Summer time is here and most families head to the beach during his time to avoid the heat and enjoy our beautiful sea. How can we remain safe with more than one child? What if I have a 6 year old and twins aged 4? What if my 10 year old wants to bring along two school friends?
- Make sure there are enough adults supervising the kids. I’d say 1 adult to 3 to 4 kids and if the children are of a younger age, the adult to child ratio might need to increase.
- Arrive at the beach early. When I had young kids I used to be at the beach at 830-9am and leave when the place becomes busy at 1130-noon. That way I could stay at water’s edge and look up and do a head count every couple of minutes.
- Know the child’s ability to swim and choose the beach accordingly. If possible, choose beaches where there is a trained life guard present and do not let your kids swim when there is a red flag.
- Stay out of the sun – use umbrellas, sun hats and glasses. Apply sunscreen 50+ regularly.
- Take plenty of cold water and healthy snacks. Kids, especially younger ones love playing in the water and building sands castles and might spend hours doing so. So go prepared.
Enjoy family time by the sea…
Anna Catania is a counsellor with Willingness. She has had a special interest in working with clients facing intimacy and sexual difficulties and runs a service for families going through cancer and chronic illness. She can be contacted on anna@willingness.com.mt