guest post
As a parenting expert, I face many questions from moms about what products are best for their kids in order to maintain healthy hair, skin and what they can do to make sure their children know the rules of the busy roads, especially when the summer heat becomes too overwhelming. As many kids are out utilizing their time trying to hunt their favorite Pokemon with the new, wildly famous game Pokemon Go, it’s very important to teach your children the fundamental basics of street safety.
Also, whether your kids face troubles with their hair and skin before or after they play outside, learning what to use to combat harmful UV Rays will essentially benefit them in the long run. After years of trial and error, advice from other moms, and help from tried and true products and tools – I am here to offer some of the best tips and tricks I’ve found to make Pokemon hunting fun and safe as your kids spend their day outside catching ‘em all!
Look both ways before crossing, always.
It doesn’t matter if there are 10 cars or 1 car passing by, instill the importance of stopping and looking both ways into your kid’s head. Some cars are quieter than others and there could be blind spots in the road, so train them to use their eyes and ears before crossing the street.
Keep your hair in check.
It’s a challenge controlling children’s hair, especially in the hot summer heat. A curl refreshing spray can make sunny days easier because it will revitalize and hydrate curls and tame unwanted frizz that usually surfaces from the heat. Spray the refresher in their hair and throw it up in a ponytail – doing this will minimize distractions as it will keep their hair out of their faces and more aware of their surroundings! I recommend Design Essentials Coconut & Monoi Curl Refresher, which I can conveniently pick up from my local CVS and is kid-approved!
Know the signs.
It’s important to teach your children the meanings of traffic signals and signs at a young age, so it becomes second nature to them later. Take time to explain tricky signage so children know when they are approaching heavy traffic areas, highways or non-local roads, and animal crossing information.
One word: hydrate.
Staying hydrated is key to surviving the beaming summer sun, and catching Pokemon encourages a ton of kid-friendly fun in the great outdoors. It’s harder for your kid to pay attention if they’re suffering from dehydration and it can often result in dangerous situations that are best to be avoided at all times. Make sure your kids have a full water bottle in hand!
Sunblock saves the day.
There will be plenty of times where your kid will try to argue that “they don’t need to put on sunscreen.” While it can be a tedious task to slather on sunblock before going outside, coming home with tomato red skin can be a bit more annoying than not catching Pikachu.
Sidewalk to crosswalk
Even though taking shortcuts to cross the street seem more tempting than walking all the way to the pedestrian crossing, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Take the sidewalk to the crosswalk to ensure a safe passageway to you next Pokemon capture.
Pucker Up.
While we don’t think of it as often as hair and skin, your kids lips also deserve the utmost care while they’re out playing in the heat. Their lips are just as exposed as the rest of their body, so if they’re not SPF protected, heat blisters can pop up. Any lip balm is super easy to pack away in your kid’s pocket when they go out!
Listen, don’t just look.
Hearing vehicles coming is just as important as seeing them. Playing loud music is extremely distracting and mutes out any sign of a car coming towards you, so let your children know to keep their headphones out of sight at busy intersections.
If you can’t see the driver’s face, they can’t see you.
It’s equally as important to make sure the driver is paying as much attention as the person crossing the street. Assure that the driver has noted your child’s presence before they step on the gas.
Making sure your kids are sun-safe while playing outside can prove to be a challenge, and being a worried parent only comes with the territory. Implementing these tips and tricks into your children’s daily routine – especially before they prepare for a full day’s worth of Pokemon hunting – will help you and your kids as much as it has helped me and my daughter!
Tammy Gold, LCSW, MSW, CEC, is a Licensed Therapist, Certified Parent Coach, Author, and Founder of Gold Parent Coaching. As a nationally recognized parenting expert, Gold appears regularly on Good Morning America, The Today Show, Fox and CBS News. She is one of the first therapists to bring traditional psychotherapy tools to the process of finding and enhancing the quality of childcare, basing her Gold Standard hiring process on Dr. John Bowlby’s attachment theory, Erik Erikson’s stages of child development, and Mary Ainsworth’s secure base. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her graduate degree in Social Work from Columbia University. Learn more at www.TammyGold.com or follow Tammy @TammyGoldCoach.