Below, we highlight some of the key things to be aware of and what you can do to keep things safe at the beach.
Watch children at all times
As we all know, young children are curious and easily excited, and in many cases, they seem to have a talent for getting into sticky situations! The beach is one place where you will always need to keep an eye on them. It’s easy to nod off in the sun, get lost in a book, or indulge in a spot of people-watching and before you know it, your little one has wandered off so stay aware of where your child is at all times.
Bathe and paddle only where there are lifeguards
Many beaches have lifeguards in the summer months, and if lifeguards are present, you will also see flags with red and yellow stripes. These flags indicate the area that is patrolled by the lifeguards, so anywhere between the flags should be covered. There are other flags that you might see, for example a red flag means that it’s not safe to go in the water at all.
Protect your children’s skin
It goes without saying that you should use sun cream on your children and cover up them up whenever possible. The most common spots for sunburn are the back of the neck and the shoulders, so it is important to pay special attention to these areas. If you want to go into the water with your baby, you can use a waterproof sun cream, which should be reapplied after swimming. Slumbersac’s bath ponchos are also ideal at sun protection because they cover the shoulders, and they won’t fall off as your children run around. You can grab one from our website here. Another way of avoiding sunburn is to create shade by using a parasol or something similar, although keeping little ones in a small patch of shade when there’s a beach to explore is not easy!
It doesn’t take long to make sure that you and your family are beach safe - and remember, much of the advice above also applies to lakes, rivers, parks, and outdoor pools too! So have fun this summer, wherever you are, and stay safe!
If you have any tips for the beach, we'd love to hear them! You can use the comments box below.
