I'm dedicating this post to the families sweating buckets during back-to-school sports practices and games. My heart goes out to little ones and their families enduring heatstroke and sunburns for 'the love of the game.' If 100 degree August afternoons on the football field are wearing down your family, below are five things I used to keep my family cool the weekend we braved 107-degree temps to win a cake and ride the rides at a church picnic.
Prior to the picnic, I scoured the Internet, novelty stores, Target, and The Dollar Tree for anything that would promise to keep my family cool and protected from the sun's rays and stupid-hot summer temps. I bought many things, but most were a gimmick or complete crap, or both. Below are the top five things that kept us cool, hydrated, and protected from the sun's rays.
The Hydro Flask ($30): First and foremost, if nothing else, hydrate your child. That being said, I wholly recommend the Hydro Flask for the job! A bestie sent it to me for my birthday and it's the water bottle I depend on to keep my water cold ALLLLLL DAAAAY!!!!!! It is the most indestructible, amazing liquid-holding contraption ever. It keeps ice water icy cold and hot soup super hot. You can seriously put a few ice cubes in this thing in the morning and fill it full of water, and by the end, the ice cubes will be intact. I've had my Hydro Flask for about five years now and it looks as good as the day I got it. How many water bottles can you say that about?
The Ultra Soft Cooling Towel ($9): If you bought one of the first cooling towels to hit the market, then you know while they worked like magic, once the towel dries, it's a stiff cardboard sheet. Thankfully, cooling towels have had an upgrade. The new ones stay soft, wet or dry. Now, you can throw it in your handbag, and all you've got to do is just find a little bit of water, soak it, snap it a few times, and you instantly have a cold towel. This is a mom emergency heat stroke lifesaver.
Every parent should have one handy. Seriously, they're so cheap, why not?
The Necklace Fan ($16 for Two or $10 for One): This thing is hysterical!!! But so friggin' great. All you do is pop in some batteries, slip the fan over your head and tighten it up around your neck, and BOOM, instant, hands-free air conditioning. Definitely not the most fashionable thing, but it works. Well. And it's totally worth the money! I gifted one to a girlfriend who runs her family's YUMMY ice cream food truck. She LOVED it!
The handheld 5-speed fan ($15). This fan was a wild-card winner! I was floored when it arrived... There are 5-speeds, and it turns into a USB charger for your phone! We now own three. This fan is a Grandstand winner!
The handheld 5-speed fan ($15). This fan was a wild-card winner! I was floored when it arrived... There are 5-speeds, and it turns into a USB charger for your phone! We now own three. This fan is a Grandstand winner!
UPF 50+ Bucket Sun Hat UV Sun Protection with Mesh Rim ($10-$15):
I'm so in love with the hats. I bought a hat for all of us. All three were inexpensive and have been LIFESAVERS since day one. The mesh rim lets the air blow through. Most of all, the UPF material actually blocks some of those seriously harmful sun rays.
What's your Summer Heat Lifesaver?
