Whether exploring a playground or participating in youth sports, getting outside and being active is vital for kids. While physical activity offers a ton of health benefits, it’s equally as important to keep track of the temperature. One sport that is known to be especially grueling in the heat is youth football. On top of high temps, athletes must also deal with additional pads and a football helmet, which can raise their core temperature further.
So, whether you’re a coach or have a child in youth football, these tips keep kids safe a cool in the heat.
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Heat affects over 700 people per year, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, so keeping kids cool ensures their safety. The CDC points out that the risk of heat exhaustion is at its highest during high-humidity days because sweat doesn’t evaporate as quickly.
Listed below are a few tips to keep kids cool in hot weather.
While sweating on a hot day is essential for cooling down your body, excess sweat means you’re losing fluids. To combat the loss of fluids, hydrate, and then hydrate again. While sugary drinks should be kept to a minimum, sports drinks with electrolytes and sodium are important to replace the lost electrolytes and refuel muscles.
Tight clothing doesn’t let sweat evaporate and naturally cools your body, so loose-fitting clothing works best to keep your body cool.
The eight pulse points on the body are the temples, the back of the neck, behind the elbows and knees, the wrists, the inside of the thighs and ankles and the top of the feet. Cooling down these pulse points with a cooling towel, ice pack or misting fan will cool your blood and lower your body temperature.
While shade doesn’t lower body temperature, it does make the air feel up to 15 degrees cooler than in the sun.
According to the CDC, here are signs of heat exhaustion to watch out for:
If you notice these signs of heat exhaustion, please seek immediate medical attention for your kids.
Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen With Broad Spectrum SPF 70
Sunscreen is essential to keep kids safe in the heat, and this option is broad spectrum SPF 70. It’s also water-resistant, so it won’t come off when they sweat.
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O2Cool Deluxe Handheld Water Misting Fan
This handheld misting fan is perfect for grueling practices on hot days. It’s battery-powered and can be easily changed if the batteries die, making it ideal for travel. The super fine mist is refreshing on a hot day, and the soft blades are safe for fingers.
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Mission Original Cooling Towel
When activated with water, this towel cools to 30 degrees below the average body temperature in only 30 seconds. The fabric has an ultraviolet protection factor of 50 blocking 98% of the sun’s ultraviolet rays, and is entirely chemical-free. Plus, it’s machine-washable, reusable and never loses its cooling ability.
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Beautify Beauties Spray Bottle
Continually misting youth players during practices or games is a great way to help them cool off. This bottle sprays a continuous mist with a single pump and is entirely aerosol-free. It sprays when held upside down and features total air isolation in the bottle to eliminate contamination.
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Under Armour Boys' Tech Big Logo Short-Sleeve T-Shirt
Since it’s made of Under Armour’s moisture-wicking, quick-drying fabric, this t-shirt wicks away sweat to keep kids cool. It has a soft, natural feel and it’s machine-washable. As a bonus, the material is made with recyclable, traceable polyester and re-uses five bottles per shirt.
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Gatorade Non-Slip Gx Squeeze Bottles
This refillable bottle has a custom do-it-yourself ring to write a name, a leak-proof lid and a squeezable contour lid. The best feature of this bottle is its pod piercer, which allows kids to add electrolyte pods directly into their water to stay hydrated.
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During hot, humid days, athletes sweat out electrolytes vital for hydration. Kids can replace the electrolytes they lost with these sports drink concentrate pods and recover faster. Add it to your Gatorade Gx squeeze bottle and start the essential hydration process.
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Comlife Misting Fan With Flexible Tripod
Since athletes are tired, they might not have time to hold a misting fan. This option features a flexible tripod that tightly grips chairs and canopies or can stand independently on the grass. Plus, the rechargeable battery can be charged in four hours, lasting up to six hours.
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TrekProof Ice Pack Reusable Hot and Cold Therapy Gel Wrap
This 3-piece ice pack set is worn on the forehead, elbows, ankle or back to provide cooling relief. It has an adjustable velcro closure comfort strap that fits everyone and is covered in a skin-safe fabric. Just keep it in the freezer and take it out before practice or games.
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Igloo Portable Sports Cooler Dispenser
Offered in 5 or 10 gallons, this cooler water dispenser holds water or Gatorade. A few features include a keeper cord affixing the lid to the cooler, a pressure-fit lid that won’t trap dirt or mold and reinforced handles for strength and durability.
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Best Choice 10 by 10 Foot Pop Up Canopy Tent
If you’re on the sidelines, it’s important to stay cool and in the shade in hot weather. This canopy provides 100 square feet of shade. It requires only one person for set up and breakdown. It has a sturdy, flame-retardant steel frame that is usable year-round.
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Bre Richey writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
