How Will We Keep Our Kids Safe This Spring?

As a parent, keeping your children safe is almost always among the top priorities on your mind, especially as the weather starts to turn sunny and bright, bringing people outside and into the sunshine. With that in mind, it makes sense that you’d be looking for all the best ways to keep your kids safe this spring.

Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay

There are so many things to consider when preparing for the change in season, whether you tend to be an outdoorsy adventure family or you’re more of an indoors bunch — but whatever kind of family you are, keeping your kids safe is one of the most important things you can do for your family.

As the seasons begin to change, you might be wondering exactly what you can do to keep your kids safe as they play and explore the outdoors. There’s no shortage of fun adventures you can take as a family, but it’s always important to stay careful when you have kids in the picture. Plus, each family is used to different kinds of activities, so you might need to pay more mind to certain precautions than others.

No matter what precautions matter the most to you and your kids, it’s always a good idea to see what else you can do to make sure your kids are safe while they experience the world. Here are just a few of the ways we can keep our kids safe this spring.

• Wear Masks

Ever since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, masks have been a staple of society, and that shouldn’t change just because the weather is nice outside. According to the World Health Organization, children over the age of five should be wearing masks when indoors or close to others. Of course, you should abide by your state’s guidelines for mask precautions for the safest and most effective practices.

• Stay Six Feet Apart

In addition to wearing masks when necessary, kids should avoid close contact with other kids they don’t live with, even in environments like parks and playgrounds. While it can be difficult to enforce rules like this with younger children, having a “bubble” of people you can interact with between families can help with keeping things safe and reasonable so nobody gets sick.

• Wear Sunscreen

It can be easy to forget to put on sunscreen, especially when the summer sun hasn’t gotten too hot yet. But even in the springtime, the sun can still leave damage, even if you can’t quite tell. UV rays don’t discriminate — they can cause damage at any time of the year, even if your kids don’t easily burn. Putting sunscreen on before you play outside can be highly beneficial for their long-term health and wellness.

• Wear Protective Footwear

Is your family a family that likes to hike, swim, walk and wander? If that sounds like you, wearing protective gear is one of the best things you can do to keep everybody safe this spring — especially your kids. If you’re going out hiking, camping or walking somewhere that might be unstable or slippery, making sure your kids are wearing proper footwear can keep them safe from accidents.

• Stay on Stable Play Equipment

If you tend to be a park kind of family, you’ll know that there are all kinds of equipment out there for kids to balance and play on. While it can be tempting to run for just about any swing set or monkey bar, it’s highly important to make sure that the equipment your kids play on is stable and safe. Make sure that when you go to a park or playground, you’re not too quick to let your kids jump on old or possibly unstable equipment.

• Keep All Meds on Hand

If your kids take any kind of medication, make sure — double and even triple check — that you have everything you need on hand before you go anywhere. From allergy medication to EpiPens and inhalers, you never know when your child will need their medication — especially if you’re all running around and playing outside somewhere unfamiliar. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

• Use the Buddy System

If you’re taking off to somewhere a bit more relaxed — such as a lake, public pool or park — where your kids don’t need constant supervision, the buddy system is much better than letting your kids run off on their own. When kids stick by one another, they can help one another out or find an adult quickly if they get into any kind of trouble.

• Wear Helmets

Whether your kids are scootering, biking, skateboarding or doing any other activity that requires a helmet, now is not the time to mess around. Not only should you make sure your kids wear helmets, but you should also be certain that they’re secured properly and that they fit well. Helmets can literally save lives.

Keeping Kids Safe This Spring

Kids love to have fun and play — as they should when the weather gets nice out — but safety is one of the most important things to keep in mind, especially in today’s world. From helmets to social distancing, you can never be too safe when it comes to protecting your children. So here’s to happy playing in the great outdoors!