It’s April, which means spring is here, but summer is around the corner. Children love the hotter weather, and adults do too, for that matter. Summer is the ideal time for picnics and barbecues, and since many individuals will have received the vaccine by that point, get-togethers will be possible this year that couldn’t take place in 2020.
Your kids will love running around this summer, especially after the pandemic and the winter’s cold isolated them for months. There are a few things they need to watch out for as the weather heats up, though, so let’s review them now.
Watch Out for The Hotter Temperatures
If you’re looking at summertime safety tips for kids, staying out of the hottest weather will be up at the top of the list. Climate change means that even in parts of the country that previously didn’t get all that hot, record temperatures are occurring almost every year now.
In some states, temperatures reach truly deadly levels, especially in July and August. Before your kids run wild in the streets, you need to talk to them about limiting sun exposure.
Make sure they slather on sunscreen multiple times during the day. They should drink plenty of water as well. You’ll want to tell them not to be out in direct sunlight for any more than a minute or two at a time during the hottest hours when the sun is most likely to punish them.
Sunburn and heat stroke are both possible. In some states, it gets hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk, and you don’t want your kids to suffer that same treatment.
Watch Out for Bees
You should also tell your kids to watch out for bees if they’re playing in the backyard or a nearby field. Many studies show that bee populations have declined, which is somewhat of a scientific mystery. Still, there are plenty of the insects around, and they pack a nasty sting if a child disturbs them or gets too close to a hive.
Bees are territorial, but they’re also aggression-prone if a child swats at one of them. Some kids have allergies, but you won’t necessarily know about that unless one of these insects stings them.
An allergic child’s life can be at risk if a bee stings them, and they don’t receive medical help in time. Make sure to tell your kids to give any bees they see a wide berth. They should keep their eyes open for wasps and hornets as well.
Watch for Aggressive Dogs
If you let your child play in the neighborhood, they should also watch out for stray dogs or dogs belonging to certain households that don’t keep them behind locking gates or tied up in the yard. Dogs can be territorial, and if a child runs away from one of them, that might trigger the animal’s instinct to pursue and bite.
A dog bite or even a negative experience can petrify a child, and you might have to bring a lawsuit against the owner if it seems like it was their fault that the incident occurred. Your kid might be to blame, though, if they tease the dog. If you know of any problem dogs in the neighborhood, tell your kids to avoid them.
Keep an Eye Open for Traffic
You might also live in a neighborhood that has a lot of traffic during the summer. If you live on a quiet back road, this won’t be much of an issue. Maybe you live right on a street where cars are constantly going by, though.
Depending on how old your kids are, you might be okay with letting them play in the front yard if you emphasize that they need to stay out of the street. If they’re too young, you can either tell them to play in the backyard instead or else you might erect a fence and make sure your children stay behind it.
If your kids do venture into the street, teach them to look both ways before they do. Also, if you see any speed demons flying through the neighborhood, try to get a license plate number to tell the police.
Depending on whether you live in a rough area, you might need to watch out for gun violence, drug dealers, or other threats. Use your judgment in determining whether to let your kids play outside this summer and how far you’ll let them get from the house.
