Safety Tips for Kids at the Beach

While we would like to always picture our time at the beach as a peaceful retreat into paradise, the untamed ocean can prove dangerous as well.

The ocean, and sand for that matter, represents a peaceful escape with the power to turn a day in paradise into a headache. Here are a few tips for kids to follow.

On shore, make sure kids have flip-flops or some other kind of sandals. On especially hot days the sand turns a pleasant walk into a painful one. Sandals and flip-flops can go a long way toward keeping the kids happy and safe until you reach your seat.

Before heading out, make sure you have adequate sunblock and a large umbrella to block the sun. A full day in the hot sun will take a short- and long-term toll on anyone who sits for too long. Make sure the whole family is protected from the sun’s harmful rays.

The ocean is one of the biggest draws for the beach and also one of the biggest perils for careless adults and kids alike.

Make sure to pay close attention to the depth of the water. Staying aware of your positioning and your child’s positioning relative to the shoreline allows you to keep things like rip tide and currents in check. If you feel a current is too strong and has the potential to pull you away from shore, you should leave the ocean and enjoy the sun and sand.

Little kids should be watched especially closely when in water deep enough to knock them down repeatedly. A big draw of the ocean and wave pools is getting knocked down, but the fun can turn perilous if it gets out of control. Waves can continuously knock children down. As a child, I hit my own head on the ground thanks to this brutal cycle. If things went a little differently, I could have lost consciousness or been stunned while underwater.

No one likes to swim in particularly cold water, but the low temperature keeps jellyfish away. Jellyfish can sting and cause injuries similar to bee stings and burns. If there are lots of jellyfish in the water, you should probably stay out all together.

Finally, outfit your kids with water shoes. Water shoes will not only keep the sea life away from their feet, but will protect them from the sharp shells that lurk underwater.

If everything goes smoothly, a day at the beach can be a day to remember forever, so keep the whole family safe on your next trip.