Bbbrrrr, winter has settled in for many areas of the country and that may leave you looking longingly at the backyard and wishing you could still be enjoying yourself in the water. Hey! You have a hot tub or spa! You CAN still be enjoying yourself in the water.
Children do love time spent in the hot tub, and that means you can all spend time together, but when the children are joining you, you do need to consider their age, their health and the temperature of the hot tub water. Children are more quickly impacted and dehydrated in heated water; make sure you have cool glasses of water for everyone next to the hot tub and sip frequently.
A hot tub or spa is not only a great place to relax and unwind but a quick dip can also take that chill out of your bones that has settled in since the temperatures have dipped below freezing and have stubbornly stayed there.
You can certainly spend time with your entire family (except infants) in the hot tub, but take these safety precautions into consideration before heating up the towels and dashing across the frozen yard to slip into the hot tub.
Fun In The Hot Tub With Your Children
Safety matters
Safety is always the first consideration when you’re in the hot tub or the swimming pool or if your child is in the bathtub.
- Children, younger than five-years-old shouldn’t be in the spa.
- Children who are older than five-years-old can be in the hot tub for no more than fifteen minutes.
- Before you let your child in the hot tub, a child over than five, have them stand in the center of the structure. They should be tall enough to not go under water.
Fun matters
Of course, you want to kick back, sip a glass of wine and let the heated water take away the day’s stresses. Your children, however, will soon tire of that and will be looking to you for fun! If the weather cooperates, you can set up a backyard scavenger hunt and let the kids run around, solve the clues and find the trinkets you’ve hidden. Once they’ve done that, then they can jump into the hot tub!
You can also play a game of beachball volleyball. Blow up a small inflatable beach ball and play “hot potato” or volleyball with it. Hit it back and forth, keeping it out of the water as long as possible.
Set up a buffet meal of snacks, drinks and desserts just outside of the hot tub to be enjoyed between bouts of soaking and finishing the scavenger hunt.
Accessories matter
What kind of accessories make sense for your hot tub or spa? How about a towel heater? This accessory allows you to put in towels within easy reach and when you get out of the hot tub, they are waiting there to keep you warm. Pop them back in when you’re ready to get in the water again.
An entertainment system. Get a weather resistant television and stereo system.
Don’t forget to invest in outdoor space heaters or a fire pit to have nearby to add warmth when you’re getting into and out of the hot tub.
A hot tub or spa is a prized possession for individuals living in the colder areas of the country — even those areas, like Arizona which rarely get cold have been experiencing a cold snap and the hot tub is the go-to relaxation source!