Tag Archives: summer

How to Keep Your Family Happy and Healthy During the Summer Holidays

Now that school is nearly over, your kids are probably really excited about their soon to be freedom! It’s a bit of a change to how things normally are, it can be really tempting to just order a takeaway and put a film on to keep your kids entertained, but it’s really important to make sure that they get out and about during the summer.

Your kids are probably really excited that they’ll have a break from homework, deadlines and rushing to catch the bus. This break means that your kids (and you) now have time to relax. Obviously, you need to take a break from time to time, however, you should make sure that it doesn’t affect your kids negatively. Having a routine is good for them, so you don’t want to change it up too much.

Get them Moving

Taking too long a break can actually cause a lot more problems, as it can cause unhealthy changes. In fact, some studies suggest that summer may be the most fattening time of the year for kids. So, as a parent, you should be thoughtful about how much exercise your kid is actually doing during the summer holidays.

It’s important to make sure that they don’t spend all day in bed. Whilst you can give them the occasional one, you should still make sure that they get up and active most of the time. Otherwise when they go back to school at the end of the summer holidays, they’ll probably struggle to readjust to getting up early for school.

Create healthy habits

Junk food can have a pleasing taste due to the high levels of artificial sugars. However, they might create mayhem to your family’s moods and health. Nowadays, many kids are either obese or overweight. Therefore, creating a healthy lifestyle can play a significant role in maintaining weight.  On many occasions, children that are overweight are very prone to heartburn, which can be caused by eating certain types of foods. Medications can be useful for treating heartburn in kids. However, consult your doctor before buying any heartburn medication, because there is a popular heartburn relief drug that has been recalled by the manufacturers.

Keep to your Normal Routine

This goes hand in hand with getting up early. Sure, you can have an extra half hour in bed if needs be, but don’t let yourself or your kids get into the habit of staying up late and getting up late. It’s a really hard habit to break. Why not make the most of the day and get up and out of bed as soon as possible? The weather’s great outside so you should definitely make sure to soak up some sunshine.

It might also help you to create a list of activities that you can do together. Make sure that you allocate a specific time for this. This way they’ll have something to do (just like they would if they had to get to school). So, this will help stop them just rolling out of bed and sitting on the couch all day.

Remember to Keep Cool and Have Fun!

While it’s important to make sure that your kids have a routine, you don’t want to overdo it. It’s vital that they have some downtime. This is particularly important as sometimes in summer it can get very hot and this can lead to dizziness, tiredness or even feeling faint. This is something that you want to avoid. So, one way that you can do this, is to have fun in a cool room inside your house. In order to do this, you might find it beneficial if you have an air conditioning unit installed in your house. If you don’t have one then you can always check out a website like airecontrol.com. Having an air conditioning unit installed can really help you stay cool and not get too hot during the summer.

It’s important to keep hydrated whilst the sun is shining. If you or your kids get too hot, then you might become ill and this is a sure way to ruin your holiday. You should make the most of those cool rooms that have nice air conditioning. However, if you do want to go outside, then make sure that you drink water regularly. Don’t forget to put plenty of sunscreen on your kids if they are spending all day outside. You can find about more about the right sunscreen to put on your kids here.

Is Sunscreen Safe for Kids?

Did you know the Friday before Memorial Day is National Sunscreen Day (aka “Don’t Fry Day”)?

I used to forgo sunscreen all of the time. Going Mom would always get on to me about needing to protect my skin, but I would just wave it off and go about my day ignorant to how the sun affects me. At least I played it safe for my kids when they were babies and kept them covered our Onya Baby carrier.

sunscreen, baby carrier, summer, memorial day, sun, protection, baby wearing
Covering our precious cargo before walking with the original sunscreen.

If sunscreen were food, I would’ve spent hours researching it trying to decide what is good, what’s bad, and the ingredients that make it so, but this is an area I overlooked. Anyone who knows me, knows I’m very peculiar about what I eat, but I need to be more aware of other things that threaten my health as well. Like, for instance, sunscreen!

After a run.....and no sunscreen.
After a run…..and no sunscreen.

Kelley did her research and bought Organic Badger Baby Sunscreen to put on Avery. You’d think I would’ve just put some on myself at the same time, but that’s part of my stubbornness.

I hate rubbing it in because it gets caught in my arm and leg hair too much. Good reason, right? Since my dear wife is persistent about getting me to use sunscreen (I guess she loves me or something!), I thought I’d be smart and just buy a spray version; problem solved!

Nope, problem not solved! Now she was on to me about how bad the spray kinds are, especially for kids! Well crap, will I ever get it right?! I blindly argued that there’s no difference even though I had no clue about sunscreens. Kelley, on the other hand, had been reading several sources on the subject.

Needless to say, Kelley sent me links to prove why certain sunscreens are harmful and I finally admitted defeat. Note to self, don’t argue about things you have no clue about for so long; it gets you nowhere! Double note to self; just don’t argue with your wife….EVER!

I promptly returned the toxic spray sunscreen.

Here’s a quote from the link Kelley sent me regarding sunscreens:

Could nanoparticles cause internal damage if they penetrate skin or are inhaled?
Yes.  Though sunscreen lotions do not pose penetration concerns, inhalation of nanoparticles particles is dangerous for many reasons.  EWG strongly discourages the use of powder or spray sunscreens using titanium dioxide or zinc oxide of any particle size.

Read the full article from the Environmental Working Group here.

Now, on to the question of this post; is sunscreen safe for kids? Like most answers out there, yes and no. There hasn’t been enough research to definitely say sunscreen is harmful, but the effects are greater on a babies than older children and adults.

From what I read, it’s best not to apply sunscreen to babies under 6 months and to avoid the sun as much as possible. Sorry, Avery, we already messed up there. Forgive us, please?

The FDA has an informative post on the topic of sunscreen for babies along with useful tips on keeping baby safe in the sun.

  • Keep your baby in the shade as much as possible.

  • Consult your pediatrician before using any sunscreen on your baby. If you do use a small amount of sunscreen on your baby, don’t assume the child is well protected.

  • Make sure your child wears clothing that covers and protects sensitive skin. Use common sense; if you hold the fabric against your hand and it’s so sheer that you can see through it, it probably doesn’t offer enough protection.

  • Make sure your baby wears a hat that provides sufficient shade at all times.

  • Watch your baby carefully to make sure he or she doesn’t show warning signs of sunburn or dehydration. These include fussiness, redness and excessive crying.

  • Hydrate! Give your baby formula or breast milk if you’re out in the sun for more than a few minutes. Don’t forget to use a cooler to store the liquids.

  • Take note of how much your baby is urinating. If it’s less than usual, it may be a sign of dehydration, and that more fluids are needed until the flow is back to normal.

  • Avoid combination sunscreens containing insect repellants like DEET. Young children may lick their hands or put them in their mouths. According to the AAP, DEET should not be used on infants less than 2 months old.

  • If you do notice your baby is becoming sunburned, get out of the sun right away and apply cold compresses to the affected areas.

The Badger sunscreen only has zinc oxide as an active ingredient and works great for everyone in our family. The EWG rates this sunscreen very high on their list.

EWG Badger Baby Sunscreen Rating

Unlike chemical-based sunscreens that are absorbed into the skin, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide sit on top of the skin. A benefit of this, besides not soaking into your skin (did you know your skin is your biggest organ and absorbs so many chemicals each day?), is that they start working upon application. The chemical kind needs 15 – 20 minutes to allow time for absorption before they begin to protect.

An article on BabyCenter.com explains this in detail and is yet another post worth reading. As mentioned in the article, never trust the label on products and make sure to scrutinize the list of ingredients. Hey, that’s like I do with food; now we’re talking my language!

The takeaway from all of this can be summarized in a few bullet points:

  • If possible, avoid exposing a baby under 6 months to the sun altogether.
  • If not possible, keep baby under shade and/or use a sunscreen with only zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as the main ingredient.
  • Do not, under any circumstances use a spray sunblock on yourself or baby.
  • Don’t trust the labels! Please read the ingredients and know what you are slathering all over yourself and your precious child!
  • I’m an idiot for doubting my wife and taking so long to acknowledge that she was right.

Thank you, Kelley, for “exposing” me to the reality of sunscreen! Now we’re having fun in the sun and keeping safe!

#MySundayPhoto, swimming, cold thermogenesis, pool, kids, parenting

Please, have fun and keep yourself and your little ones safe out there!

For a full list of safe sunscreens for the entire family, check out the EWG’s list. And, last link, here’s a list of ones to avoid.

Do you use sunscreen for yourself or your baby?

Have you strained to find the right kind or are you like I was and never thought much of it?

Being Frugal During The Summer And Surviving The Heat

The summer months can be hard to handle. Especially when you have a young family. You want to make sure that everyone is comfortable and cool but with that, you are mindful of the cost. You don’t want your bills to rise or to payout for expensive family trips out. However, as we are heading to summer, I thought I would share with you a few frugal ways you can survive the heat and enjoy the summer with your family.

Homemade popsicles

I think cold popsicles straight out of the freezer are always going to be a crowd pleaser. But what is great about them is you can easily make them yourself at home. Blending or juicing some fruit you have in the fridge. Things like strawberries and mangos always go down well. Adding a little water to the juice and then freezing in molds. You know exactly what is in them so they are healthy as well as frugal. What it costs for you to make a match I could easily see you saving a fair bit, than just buying them.

Keeping the kids occupied without the need for expensive day trips

With summer fast approaching, you may be starting to worry about the expensive of having the children off school for their summer break. How ill you keep them occupied for those days and weeks. Sure the first week is always the easiest, but children can get bored and you can start to worry about the amount of time they are spending on technology or watching TV. This is when you may feel tempted to splash out on big family days out, sure budget for some,but it doesn’t mean your whole summer has to bankrupt you. Websites like https://fitnessbythesea.com/101-summer-activities-for-kids are full of fun ways to spend time with the children. Activities for the garden, educational things they can do, it will help take some of the pressure off you.

Image source

Purchase a blow up swimming pool in the garden

Buying a blow up paddling pool or even one fit for adults can be bought quite cheaply in the right places. These can provide amazing relief on hot days and can be a lot of fun. Kids love being in the water and enjoying themselves in the sun. So it would be nice if you can let them do that while keeping them cool in the process. If you get one big enough for adults, then you can get in on the act as well. Why should the kids get all the fun?

Water fights

A fun way to cool the whole family down is to have a water fight and it can be a fun activity on a hot day. You could fill up balloons and launch them at one another, or use good old-fashioned water guns. Websites like https://www.howcast.com/videos/217991-how-to-stage-a-water-balloon-fight/ are full of tips. You may even want to get out the garden hose and spray everyone down. Sprinklers in the garden are also good for things like this. It may provide you with a fun afternoon and an excellent opportunity to cool down in the process.

I hope these tips keep you enjoy family time this summer.