It’s pretty much taken for granted that given our harsh climate, any time outside should be preceded by vigorous slipping, slopping, slapping and sliding (we’re talking about sun-safety, in case you were wondering).But let’s get real here.As parents, we knowsun-safety is important.Vital, actually.But sometimes, it’s really hard to make all those steps happen to keep our kids sun-safe.
Attempting to leave the house with children should be an Olympic sport.Really. It’s much more impressive than just running in a straight line for nine seconds...give or take a second (I’m looking at you, Ussain Bolt).
Consider: loaded down like a Tibetan mule, you must herd the cats, I mean, children, out of the fridge, off the toilet, away from the television, and out of the door.Don’t even get me started on the strange and unnatural contortions required to buckle all of the cats into the car.Whoops, did it again.CHILDREN. Buckle in the CHILDREN.
So how to fit in all the sun-safety steps, every time you step outside the door?
We believe in making things easier for parents, not harder.That’s why we have our Broken Guarantee. And that’s why we’re sharing the concept of sun-safety stations with you.
A sun-safety station is a way to set your children’s sun-safety routine on auto-pilot, following some simple steps.
The Sun Safety Station
Firstly, set up the station.Find a spot close to the door, where you can put a mirror, and a few drawers or boxes.A small, second-hand dresser works well for this.Next, gather your children’s sun-safety elements – sunscreen (in an easy-to-use pump pack), hats, and childrens sunglasses, toddler sunglasses or big kids sunnies – and put them in the sun-safety station.
Next, attach a laminated, illustrated sun-safety checklist to the sun-safety station. Place it in a spot where your kids can easily see it.
Model how to use it a couple of times, using the mirror to put their sunscreen on, and returning everything to its spot on their way back in the door. Then, whenever, you leave the house, have a single word or phrase (such as ‘visit the station’ or ‘checklist time’) that reminds them to visit the station, and work through the checklist to stay sun-safe!
Once you’ve done the initial work of setting up the structure, you’ll find that, with a bit of repetition, the process of making sure that your kids are protected from the sun will run itself.Plus, you’ll be helping your children create healthy sun safety habits that will stay with them long after you’re there to holler “WHERE'S YOUR HAT?” out the window at them.
