We have finally reached the end of term and have six weeks of fun planned to keep the kids amused in the holidays and I am hoping that we keep this beautiful weather for the entire summer holiday’s.
Isaac was the last one to finish his school term and requested that we head to our local splash park at Christchurch Quomps as soon as he finished yesterday.
Who was I to say no?
Active, outdoor play across the day throughout the year is important for health and development and I will never stop the children playing outside. You will often find us out in the rain, although I do draw the line if its torrential.
Whenever we’re outside this time of year I make sure the whole family are well protected from the sun, including the adults – if you can see skin, UV can reach it. I try to cover as much skin with cool, loose-fitting clothing and use that all important sun screen.
The one wardrobe staple I have for the kids are UV suits / tops for the beach and outdoor swimming. UV swimwear blocks the sun’s harmful UV rays and protects the skin from sun burn – all day. It doesn’t wash off and, unlike a normal T-shirt, will continue to provide total sun protection when wet, so it’s perfect for swimming, snorkelling, surfing and many other water based activities. Everyone can have fun in the sun with less risk of sun burn.
If you do use a normal t-shirt for swimming, don’t forget to change it when out of the water as dry t-shirts have a tighter fabric structure than wet ones and will protect you from the sun better.
You can buy UV swimwear in many supermarkets and fashion retailers these days, but I always get ours from Beachfactory.com as they stock well known brands such as Quicksilver, Platypus, Tiger Joe, O Neill and Seafolly. They are even “cool” enough for the teens to wear.
The only thing I need now are tips on how I can keep hats on their heads!!
Sorry, no tips for keeping hats on heads! Have a fun summer!
Love the Quomps – so much fun! Have never had any hat joy, and we seem to lose them endlessly too!
I tell my toddler Peppa pig only plays out in her sunhat. It works for now!
I used to rent a holiday let just down the river from the splash park in Christchurch.
Bought back nice memories!
This looks like such a fabulous place to go, I wish we had something similar close to us x
What a lovely after school treat, Roo would love this… Tigger on the other hand not so much. No great tips about keeping hats on I’m afraid other than being consistent
What a great looking place to visit! I had a nightmare with my 2 keeping hats on when they were little. Have a great summer xx
I wish we had a splash pad near us, they look amazing! My two love their sun hats, it took a full day when they were little of putting their hat back on every time they removed it, nearly drove me batty by the end but now they always leave them on 🙂
That looks like such a great place for the kids! I always buy UV swimsuits too but never tried that website so I’ll definitely check it out!
See now I am going to sound REALLY old, but there weren’t splash parks about t=when my older ones were little, so we’ve never been to one – I bet Oz and Kit would love it though!
Oh yes, I would be interested in those hats tips too.
The legionnaire style hats are better at staying on and give great protection on the face and back of the neck. A uv swim shirt saves so much hassle and minimises long term sun damage. Remember sun protection isn’t just for toddlers.
I can’t help with the hats I’m afraid, none of mine have ever liked wearing them and I’ve been battling with them for years!
We actually do OK with hats here. We never used to, but at Easter they chose their own hats and since then kept them on. In fact, its a battle getting the eldest to take his off!
Looks like you guys are going to have a great summer, UV suits are a must aren’t they