{"id":366562,"date":"2026-07-09T08:29:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T08:29:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/366562\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T08:29:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T08:29:30","slug":"summer-heat-safety-for-kids-expert-advice-sunscreen-tips-cooling-spots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/366562\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer heat safety for kids: Expert advice, sunscreen tips, cooling spots"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO, Texas \u2013 With children spending more time outdoors during summer break, parents are urged to watch closely for signs of overheating. Last month, the City of San Antonio reported that nine children suffered heat-related illnesses.<\/p>\n

Children depend on parents and guardians to help them stay cool, hydrated and safe when temperatures climb. They are among the groups most at risk for heat-related illness, along with older adults, people with disabilities, and pets.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to go look at them, talk to them,\u201d said Dr. Ralph Riviello, chief of Emergency Medicine at University Hospital. \u201cIf they\u2019re actively playing, they should be sweating. If they are not sweating or their skin looks very dry, that\u2019s concerning.\u201d<\/p>\n

For those with asthma, the heat and poor air quality can increase health risks. <\/p>\n

KSAT caught up with parent Sarah De Luna, who says she enjoys taking advantage of the Pearl\u2019s splash pads during the summer to help keep her kiddo cool.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just do sunscreen. And if it\u2019s a really bright day or anything, he\u2019s in a hat or a cap, but yeah, just keep him hydrated and little fans. Texas weather is crazy,\u201d De Luna said.<\/p>\n

Tips for families<\/p>\n

Experts say you want to make sure you\u2019re reapplying sunscreen throughout the day:<\/p>\n

SPF 30 blocks about 97% of UVB rays.<\/p>\n

SPF 50 and 100 block up to 99% of UVB rays.<\/p>\n

If you can, pay attention to the UV Index<\/a>. The rule of thumb is that any time it\u2019s above level 6, it\u2019s best to avoid being outdoors.<\/p>\n

>> What is the UV Index?<\/a><\/p>\n

Families heading to places such as SeaWorld San Antonio\/Aquatica and the San Antonio Zoo told KSAT they\u2019re coming prepared.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of snacks, strawberries, grapes, water, juices,\u201d said parent Gerardo Lara, who was visiting the zoo with his two children.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what\u2019s available to visitors at the San Antonio Zoo and SeaWorld:<\/p>\n

San Antonio Zoo<\/p>\n

The San Antonio Zoo has six cooling zones across the property, so families can duck into shaded areas to rest and cool off. Some are equipped with misters; others have air conditioning and seating.<\/p>\n

Victoria De Leon, the senior director of public relations for the San Antonio Zoo, said it is better to cool down early than to wait until symptoms start.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if you don\u2019t feel like you need it, rather than to start to overheat and then try to cool down, that makes the process a little harder,\u201d De Leon advised.<\/p>\n

If someone does begin showing signs of heat illness, the zoo has EMTs on standby.<\/p>\n

SeaWorld San Antonio<\/p>\n

SeaWorld San Antonio and Aquatica also have first aid teams available to respond. <\/p>\n

Chuck Cureau, the public relations manager for SeaWorld and Aquatica, said guests should alert staff if they feel unwell.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey can go to any one of our ambassadors, any of our employees, and say, \u2018Hey, I\u2019m not feeling well. Could you get me some help?\u2019 And our EMTs will be there in just a couple of minutes to help cool them down,\u201d Cureau said.<\/p>\n

Other ways to stay cool<\/p>\n

If you are visiting the various outdoor attractions and are looking for ways to stay cool, below is a list of activities you can hit:<\/p>\n

SeaWorld & Aquatica <\/p>\n

Explorer\u2019s Reef Aquarium<\/p>\n

Penguin Encounter <\/p>\n

Stingray Tour<\/p>\n

In-Water Dolphin Interaction<\/p>\n

San Antonio Zoo<\/p>\n

Discovery PLAYce<\/p>\n

John & Greli Less Butterfly Rainforest<\/p>\n

The Riverbank<\/p>\n

Congo Falls<\/p>\n

Brewer Ocean Conservation Lab<\/p>\n

Zen Zoo (RSVP needed)<\/p>\n

San Antonio Botanical Gardens<\/p>\n

No Name Creek <\/p>\n

Dog Days of Summer (July 6-Aug. 31)<\/p>\n

Honey Extraction Demonstration & Tasting (July 18)<\/p>\n

Pearl<\/p>\n

Splash pad (free, open daily from 9 a.m.-6 p.m.)<\/p>\n

1100 Springs Plaza (free)<\/p>\n

KSAT Kids<\/p>\n

More Stories Like This In Our Email Newsletter<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KSAT – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN ANTONIO, Texas \u2013 With children spending more time outdoors during summer break, parents are urged to watch…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":366563,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[83905,6527,1006,742,82,80478,84,83,8702,582],"class_list":["post-366562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-heat-safety","tag-ksatkids","tag-outdoors","tag-pearl","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-botanical-gardens","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news","tag-san-antonio-zoo","tag-seaworld-san-antonio"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=366562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366562\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/366563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=366562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=366562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=366562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}