As someone who has lived in Tucson, Arizona for many years, I am no stranger to heat and in this part of the world, we get plenty of it. During the summer months I live in fear that my children will suffer greatly under the Tucson heat and I refused to be accused as a father of not doing enough to prevent the death or illness of my children as a result of the scorching sunshine.

Each year there are kids hospitalised in this state because they are suffering from exhaustion or dehydration and my buddy Michael Thomas Eckhardt and myself spend a great deal of time trying to help each other to best care for our kids and keep them cool in the blistering summer heat. If you are heading somewhere hot this year, here are some tips you can follow on keeping your kids cool and safe.

Fluids

One of the most important aspects of keeping your child both safe and cool during the hot times of the day is making sure that they are taking on plenty of fluids. Kids are very active and with the heat of the sun they can get dehydrated extremely quickly. You should make sure that you hold is not just taking on plenty of fluids but that you are also giving them cool drinks to bring down their core body temperature. Plan well for this and make sure that you are loaded up with fluids if you are heading out.

Clothing

When it comes to clothing there is a happy medium to strike between covering your child up to protect them from the sun’s rays, and not causing them to feel hotter as a result of the clothes which they are wearing. In this instance you should be looking for clothes which are made of light, breathable fabrics which can keep your kids cool and protected. When the sun is out, you also need to ensure that your child has a hat on to protect their head from the harmful sun.

Exposure

When your child is indoors it becomes much easier for you to manage their temperature as you can use things like fans and air con units. For this reason you should really try to limit their exposure to the sunshine and to the outdoors in general. If the heat is unbearable, don’t even consider taking your child outside as if you think it is bad, it will be ten times worse for your child’s small and sensitive body. Keep your kids indoors unless you absolutely have to take them outside, if you must take them out, make sure that you are doing all that you can to shade them and to keep them in cool places so that you can ensure that their temperature does not run out of control.

The temperature of a child can rise very quickly and cause many problems, make sure that you are on the front foot and that you are doing all that you can to protect them.