Australia has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and some of the most treacherous.
For a parent to keep their kids safe on the beach there are a few rules to remember.
The first thing to remember is sun safety.
Australia has the highest rate of Skin Cancer in the world, so sun safety on the beach is essential, especially to ingrain healthy beach sun safety habits in children.
The top sun beach safety tips to protect yourself and your children are:
- Plan outdoor beach activities outside the peak sun ultra-violet hours of 10am to 3pm. Planning for sun safety for children means that early morning and late afternoon are the best beach safety times.
- Get full Shade. On the beach use a tree, umbrella or other shade to cast a shadow to cover your whole body
- Slip on sun protective clothing: Chose clothing that is cool and also covers as much of your neck and arms as possible. In Australia we call these "rashies". Materials such as Lycra stay sun protective when they are wet.
- Slop on sunscreen. Make it is at least Sun Protection Factor (SPF) 30. Put it on clean dry skin at least 20 minutes before going outside and reapply at least every 2 hours. For best beach safety make sure that your sun cream is water resistant.
- Slap on a full brimmed hat. Make sure your hat covers your nose and ears and that you cannot see through it. A sun safety tip is that if you can see through the fabric then the sun can also get through.
- Wear good quality sunglasses. In looking at sun safety for children, sunglasses are often overlooked. Sunglasses protect your eyes and are important for both adults and children to wear at the beach.