Summer

Can Your Baby be Apart of Your Summer Plans?

Summer is in full swing, and most of the country is in a heatwave, so a lot of us are wanting to find some cool places to hang out. Whether that’s by the pool, lake, or beach. Or check out the local zoos or wildlife parks, or just cruising the malls. Are these activities you can bring the baby along with? Of course, they are. With proper planning and safety precautions(if necessary) you can take your baby or toddler anywhere you want to go, except maybe that bar on the beach, or the Las Vegas strip, but anywhere family-friendly you should be good to go.
But you should know that if you are going to be around the water, even if it’s a little splash pad. Be sure that you have all of the right water safety gear and that someone is watching the kids at all times. According to the CDC, drowning is the leading cause of death in children 1 – 4 except for birth defects. And in children 1 – 14 it is the second leading cause of death behind motor vehicle accidents. That means that water safety needs to be taken seriously.

We have a little 700-gallon blow-up pool in our backyard, and my wife takes Jameson in there all the time. He loves to splash in the water, and it’s a great way to beat the 110+ degree weather we have been having here lately in Las Vegas. Since Jameson is only 10 months old, we have this floaty thing we got from someone, that he goes into. It gives him the freedom to “swim” and splash in the pool with a smaller chance of drowning. But he does for whatever reason like to try and dunk his head into the water and start gagging since he took in some of the pool water. This is where that supervision comes in, he has to be watched all the time. He even does the same thing when he is in his little pool.

Another thing we did this summer was going to Springs Preserves here in downtown Las Vegas. It’s a nature preserve and historic landmark right in the middle of the city. So there was a lot of walking and lots of sunshine. So lots of sunscreen and water for everyone on that trip. We also made sure to bring Jameson’s lunch and snacks with us, that way we weren’t messing with his routines too much. We all had a good time and Jameson got to see some animals and some greenery at the botanical garden they have. We also checked out a local farm rescue called The Farm, where they have a rescue and take in abused farm animals, trying to nurse them back to health and keeping them safe. While we loved seeing, feeding, and interacting with all of the different animals, Jameson could have cared less. But at the park down the street, he was obsessed with the geese they have there.

While this hasn’t been the most exciting summer, it has been a memorable one. And once the weather starts to cool down some we plan on renting a travel trailer and driving up to check out the Grand Canyon. This way we can all go as a family, dogs included, and make more memories before we move to Florida next year.