How to Stay Cool This Summer While Entertaining a One-Year-Old

What do you do when you're a grandma who is not fond of heat but you keep your outdoor loving one-year-old granddaughter every week day AND it's summertime? You sweat. A lot.

As much as I love my AC during the summer months, I love Baby M more. So, we go outside. In the summer. Here in the Charleston area of SC the heat and humidity are nothing to laugh at. You can open your back door in the morning, no matter how early or late, and a huge wall of humidity will slap you right in the face. Hard. It's like walking into a brick wall. Or like a brick wall walked into you. You can't walk from the front porch to your car without believing that this is the day you are going to die because you cannot breathe. If you think I'm exaggerating, you've never visited the Charleston area during the summer.

Nevertheless, I believe there are ways we can enjoy our summer without calling the undertaker for Grandma.

Grandma's Top 10 Ways to Survive the Summer with a One-Year-Old:

1. Get that baby pool and put it in the shade before you fill it with water. Most importantly, squeal with delight when the little one splashes you so they will do it over and over and over again.
2. Go to the shadiest park in town. Luckily we have a couple of these. But find your summer window because ours is odd. If we try to go before 8:00, it's too humid. After 8:30ish, it's too humid. Even in the shade, the humidity will try to kill you. Babies don't notice this. Grandmas do. Which leads me to the next thought---
3. Go to the shadiest park that is closest to big water. Luckily, we have one. Even when it's humid you at least get the breeze and it helps even when it's blowing the warm air all around you. That short window becomes a little longer if you have the shade AND the water breeze. No matter where we go, I like to make it close to home in the extreme heat since it's just not good to be outside too long especially with a little one. 
4. Make little fruit popsicles and eat them outside. When you're done, it's baby pool time. 
5. Have one of the aunties who live close by come over and play outside with the little one. I know, but this is my favorite and I am not ashamed.
6. Put a big ol' fan out there. Y'all think I'm kidding but I'm not. I've done it and I'll do it again. 
7. Get a big bag of ice, put it in a tub, insert your feet, and say, "Ahhhh!"
8. Try a damp towel. Tucker loves this.
9. Take one of the storage tubs we all have, fill it with water, add bath toys. Again, squeal with delight when your little one splashes you and they'll do it again and again and again...
10. Try to make indoors more fun than outdoors. Use big boxes to build forts and blankets for tunnels. Give her an egg carton, seriously, Baby M loves these things and she laughs hysterically if you put one on your head. Get a baby pool for indoors and put those plastic balls in it. Baby M still loves this. Except now she loves dumping all those balls out so guess who can put them back in. We even hang out under the table sometimes and play. Kids love all sorts of things. Just get down on the floor with them and have fun. Someone will surely come and help you up at some point. 

Also, remember when they're little they don't need to stay out in oppressive heat for very long. Use the sunscreen even when you're going to be in the shade and put a hat on that sweet little head. Let them drink water before going out and take some outside with you.

Enjoy those summer activities in the morning or late evening. The middle of the day in 100-degree weather is no place for a one-year-old. Or her grandma.

What are your ideas for keeping your little grandkids/kids entertained and cool during the summer months?

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