Heat wave and outside play

[Anonymous]

I'm not in DC but on the east coast. Curious if other nannies are taking their charges out in this heat. My charge just turned a year old and I love to take him to the parks, go for walks, etc but lately we've been stuck inside due to the weather.

Parents: Do you want your children still going outside? Lots of sunscreen and water?

I know my bosses don't care either way, but I get a little stir crazy sitting in the same 2 rooms all day.

Opinions welcome.

[Anonymous]

Another reason why it's critical that you hire a nanny with solid common sense. Something like this is impossible to dictate. Or if you tried, "Go out, but stay in the shade".

Common sense is key along with vigilant observation of the child.

Water, wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen, etc.

[Anonymous]

Whoa. I'm the OP. Is someone in a bad mood today? I have common sense, enough so that we go out in their yard for 15 minutes here and there but I'm not lugging the stroller down a walk up to go for a stroll when the heat index is over 100 degrees.

[Anonymous]

OP, nothing about the first response you got indicates a bad mood. Your question was answered. Nicely, if you ask me, because it's a dumb question. What parent would say no, no sunscreen or water?

[Anonymous]

No, the sunscreen and water is a given. I was asking if parents still want their kids outside in this kind of heat. We don't have pools or water parks nearby. Sorry that I asked such a dumb question...I was merely asking for opinions and got rude responses which shouldn't be surprising given the spectrum of people who use this forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, nothing about the first response you got indicates a bad mood. Your question was answered. Nicely, if you ask me, because it's a dumb question. What parent would say no, no sunscreen or water?

What's with the hostility toward OP'a question?
Pop a Midol and knock it off!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, the sunscreen and water is a given. I was asking if parents still want their kids outside in this kind of heat. We don't have pools or water parks nearby. Sorry that I asked such a dumb question...I was merely asking for opinions and got rude responses which shouldn't be surprising given the spectrum of people who use this forum.

What was rude, OP?

[Anonymous]

I think the common sense mention was a dig towards the question I proposed, as if I'm lacking common sense by even asking such a dumb question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the common sense mention was a dig towards the question I proposed, as if I'm lacking common sense by even asking such a dumb question.

7:38 here. Nope. What I said was nothing personal about you. I was saying that if people trusted the nanny they hired, they could let her determine what to do and how to best do it. And not question her choice. It's rather difficult to know what's best for a child (moment by moment) when you aren't actually with the child.

[Anonymous]

Okay, thank you for clarifying. My current family trusts my judgement completely. I mentioned a water table to my boss and what do you know- I got here today and it's already outside waiting for my little guy and I to use later today. I apologize for making a snarky comment about the spectrum of people who use these forums.

[Anonymous]

Your charge is one. They won't be able to spend a lot of time out in the heat at once. Try to do as much outside in the morning, before it becomes too hot. If you have use of a car, trips to the library or other spots that aren't too crowded are good ideas for the afternoon. Water play in shaded areas can work as well. Watch for air quality codes. If it is bad enough out, it isn't advisable to take the little one out.

Sunscreen and water are good. But do not use the spray on sunscreen, they are not healthy to use.

NP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your charge is one. They won't be able to spend a lot of time out in the heat at once. Try to do as much outside in the morning, before it becomes too hot. If you have use of a car, trips to the library or other spots that aren't too crowded are good ideas for the afternoon. Water play in shaded areas can work as well. Watch for air quality codes. If it is bad enough out, it isn't advisable to take the little one out.

Sunscreen and water are good. But do not use the spray on sunscreen, they are not healthy to use.

NP

Thanks. He sleeps in the AM from around 830-10:30 so it really makes getting out early in the AM difficult. Once he is a little older and goes from 2 naps to 1, we should be able to get out more in the mornings when it's not 1000 degrees. We live in a city so a car isn't needed. We did use a water table today around 11:00 in the shade and he really enjoyed playing with that. The air quality is awful here and since his older brother has asthma, I don't want to risk putting my little guy in danger just so that we can go for a stroll. I hope we can make it to music class this week. If not, no big deal.

[Anonymous]

My daughter attends a nature based preschool that often has the kids outside for the full 3 hour session. A normal day is a minimum of 1 hour of outdoor exploration. They go out in all kinds of weather. We are simply expected to provide appropriate gear. So they are outside in snow, rain, etc. it is a very big deal for them to cancel outdoor time. In the extreme heat they have been staying out for no more than 15 minutes and for much of that the kids are getting wet while they water the garden. .