Safety is our goal!

A post with a difference illustrating the human interest topic of ‘child safety’ in its broadest sense.  Kindly scribed by Sian Peak for Simple Safety Solutions (where I am a Non-Executive Director) and repeated here.

“As Britain’s Sky Plus boxes go into overdrive to avoid us missing a glimpse of the Euros, footie fanatics in their thousands come together to support our boys.  For me, having chosen to spend the start of the sporting schedule hiding on a sun lounger in the Algarve, it was quickly clear that there was no getting away from footie fever no matter how many air miles I clocked up.

Dragged against my will off my sun lounger by an eager other-half, kitted out in his beloved team kit, I endured the Denmark vs Portugal game in a Portugese sports bar on the promise that I would be rewarded with a large piece of cake. Easily swayed.  As the game heated up, I was met with a sea of red and white polyester as stereotypical ‘holiday Dads’ shared the experience with their wide-eyed sons in their brand spanking new team kits, enjoying a few high fives, and copious refills of Coca Cola.   Now I’m all for being patriotic and co-ordinating my wardrobe in an attempt to support the beloved game, but as I count yet another pint-sized, patriot sporting the latest team colours, I can’t help my internal calculator from totting up the amounts it must’ve cost to kit these kids out!  

Mumsnet calculated that the average cost of a replica kit for an eight-year-old stands at £57.54, with seven top clubs charging £60 or more. Add to that, names, badges and logos, the average complete replica strip comes in at around £80, meaning parents have spent the cost of an airline ticket before they’ve even set foot off the plane!   Not one for being stingy of course, but in the current economic climate (and looking at the painfully sunburned shoulders bobbing up and down around me), my safety radar tells me that our summer spends could be better spent.   In 30 degree heat, any sun-savvy Mum knows that protection is a number one priority when holidaying with mini sun-seekers.  Yet lack of funds/suitcase space/forward planning, often leaves kids without the essentials to protect them from sun damage. There’s a great range of sun protection gear available for children of all ages, at an affordable cost to ensure safety whilst in the sun.  Jakabel’s range of Sun Protection T-Shirts come in at less than half the cost of a football kit, and offer an SPF of 50+ along with quick dry technology. Sporty looking too! Add to that a pair of Sun Protection Shorts and you’ve got a team kit of your own for your beach-bound brood!  

Of course, kids will always want to keep up with the trends and feel involved in the event, and parents always want their mini-supporters to have the best. But if budget restrictions mean compromising safety for style, I say opt for a cheaper, unbranded replica kit from the likes of M&S, and spend your hard earned cash on essentials that won’t be out of date next year, or leave your little wanderers with souveneir sunburns!”

I’ve taken the plunge and bought another item from the fascinating Simple Safety Solutions’ portfolio, a Swimfin that my Son just loves and feels trendy wearing – even Kai Rooney has just been using it in L.A and Coleen says “Kai loves his fin!!”