A triple digit heat wave is hitting much of the country this week.  Heat can be a silent threat to children, especially children whose communication delays or other special needs might make it harder to detect danger. Heat stroke can occur in a matter of minutes for young children and infants. AbilityPath put together these quick tips for parents for safe fun in the sun.

1. Slather on sunscreen! Even if you and your child are only going to be out for 5 minutes, the UV rays of intense heat can still leave their marks.  Stock up on sunscrreen of SPF 30 or higher and apply five to 10 minutes before going out in the sun.
2. Early bird play: If getting out of the house is a must, do soduring the early morning before the sun gets too hot.  Entice kids to get out the door early with being the first on the playground or “ice cream” for breakfast (see below for anytime pops)!
3. Cool snacks: Toss some snacks in the freezer to keep cool.  Grapes and blueberries make for easy to grab snacks. For dessert, roll bananas in mini chocolate chips wrap with plastic wrap and freeze!
4. Anytime pops: Who doesn’t want to cool off with yummy treats? Use these as inspiration to create your anytime popsicle—freezing yogurt makes these good treats morning, noon or night!
1. Yum Yogurt Pops: Take your favorite yogurt and poor into a popsicle mold or ice cube trays. You can include slicedor mashed fruit or sprinkle the bottom or top with granola for a nice surprise.
2. Juicy Juice Pops/Slush: Pour sports drink, juice or lemonade into popsicle molds or ice cube trays and freeze.  You can serve then as finger pops or place cubes in a ziplock bag and crush to turn into a slush and place in a cup.
3. Chocolate Milk Pops or Shaved Ice: For pops pour milk into molds or ice cube trays and freeze.  For shaved ice, pour milk into a baking dish or pie pan freeze then “shave” the milk with a spoon or fork and place in serving cups.
5. Indoor fun: Draw the shades around the house to keep the sun out. Build a fortress with old sheets, use kitchen table or chairs to help with the frame of the fort. Eat lunch inside the fort, read books with a flashlight, bring in the coloring books or if you have an iPad or AAC device why not get some therapy in too!  If a fortress is not your thing, go Hollywood!  Draw the shades to keep paparazzi out, pull a couple of dressy outfits out and create a runway for the kids to strut their stuff, also use this time to practice writing their “autograph.”  Make sure to take pics of your Hollywood star and post to AbilityPath.org.  Another AbilityPath parent favorite is to visit libraries, malls or bowling alley during hot days and take advantage of someone else’s air conditioning!

Have fun, be safe and please remember to keep a close eye on everyone around pools and any water activity.  If you have other tips you do to beat the heat, please share in the comment section below the article!