Everything You Need To Keep Cool In Hot Weather
The world's greatest beach umbrella and 8 other products that will keep your family from melting down — literally.
According the charts and graphs folks, 2015 has a good chance of being the hottest year on record. You can try to digest the science (El Niño, you minx!), or you can stock up on the kids gear you’ll need to keep cool during hot weather — and keep you and your kids from melting into puddles of sticky exhaustion 30 minutes after getting to the beach or park. Because, solving climate change is on everyone, but not bringing home crabby kids who look like lobsters? That’s all on you.
Geleeo Stroller Cooling Pad
If your local climate (or your kid’s hyperactive metabolism) mean that the stroller is basically a hot box all summer, step up to this stroller pad that’s filled with a hydrogel designed to dissipate body heat without needing to be chilled. It’s such a simple, effective way to keep cool that there’s only one flaw: it doesn’t come in an adult size for your beach chair.
DreamBaby Clip-on Fan
Yes, walking around on a hot day sucks for you, but how do you think your stroller-bound infant or toddler feels? They can’t even ditch out for an iced coffee unless you lift them over that stupid step in the doorway. In the meantime, this brilliantly simple, battery-powered clip on with a flexible neck will at least ensure there’s some airflow in the cabin. Just don’t try to keep cool by clipping it to your collar — at least, not in public.
Yeti Hopper Cooler
That massive rolling cooler you plan to pack lunch in makes for a great workout, but you aren’t going to the beach for a workout. Also, once you hit sand, you’re not rolling it so much as dragging it. Yeti’s soft-sided Hopper is lighter, easier to lug, and will keep ice cold for days, not hours.
Sport-Brella Sun And Weather Shelter
You can’t be prepared for everything, but if you’re not prepared for sun then you’re basically failing as a parent. This umbrella-shaped weather shelter provides 8 feet of coverage with UPF 50+ protection, which handles 99.5 percent of UVA and UVB rays. It deploys in seconds, has airflow vents for cooling and side flaps for more than just overhead protection, and folds down to 54x4x4 inches for easy stowing. And, if it does start to rain, you have a big-ass umbrella to keep cool. Who’s prepared now?
Coleman CPX6 Lighted Tent Fan
That’s cool that you took the kids camping … except when the tent is anything but cool. The CPX6 provides 2 speeds of airflow with short, foam blades that you don’t have to worry about endangering any fingers. The center of the fan is an LED lamp with 99 lumens, so you can keep the tent bright while telling ghost stories and then scare the crap out of them by turning it off. Of course, the CPX6 runs on 4 D batteries, so you can take it plenty of other places than a tent.
Arctican Stainless Steel Can Cooler
Foam koozies are fine for drinking bad beer ironically in the backyard, but your kid has more discerning tastes than you. The Arctican is a double walled insulated stainless steel cannister that holds most 12-ounce aluminum cans and keeps them 3 times colder, three times longer than a flimsy piece of foam. Because, serving your kid a 95-degree drink on a 95-degree day will end badly for both of you.
Mission Athletecare Enduracool XL Instant Cooling Towel
A cold, wet towel around the neck provides instant relief in scorching weather … for about 2 minutes. The Enduracool XL uses a proprietary fabric (with “radiator-like fiber construction”!) to not only keep cool for up to 2 hours, it can be reactivated by simply soaking it, wringing it out, and snapping it 3 times. Where you aim the towel while snapping it is entirely up to you.
Quiksilver Pierside Hat
Pro tip: baseball caps provide lousy sun protection and vent terribly, which is why the only people who should wear them during the dog days of summer are baseball players. Everyone else should look for something with a wide brim and broad, woven fibers, like this 100-percent straw job from the surfers at Quiksilver. Sure, you might suffer a few jabs about looking like you’re picking crops, but you know who laughs last? The guy whose nose and lips aren’t peeling off his face.
Contigo AUTO SEAL Kids Trekker
Contigo has a stellar reputation for legitimately spill-proof adult travel mugs, so it’s a good thing they decided to translate for someone who really needs it: a tiny person with tinier hands. The Trekker’s one-piece lid never leaks and packs 14 ounces into a narrow diameter that’s easy to hold on to — even if the tiny hands are covered in sweat.
