At Home and on the Road: Tips for happy, healthy kids

Summer is a whirlwind of activity in our family! Vacations, staycations, family reunions, sports, almost daily pool visits. We are always on the go!

I love having my kids home from school during the summer. I love the freedom it gives us to go where we want, when we want! But, without the proper planning, summer can turn into a LONG, STRESSFUL few months! And, no mama wants that.

So here are a few “don’t leave home without ’em” tips to help you keep your family healthy and safe for all your summer fun:

healthy kids

On the Road:

Make sure to have your car inspected before a long road trip! I can’t stress this enough. It has been a while since its last inspection or oil change take your car in at least a week before you plan on leaving on vacation. If the mechanic finds something that needs to be fixed it is better to fix it before you go than to be stuck in the middle of desert nowhere waiting for a tow truck to take you to Po-dunk-ville so you can wait for 3 days for your car part to arrive. (Thank goodness I’m not speaking from personal experience!)
Pack lots of bottles of water in the car. It doesn’t matter if you bring bottled water or water in jugs, just make sure you have lots of water in the car. If you get thirsty and you have to stop at a gas station to buy a drink what do you think you’ll opt for in the moment? A healthy water? Or a large sugary drink? I don’t deny that I enjoy a nice Dr. Pepper on a long drive, but given that you don’t burn many calories sitting on your tush, it is best to limit your caloric intake.
Healthy, non-messy snacks. A parent’s sanity can quickly fly out the window when sugar laden kids are freaking out in the back seats, smearing their sticky fingers all over the windows. For a healthy, low stress road trip opt for low sodium trail mix, cut up fruit, applesauce pouches, or dry unsweetened cereal.
Always keep a well stocked first-aid kit in the car. *Tip: before placing any important medications in the first aid kit remember to check and see if there is a specific temperature those medications should be stored at.

At Home:

Snack the healthy way: We’re just coming off of summer break at our house. Not sure if it is like this at your house, but when my kids are home lounging around the house they think it is snack time every 15 minutes. The older I get the more I realize that it is so important that we put good (real) food into our bodies. Sure my kids get junk food occasionally, but in general they get healthy snacks that taste good, too.
Keep medicine and vitamins out of reach of little hands. Older children need to be taught this rule as well.
Keep a little first aid kit in your purse or diaper bag. I have a reusable snack bag that I use as my little first aid kit. I keep it stocked with bandaids, neosporin spray, pepto, immodium, and tylenol.
Remind the kids to drink water. I’ve got one little camel who hydrates well every day, and then another who basically won’t drink unless I hand him the water and tell him how many swallows to take. Water, water, and more water is a big key to staying healthy during the summer.
Sunscreen and sunglasses. As the mother of an albino (no, he’s not really albino, just very fair skinned), and as a person already prone to skin cancer, I never send my kids out to play for longer than 15 minutes without sunscreen. A little bit of sun is great. A lot is no bueno. And then the sunglasses. Yes, kids need sunglasses too! I never go outside with out my “shades” (I’ve actually had people call me that before because they’d never seen me without my sunglasses on). Your eyes are too important to be damaged by harsh rays, not to mention they are super sensitive to sunlight. Your kids’ eyes are no less valuable.