Going to the lake when the weather is warm and sunny is a favorite pastime for many families. However, before heading out to enjoy the water and sun, there are a few preparations to make. One of these is making sure that everyone – including young children – can have a great time.
Some helpful tips to ensure that even young kids have a good and safe time while on the lake can be found here.
Make Sure Children Know How to Swim
Regardless of if you teach your kids yourself, or if you hire someone to help you with this, swim lessons are a must for every child. While they don’t need to be able to place in a swim meet, your kids should be able to keep themselves afloat. After all, this skill may mean the difference in life and death if an accident occurs.
Set Rules and Stick to Them
It’s important that you create a set of rules for your kids when they are in or near the water and that you don’t deviate from them – in any way. For example, there are some parents who make it a rule that kids can’t go in the water alone. Another rule would be that non-expert swimmers must have a life jacket on at all times – no exceptions.
While you may encounter a few protesters, as long as you stay firm, your kids will realize that you mean business.
Sunscreen is a Must
Getting a sunburn is one of the fastest ways to ruin even the best trips. It also has several potential side effects. As a result, make sure your kids know to apply sunscreen regularly during the day. It’s recommended that everyone apply sunscreen about 30 minutes before they head out into the sun and every few hours after that.
Avoid Dehydration
When you spend time in the water all day, it can provide you and your children with a false sense of hydration. However, your body will still sweat while in the water, which means you are losing valuable fluids. While you may like to believe you are, your skin is not a sponge and you won’t absorb the water that you are having fun in. As a result, it is crucial that you encourage your children to hydrate regularly to ensure they don’t become dehydrated.
Take Time to Play Together
One of the best ways for you, as a parent, to ensure your child or children are safe is by playing with them. Take some time to build and castles, a floating noodle, or a life jacket and get in the water for some fun. While this may wear you out, it’s well worth the time and potential aches and pains in the coming days.
As you can see, there are more than a few ways to have fun while you are on the lake with your little ones. If you want to add to the fun a bit more, make sure to have amazing toys and floats on hand.
