Striving For A Happy Childhood

High swings, canoe rides and all that can put up challenges. The unique parenting style of fathers endows children with skills and strength to explore their own abilities while encountering the challenges.

Father, the figure of love and support, strives towards happy times pepped with holidays and the season for excursions is here.

Summer is the time for outdoor fun. Sunshine and fresh air!
Have we preserved the nature’s gift of fresh air?
Does it continue to be as safe as Mother Nature hoped it to be?

This is also the month of "The World Environment Day". Let us take this opportunity to pledge to prevent air pollution.

The summer safety tips are here to make your excursions pleasurable.
Don’t let mishaps mess your merriment. Happy Holidays!

Table of Contents

Articles

Wow, it is summer time!
Children are excited. They can barely hold themselves indoors.
Fathers are busy redoing their play pad/ground in the garden.
After all, just a short summer holiday is not enough.

Play ground safety tips.

Playground related summer safety tips, as recommended by American Academy of Pediatrics are given below.

10. Don't allow children to fight, push or shove.

Swimming pool safety tips.

Educate children on swimming pool safety. Awareness and reasoning will help them abide by the safety mechanisms implemented by you.

Fence your home swimming pool. Create an all round barrier of not less than 4 feet height and with slats less than four inches apart.

Protect the gates by incorporating self-closing and self-latching systems. The level of the latches should be such that no child can reach the latch.

Secure and lock the steps to the pool, if your pool is above the ground level. Best is to have a removable ladder, which can be placed only when the pool is in use.

Pool alarms do offer additional protection, but nothing can replace your care and vigilance.

Dos and don’ts at swimming pool:

17. Wear water shoes to prevent blisters due to hot ground/sand around the pool.

Tips to beat the summer heat and UV rays -

1. Avoid Sunburns

Inordinate sun bathing is not safe, especially for light colored people.

Generous application of sunscreen cream/lotion on all exposed parts of the skin helps avoid sunburns in all children and adults

UV rays have potent effect even through water. So during swimming or playing water games use water resistant sunscreens.

2. Avoid Heat Strokes

In some parts of the world summer is really hot. Moreover, energetic physical activities all day out in the sun generate heat in the body. Therefore, to avoid heat stroke –

Avoid direct sun rays. Whenever possible – use umbrella or a broad rim hat, be in shade, take shelter in tents.

Drink lots of water.Children under 6 years of age need more water than the older children and adults.

Normally, an average adult, weighing 60 kilos, needs about 3 litres of water over 24 hours. This accounts to about 12 to 15 glasses. This requirement increases in face of environmental heat and physical activity.

Alcohol and beer do not substitute water. On the contrary they increase the need of water, because they increase urination.

Eat heat friendly foods like juicy fruits, cucumber, carrots etc.

Fried dry snacks like chips and French fries aggravate thirst. Moreover, many cooked foods may not survive the summer heat for more than 3-4 hours.

Adequate salt intake will help avoid cramps and heat exhaustion.

Loss of salt in perspiration is substantial on a sweaty hot day.

3. Carry health needs provision

a. Regular medicines.

b. Emergency supply of medicines and First aid kit.

c. Keep contact numbers of health services – local and home.

Beach Safety Tips

Beach safety tips include the combination of all the above.
Besides, avoid rip tides – they are dangerous.

1. Study the day's tide forecast before you plan to get in the water.

2. Avoid water surfing on a cold day – water and wind can cause rapid fall in your body temperature.

3. Always have your life jacket on while participating in water sports.

4. If caught in a rip current, don’t fight it. Remain calm. Swim or float parallel to shore. Once out of the current, swim toward shore.

Safety tips for children’s day out

The first day of summer, June 21, ASK Day: "Asking Saves Kids" is to remind parents to ask if any dangerous weapons like gun are there,where their child plans to spend the day.

Children love to explore the surrounding and they are impulsive too. Gunshot accidents and suicidal attempts are major causes of concern among children and youths.

Studies show that a major portion of suicidal attempts under the age of 18 are precipitated by the crisis faced within 24 hours of the attempt committed.

Safe guard your child and suicide proof your home. Download here a free ASK parents' guide.

Take care! Don’t let any mishap mess your merriment.
Happy Holidays!