Young children and the Texas heat (Austin: school, move, pool)

[blakely]

It's one thing to say that kids have lived in Texas for 100s of years (of course), but in fairness to the OP, it IS an adjustment if you/they are used to spending your summers in a more moderate climate.

Yes, you can find ways to be outdoors, but yes, also, you may need to change your patterns.

For example, when we lived in a cooler climate, our kids were outdoors 6-8 hours a day in the summer playing baseball, soccer, tag, hide & seek, you name it. Now they will do sports, but they find the midday heat too intense to spend long periods of time active outside in the middle of the day. Swimming is the big exception...we do a lot of that. I find that is the best way for my kids to burn energy in the heat of the summer. Other outdoor sports (soccer, running, etc.) are done in the early morning; the heat is more bearable then.

All in all, during the summer we spend more time indoors in the middle of the day than we did when we lived on the coasts. However, we do swim a lot and exercise in the early am. The kids may also choose from several basketball or volleyball camps indoors. So they can still be very active, but you have to plan a little more.

It's really a matter of planning your day a little differently (and being sure to find the wealth of great outdoor pools here!). It was a little hard for me to get used to at first, but once I adjusted, I made it work for us.

[Trainwreck20]

If you have small kids, like 2 years or younger, you will have to take extra precautions since their body thermostats are not nearly as effective as older kids. We used to go out with a little squirt-mister bottle and keep spraying down the little ones, since they refused to stay inside....

[SouthXSW]

Someone told me living in central Texas is miserable without a pool. I can agree with that as when I lived in Dallas (just as hot as Austin but slightly more humid) it was the same way. If you grow up in this region it's just annoying and you try to plan a long summer vacation to get away from it. But if you're moving from somewhere up north it will be a big adjustment and you will probably hate it.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by cmaxmor

The media isn't in my head. I can feel that the heat index is out of control. What are you trying to say it isn't HOT? Are you taking into account the heat INDEX? You know, what it actually feels like instead of the temperature?
That being said, it is still a big pain in the butt to find new things to do when it is stupid hot outside. If you don't have that experience, then great for you. But when you are broke, very VERY pale and tired....it's a pain.

Go Northwest young man, go Northwest.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by blakely

It's one thing to say that kids have lived in Texas for 100s of years (of course), but in fairness to the OP, it IS an adjustment if you/they are used to spending your summers in a more moderate climate.

Yes, you can find ways to be outdoors, but yes, also, you may need to change your patterns.

For example, when we lived in a cooler climate, our kids were outdoors 6-8 hours a day in the summer playing baseball, soccer, tag, hide & seek, you name it. Now they will do sports, but they find the midday heat too intense to spend long periods of time active outside in the middle of the day. Swimming is the big exception...we do a lot of that. I find that is the best way for my kids to burn energy in the heat of the summer. Other outdoor sports (soccer, running, etc.) are done in the early morning; the heat is more bearable then.

All in all, during the summer we spend more time indoors in the middle of the day than we did when we lived on the coasts. However, we do swim a lot and exercise in the early am. The kids may also choose from several basketball or volleyball camps indoors. So they can still be very active, but you have to plan a little more.

It's really a matter of planning your day a little differently (and being sure to find the wealth of great outdoor pools here!). It was a little hard for me to get used to at first, but once I adjusted, I made it work for us.

Where it's cooler, you can spend all day for the 3 months of summer outside but you're couped up 3 months in the winter with nothing to do. Here you can do anything in the winter and be rather comfortable, while you have some discomfort in the summer but can still do things. Overall I think the hat tips in Austin's favor though.

[blakely]

Originally Posted by cBach

Where it's cooler, you can spend all day for the 3 months of summer outside but you're couped up 3 months in the winter with nothing to do. Here you can do anything in the winter and be rather comfortable, while you have some discomfort in the summer but can still do things. Overall I think the hat tips in Austin's favor though.

Well, that depends where you're talking about.

I didn't have any snow where we lived before, so we were outside year 'round. But yes, for some it is a tradeoff between seasons.

[shmatbert]

I've lived in Texas my whole life and now I have a young son. It seems like it's usually the adults holding back the kids in the summer because we can't deal with the heat. Typically mornings in the summer are for outside play, afternoons for cooling off at the neighborhood pool. Kids always seem to be fine, though they do tire out more quickly. Texas summers are full of lots of water play. Water guns, slip and slides, water bouncies and the pool.

I think most kids don't let the heat hold them back.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by blakely

Well, that depends where you're talking about.

I didn't have any snow where we lived before, so we were outside year 'round. But yes, for some it is a tradeoff between seasons.

Did you have 75 degree and sunny weather in mid December where you lived before? If not, what was the temp? If it was 55 degrees and rainy (still mild compared to Northeast, but that is what the Bay Area was in the winter), to me that limits what you can do. You can't hike in that, or cycle, or do much of anything.

[cinnamon_toast]

Originally Posted by cBach

Did you have 75 degree and sunny weather in mid December where you lived before? If not, what was the temp? If it was 55 degrees and rainy (still mild compared to Northeast, but that is what the Bay Area was in the winter), to me that limits what you can do. You can't hike in that, or cycle, or do much of anything.

I think the amount of time you can spend relaxing and enjoying the outdoors is much greater here than in the north. Yes, there are "moderate" temperatures for several months out of the year but frankly I cannot sit outside and read a good book when it's 50 degrees. 90 with a breeze and some shade, you bet!! If you count up the number of days we eat dinner al fresco here versus back north, I bet it's triple the number.

[eepstein]

My kids don't seem to mind the heat. We have a playscape in the backyard with ZERO shade and they will play in the middle of the day like it's 60 degrees outside. Of course, they drink a lot more.

Originally Posted by edamama

For those of you with young children, do you find the heat hindering to keeping your little ones active outside?

My family is considering moving to Texas and the current temp in Austin is about 23 degrees warmer than where I can currently live. Now, I will say that ya'll were likely enjoying several months of 60-75F weather while we were still in the middle of winter. I get that it is a tradeoff. Part of the reason to move would be to have more space and be close to family, but I want my kids to be playing outside as much as they can.

Obviously a kiddie pool is a must...