I do not know what the weather is like where you live, but we are definitely experiencing the toasty warmth of summer where I live. Warm, humid days do give way to cool and comfortable nights, but during the day there is heat, sun and humidity to contend with. I am one of those people who absolutely loves the warm and you will seldom catch me complaining about it but I do have one of my three children who is physically intolerant of heat. He does not like it and he tends to get sick and needs to take special care when the thermometer climbs.
I am convinced that he inherited it from my mother who also has always had intolerance for hot weather. Whether that is true or not, he does have a hard time handling it when the thermometer gets close to 80 degrees. I imagine there are some of you who have children who have a hard time in the heat too. I wanted to share some of the coping skills we have come up with for him.
We do have air conditioning (although he does not have it when he is at his dad’s house) and that helps. However, he is not someone who likes to stay indoors much and he gets antsy if he doesn’t get out for bike rides and walks. Fortunately, we live near a river with a great bike path and most of it is in the shade. When the weather gets hot, he heads for the river path to get his exercise in. Plenty of water, a freezer full of popsicles or juice pops and keeping the house as cool as possible are the basics.
If you have a child who likes to swim or at least be in water, this is a classic way to beat the heat as well. Use plenty of sunscreen or even encourage a fair-skinned child to wear a hat and t-shirt, but spending as much time as possible in water (and the shade) will help.
Plan activities that do not occur in the heat of the day. If your family loves to get out and about, I think out of respect and appreciation for the heat intolerant one (or more) you can plan your outings for the mornings or the evenings so that everyone will be more comfortable. Take plenty of water with you and you might consider some cool dampened wash cloths kept in a plastic cooler for a child who gets overheated.