Beach vacations are exciting, highly anticipated events in any kid’s life. Just make sure that your trip to the coast is fun, memorable, and safe. You can keep your beach trip safe with a little bit of preparation.
Make Sure They Put on Sunscreen
Sunscreen is absolutely essential at the beach. Sunburns at the beach are no joke. Not only do sunburns increase your chances of developing skin cancer later on, but they can ruin the rest of your vacation. Sadly, oceanside sunburns are quite common. Full days out in the sun, few options for shade, frequent toweling off, and the difficulty of reapplying sunscreen when you are sandy are just a few of the reasons for this. You can prevent sunburns by making sunscreen a priority. Apply an SPF sunscreen or higher all over at least 15 minutes before hitting the sand. Then, be sure to reapply every time your kids towel off or every two hours–whichever one is sooner.
Keep Them in Sight
The last thing you want is for your beach vacation to end in disaster. The ocean is a vast and magical world full of beautiful and fascinating sea creatures. It is also home to dangerous and even deadly animal life. You should watch out for any dangerous ocean life while swimming in the ocean. Make sure your kids stay close to you and keep your eyes peeled for dangerous wildlife such as stingrays, jellyfish, sea snakes, barracudas, and sharks.
Make Sure They Can Swim
If you plan on letting your kids out of arm’s reach for even a moment, be sure that they can swim. Only strong swimmers should get in the water without a life jacket and adult present. However, even the strongest swimmers can get into trouble if there is a riptide. Don’t ignore riptide warning signs; only swim where it is safe. At the same time, it is a good idea to teach your kids what to do if they are caught in a riptide. Instead of fighting it, call for help, then swim parallel to the shore until you are out of the powerful current.
Beach vacations are the stuff of memories! Make sure yours is memorable in positive ways, rather than unhappy ones. No one wants their coastal trip to be ruined by a bad sunburn, painful injury, or worse. Talk to your kids about how to stay safe at the beach before their toes come even close to hitting the sand and make sure to watch them like a hawk!
Check out this article on fun activities to plan with your kids this summer!
