Following the post on the beach as a playground, a reader has asked about what would be the appropriate age to start taking a child to the beach.
The truth is that I have not heard any aspect of the beach that could make it dangerous for a baby directly, but let's reflect on the conditions of greater security in which we can take our son to enjoy this environment.
- It is obvious that if we are going to talk about risks on the beach, we have to start with the sun. The fragility of the baby's skin will force us to protect him with cream and carry an umbrella or one of these folding tents that completely protect from sunlight.
- Seawater does not have to affect the skin. The chlorine in the pools is more aggressive and does not cause dermal changes in babies of two months. But it is best to put your feet a little and then see if you are especially sensitive to saltpeter or get along.
- The temperature of the water or the sea breeze would be other aspects, related to the comfort of the baby, which we should take into account. Its thermoregulation system is not fully developed at birth, so you have to be cautious.
- Finally, contact with the arena can be very rewarding or generate opposition. The grains of sand suppose a very intense tactile stimulation that may have to be gradually integrated (if you don't like it at the beginning).
In conclusion, I think that the beach is an intense and difficult to control environment, so, although there is nothing that makes it especially dangerous to the baby, it may not be worth accelerating your "first time". As I have said on occasion, the child's development should not be seen as a career. I think a good age range would be between 6 and 9 months, in short periods (half an hour, for example), in the mildest hours of the sun, with a good temperature and with comfortable and protective clothing.
