Emergency doctor shares five tips for parents to give their kids a safe and healthy summer

It's natural for families to head out to beat the heat as temperatures soar during summer since kids need their poolside fun. But apart from heatwaves triggered by climate change, crowded outdoor spaces also remain a cause for concern. Since kids might jump into the water without a second thought or rush out under the blistering sun without sunscreen, it is the responsibility of their parents to ensure their safety and follow certain poolside tips that can avoid fatal accidents. Dr. Meghan Martin, a mother of four and a pediatric emergency medicine physician, shared important tips every parents needs to follow while indulging in summertime activities. She reached out through Johns Hopkins All Children's (@hopkinsallchildrens) TikTok handle to raise awareness.

She started by saying, "It's so important to have multiple layers of protection in place to help keep kids safe from the water," to highlight the need for water safety in Florida. "The most important layer is direct supervision when kids are around water. It's also important to have physical barriers to protect small kids from getting into the water, like fences around pools," Martin added. She went on recommend that it is vital to have door alarms that can alert families when kids get out of the house, before they jump into the pool.

Water safety and swimming lessons for kids should also be mandatory to ensure that kids older than six months can protect themselves if they slip into the pool. "Summertime in Florida, the sun is blazing and it's really hot outside," Martin says in the video. "It is really important to consider your risk of dehydration." She advised people to drink lots of water and electrolytes to replace the water our body loses through sweating. Martin recommends that people wear sunscreen, hats and sunglasses to protect their skin. To protect active kids from bugs and mosquitoes, she suggests putting bug repellants on their bodies.

In an interview with Fox News, she addressed more safety tips that people should follow every summer. Martin advised parents not to put neck floats on their kids as it heightens the risk of asphyxiation. "We want them to have their face above the water," she told the outlet, adding that such a device can often give parents a "false sense of security." "You could get distracted on your phone or something like that, thinking the kid is safe and floating. Any time something is around the neck we get concerned about that airway. If they got hung up on something and put pressure on the airway, we don't want that at all," she explained.

Martin warned parents not to put their kids in water wings and floaties, arguing that it gives kids a false sense of confidence even when they can't swim. "Later, they may jump in the pool without the aids and sink right to the bottom because they cannot swim," she pointed out, recalling her experience with her son, who once took off his water wings and threw himself into the pool. Fortunately, he was pulled out quickly and saved. Fellow TikTok users who came across her video left comments to thank her for the tips and some shared their not-so-pleasant experiences in summer.

@bonafide_classy_b wrote, "Thank you so much for choosing her to do this PSA. Always great to hear from a doctor that we know and trust." @rhiannon.varner quipped, "From someone who teaches swim lessons, no one should ever swim alone. No matter age or swim ability." @dildoughnut commented, "Don't forget water shoes! I got second-degree burns on the bottom of my feet." @mrsperpetualsmile remarked, "It happens in a second. I was standing right next to my son when he fell in. He knew how to swim to the side, thanks to lessons."

You can follow Johns Hopkins All Children's (@hopkinsallchildrens) on TikTok for more videos on pediatric health.