Summer is your child's favorite time of the year. Between no school and tons of outdoor play, freedom has never felt so sweet... as a child, that is. 

Summer is also the time of the year where sunburns, bug bites, and dehydration run rampant! Avoid all of this and keep your kids healthy with these 10 tips!

1. Hydrate

Water, ice water, lemon water, get your kids drinking water. While any drink is better than no drink, water is the absolute best thing your kids can drink!

Your child should aim to drink around 5 cups of water a day. Having a nice cold water bottle nearby all day is a sure way to achieve this goal. 

The effects of dehydration can be detrimental, especially in children. 

2. Fresh Fruit

The best snacks for kids in the summer are the ones with a lot of water! Fresh fruit served cold is not only delicious - it is also hydrating! Serve fruit with every meal and snack to ensure your children are getting all the nutrients they need. 

3. Sunscreen

Put sunscreen on your children every day, even if they're not playing outside. Protect their skin from UV rays even when just walking a bit outside into the house from the car. 

Make sure that you read the label for all ingredients as some brands can have harmful chemicals. Kid's skin is very sensitive, choose baby sunscreen when you can, as it will have fewer chemicals and have a high SPF. 

4. Bug Repellant

Bugs are the worst part of summer. And bug spray can irritate your children's skin! 

If your children are playing in long grass you will want to douse them in bug spray that has deet in it, ticks are no joke. They can transmit diseases. The bug spray irritants are a trade-off for Lyme disease. If your child has a deet allergy or you do not want to use deet products, there are natural deterrents and deet free products, but these are widely trial and error as some do not work for everyone.

For all normal summer outdoor play, consider bug repellant bracelets. Keep the bugs away without the spray! These can also be used as a hair tie, put around a backpack, arm, or leg.   

5. Avoid Heat Exhaustion

In temperatures over 80°F, make sure to give your child breaks from the heat. A few hours outside playing and then some time in an air-conditioned area.

Heat rash can happen when your child is exposed to hot air for too long. This itchy rash takes a while to go away and is very unpleasant for your child.

6. Eat Balanced Meals

Summer meals are a lot of hot dogs and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Both delicious, but not necessarily nutritious. Make sure your child eats at least one meal a day that is mostly vegetables, and consider adding daily vitamins to their routine. 

7. No Screens Before Bed

To avoid overstimulation and bad sleep habits, turn all screens off an hour before bedtime. This will help your child fall asleep and get better sleep. 

Sleep is important for proper growth and cognitive function. Until your child reaches 13, help your kids get at least 10 hours of sleep, the younger they are the more they need, naps are included but the majority should be gotten at night. 

8. Wear Helmets

When your children are biking, skateboarding, roller skating, rock climbing, or playing backyard ninja warrior, they should be wearing helmets!

Preventing head injuries is essential, as children are notorious for falling and hitting their heads!

9. Nightly Baths

If your child plays outside daily they should be taking nightly baths or showers. Checking their body for ticks, bug bites, cuts that need to be cleaned, and just eliminating dirt from their skin needs to happen every night before bed.

This will also help promote a better sleeping environment and have them ready to take on the next day.

10. Be Active!

Keep your kids active! Save tv time for rainy days, and have fun things for your kids to do on sunny days. The best activities for kids include going to the park, beach, local library, zoo, swimming, and any other attractions that are around your home. 

Or just a good ol' backyard play with some friends!

Keep Your Kids Healthy All Year

Don't wait until summer to implement all of these health tips! Use these tricks to keep your kids healthy all year round! 

Visit our blog for more tips on summer safety, summer fun, Urology tips, and articles on health and wellness. 

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