen on each person. Boy, that's a lot of sunscreen for one little person. Don't forget to cover the back of your toddler's neck, their little ears, noses and even the tops of their feet. If your toddler doesn't have a lot of hair you may also want to rub some sunscreen on their little heads, or at least keep a sunhat on them. Sunscreen is a necessity when it comes to summer safety for your toddler.

Summer Dehydration Safety - Toddlers love being outside and they can be so hyper and active while they are out there. Making sure your toddler stays hydrated can be difficult when all they want to do is run and play. A toddler, between the ages of one and three, should drink about 1.3 liters of water per day, or approximately 5.5 cups of water. For children, who don't sweat as much as adults, the feeling of thrist can lag behind the actual need for fluid. Therefore, when a child feels thristy they could already be dehydrated. Toddler's need to stay hydrated, especially when they are outside in the summer heat. So bring along several bottles of water when you are out with your toddler during the summer.

Summer Overheating Safety - Overheating can be a real problem with all children, not just toddlers. Children can get so busy playing and enjoying themselves that the signs of heat exhaustion can be overlooked, therefore putting your child at risk of a heat stroke. A few signs to watch for when it comes to heat exhaustion are fatigue, dizziness, nausea, fainting and vomiting. A few signs of heat stroke are flushed skin, a body temperature of 106 degrees or higher, headaches and rapid pulse. Before your child reaches either of these stages you should be sure to keep them well hydrated, make them take breaks from activities in a cool and shady area and, if need be, cool them off with a cool, wet cloth.

It's great to be outside in the summer weather, but everyone should be safe about it. Your toddler doesn't understand why you are making him/her take breaks and they may throw a tantrum because they have to stop their fun, but it is important to their safety that these things be focused on during the summer months. I hope that with these tips you and your toddler will have a great and enjoyable summer!

If you enjoyed this article and would like to read more from this author, clickHERE.