My daughter loves the water.
A lot.
So much so that she dissolves into an inconsolable mess of tears and snot whenever it’s time to leave the pool or splash pad.
Now, in a perfect world, I would allow her to spend all day in the water, but when you are as fair-skinned as my daughter and I are, it’s hard not to worry, especially given all of the sunburns I endured when I was a child and young adult.
Of course, I make sure to deck my daughter out in all of the appropriate sun gear (how do the parents who let their kids run around topless under the hot sun sleep at night??!), try my hardest to schedule our outdoor time for first thing in the morning or late in the day when the sun’s rays aren’t as strong, and make sure to follow all of the rules about sunblock (apply 30 minutes before sun exposure and reapply every 2 hours and/or immediately after swimming or excessive sweating), but I still break out in hives if she’s in the direct sun for more than an hour at a time.
And it drives my husband bananas.
He is forever on my case about worrying too much, and wishes I could let my guard down so I could allow our sweet girl to be a kid more often, and while I’m quick to lecture him about the damage effects of sun exposure, I know he has a point.
I do need to loosen my grip and let our beautiful little girl experience everything the world has to offer without hovering over her every 5 seconds.
So when we booked our family summer trip to the US a few weeks ago, and my husband started researching the best splash pads and parks and pools for us to visit with our daughter, and she started SCREAMING with excitement at all of the plans they made together, I realized I had 2 choices: I could be my normal, boring, conservative self who always ruins the fun by trying to be too sensible, or I could let go and join in the fun.
I decided to let go, and rather than lecturing the 2 of them on sun safety, I got out a pen an paper and the 3 of us brainstormed some fun summer water activities for preschoolers we can enjoy together while we’re away.
Here’s what we have so far.
1. Organize a water balloon fight
2. Make a sprinkler with a water bottle
3. Play a game of Marco Polo
4. Make a water bag piñata
5. Practice looking under the water with a pair of pool goggles
6. Throw pennies in the pool and see how long it takes daddy to find them
7. Make boats out of different household items and see if they sink or float
8. Line objects on the side of the pool and try to knock them off with a water gun!
9. Take turns jumping into the pool to see who can make the biggest splash
10. Have a family water fight with super soakers!
And a bonus activity…
11. Jump up and down in ‘muddy’ puddles and pretend you’re Peppa Pig!
As it turns out, my husband was right.
Letting my kid LIVE is so much better than trying to control everything 100% of the time.
And that’s why I’m excited to team up with Banana Boat® – they’re sunscreen products allow me to be the fun mom I’ve always wanted to be and still keep my family safe.
Do you use Banana Boat® sunscreen?
I’ve tried several of their products since I became a mother, and they have never disappointed me. I especially like the Banana Boat® Kids Tear-Free Sting-Free Continuous Lotion Spray Sunscreen SPF 50+ because it goes on white so I can rest assured all of my daughter’s skin is covered, and when I was at Walmart the other day, I saw a tube of Banana Boat® Kids MAX Protect & Play Lotion Sunscreen SPF 100 and almost screamed with joy. I didn’t even know sunscreen came with such a high SPF! I also threw a tube of the Banana Boat® Kids Stick Sunscreen SPF 50 in my cart as I’ve always found this to be the easiest way to apply sunscreen to my daughter’s ears, nose, lips, and face.
You can learn more about the Banana Boat® line of products HERE and don’t forget to enter for your chance to win a family vacation with up to FIFTY of your closest family and friends by CLICKING THIS LINK!
What are YOUR favorite summer water activities for kids?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Banana Boat® . The opinions and text are all mine.
