Blog Posts,  Summer

Helpful tips for your family & pets during a heatwave

In very rare occasions the UK will just sometimes have a heatwave! yes…. it’s true! i’m not kidding you.

When the UK Heatwave hits it’s all out for us Brits, shorts on, tops off (for the males that is,  I’d hope!) sliders (and socks?!) flip-flops, paddling pools, beers, BBQ’s and salads!

A UK heatwave is a pleasant welcome and we have to embrace it as much as we can because of the following week… or even day we could be building snowmen. I’m not exaggerating (much!)

Here is my survival guide for a UK heatwave especially if you have children but most of importantly, just enjoy it.

Stay Hydrated..

This has to be the most important of them all and goes for everyone including animals. Drink plenty of water. You’ve seen the Tik Tok water bottles but check out this motivational half gallon bottles with straw. Remember to keep refreshing your pet’s water too.

If you prefer other drinks and run out of room in your fridge to keep them cool then I’d highly recommend these reusable Ice cubes .

Protect yourself & Your Family from the sun..

How many times have we sat outside for 20 minutes in the heat thinking we’d be OK. A little 10 minutes won’t hurt. Before you know it you’re slathering yourself with aftersun because that 20 minutes has caused you a whole heap of sunburn.

Sun protection is essential not only to save yourself the discomfort of sunburn but to prevent skin cancer too. Sun protection creams are widely available in most supermarkets, chemists, drug stores, online etc they can range in price so do shop around and also look for offers. You need to pay attention to the SPF level (Sun Protection Factor) The higher the SPF the better.

Babies & children are especially sensitive to the sun it’s important that you provide them with the appropriate clothing as well as sun protection. Sunglasses, sun hat and clothing need to be considered. For more information on how you can prevent sun damage to your young ones, more information can be found HERE. There is some really useful information.

Image result for Warning signWARNING

Covering a child’s pushchair or pram with a blanket or any other kind of cover is extremely dangerous. You may have the best intentions to create shade from the sun but a cover will attraction and contain heat. The will make the temperature under this cover significantly higher and will make the child very hot very quickly. This will have severe if not fatal consequences.

 

Keep it on the Low!

Hot air rises so being in the highest part of your building may not be the be ideal. Sadly, if this is your workplace there is not much you can do about the location. At home, find the coolest room in the house, for me it’s my living room as the sun shines through the back of my house from about 11am onwards which makes my living room really cool.

Using a fan in this room will help to circulate the cool air. My Facebook group members have recommended keeping curtains closed and windows open however some also say it’s best to keep windows closed. What do you recommend?

We tend to stay downstairs in the living room as long as possible in the heatwave to stay cool for longer. Upstairs just becomes really hot and overwhelming sometimes. If it’s cooler to sleep downstairs also…do it!

I’ve heard that opening your loft hatch if you have one can also help the hot air flow better to the highest point making the loft the hottest point of the house rather than lurking in the bedrooms.

Camping tips..

If you are camping and using a tent it could be come a heat trap house. Where possible drape white sheets over your tent or attach them with pegs, as white reflects UV rays. If you are able to wet them hanging up wet, white sheets can really cool things down. Ditch the black as this is the opposite affect and attracts UV rays. Even take white bedding if you can. Every little helps!

If you are in a camper van/ caravan hang up wet white sheets at the windows.

Animals & Wildlife..

Wildlife and wild animals rely on us to give them water so please try and leave a shallow bowl/plate of water in your garden. Fill your bird baths and keep checking it.

Pets – PLEASE DO NOT WALK YOUR DOGS IN THE HOT WEATHER!

Anything above 20C can cause your dog to become dehydrated and very hot very quickly. The hotter the temperature, the higher the risk to your dog. As the temperature increases, even by just 1C, the risk to your dog increases too. Any temperature over 25C is a definite NO when it comes to walking!

DOG GOT CHART

Food & Cooking..

For a start, the last thing you want to do in the heat is cook. The heat from the oven, grill or hob can just be an extra source of heat that is totally not needed. Salads, takeaways, ice cream, sandwiches are so much easier in the hot weather. If you must cook perhaps use a slow cooker overnight so you don’t have to fuss about throughout the day and it’s there ready to be re-heated or, as mentioned earlier – If you like to cook why not spark up the BBQ.

If you need to do a grocery shop I’d highly recommend shopping online. Who needs to be traipsing around the supermarket on a scorching hot day and lugging bags of shopping when you could be enjoying the sunshine. To make this easier I would suggest meal planning so that you know exactly what you will need and it will take the extra stress out of meal times.

Have Fun..

Love it or loathe the hot weather you have to embrace it. Take this opportunity to just get outdoors. Put down the dishes, but down hoover just go and have fun. OK, I’ll allow you to put a wash on as it’s the practical thing to do in the hot weather and there is nothing better than fresh laundry dried on the washing line.

Here are a few ways that we like to have fun in the sun.

  • Have a BBQ – Dig out the BBQ from the back of the shed, dust it off and spark it up. Even invite your friends and family round for a bit of food (ask them to bring a dish if too if you find it will be a struggle to feed everyone)
  • Enjoy the great outdoors – Walk the dog, go to the park, visit a local nature reserve, walk along the canal, head out for a picnic.
  • Get the pool out – If you are anything like me then you might struggle with this. The reason for this is because I fail to plan ahead. I’m that person who waits until the hot weather actually arrives before deciding to purchase a swimming pool. By this time, they’ve all sold out. Ahhhh, but not this year though. This year I found a bargain that was too good to miss. I purchased this 8ft Easyfill pool for just £29.99 bought it, it arrived and I put it away. When the first wave of heat hit us I was fully prepared and scored a few mum points with that one. I’m not sure if the pool is still available or even for that price but I have linked it HERE for anyone who would like to consider it – It’s amazing!

Other tips from our Facebook Group members..

  • Freeze hot water bottles with cold water in instead of hot.
  • Put frozen bottles of water in front of your fan.
  • Use pet cooling mats for yourself.
  • Make a fan fort with an open duvet. Blow the fan air into a duvet cover and sit inside. Check it our HERE
  • Run cold water on your wrists.

A FEW DON'TS!

WILD SWIMMING

It can be very tempting to jump into the nearest open water pool. Please Please do your research on this. We all feel like we know what to expect, we feel we can handle shock cold water and we cans swim so drowning isn’t going to happen. WRONG! If you are interested in Wild swimming then please take part in organised swims or pools that allow wild swimming with safety measures in place. 

A fantastic place local to me is Stoney Cove and it is huge! It really looks and feels like you are swimming in the wild. It is also a diving centre with an under water world it is simply amazing but not only that….it’s safe!

quarry swim dangers

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