This post was sponsored by Johnson’s Healthy Essentials.

It’s almost summer! That means time spent at the pool, the beach, the park— playing outside in the sprinklers, chasing butterflies, catching fireflies and riding bikes! And with that comes loads of fun stuff like sunburns, bug bites, pool scrapes, splinters and heat rash!

Oops. I didn’t mean to turn your summer into a bummer.

I also didn’t mean to rhyme.

These things happen.

As do splinters.

Has your child ever gotten a splinter? It is the absolute WORST. One moment, they are without a care in the world, running around barefoot in their bathing suit, on your friend’s brand new deck, sipping lemonade and spitting out watermelon pits and the next moment, they are doubled over screaming in pain, holding their toe so tightly nobody can even see it, while your husband is lighting matches and you’re waving around a tweezer and a needle, yelling, “Don’t worry, sweetie! It won’t hurt!!!!” Even though that’s about as believable as telling them to pet a snarling lion, “It won’t bite!”

I still have nightmares about Mazzy’s splinter incident one sunny Saturday morning away at my friend’s house as our families gathered for the weekend to kick off summer.

Luckily, my friend was prepared with a first aid kit stocked with summer essentials like BAND-AID® Brand WATER BLOCK™ Clear Bandages and NEOSPORIN® + Pain Relief. Although, of course, Mazzy refused the clear bandages and opted for the Frozen variety, which I carry in my purse for such Elsa & Anna emergencies at all times. This way, Mazzy’s little splinter debacle didn’t stop her from jumping into the pool for the remainder of our trip. I swear my kids would wear their bathing suits 24/7, if I didn’t force them to change into pajamas before bed…

The following day, temperatures hit an all-time high, but we were lucky enough to stave off any bad sunburns, because I keep my kids slathered in sunscreen at all times. I have been sunscreen obsessed ever since I was nine, when I got a burn so bad at my Grandma’s Del Ray Beach condo, that taking a shower felt like Florida’s version of torture. For years and years after, I spent my beach days sheltered safely under an umbrella… but then I had kids.

Once Mazzy made it clear the only way she would remain in her toddler beach tent was if I chained her there, I realized I was going to have to poke my head out from under my beach hat and actually play in the sand and water.

No reading a trashy summer novel with an alcoholic beverage in hand!

It’s more like slathering lotion on sandy baby thighs and playing rock, paper scissors with your husband to see which one has to accompany the kids on their tenth ice cold dunk in the ocean.

Speaking of sandy baby thighs, Johnson’s Baby Powder is my new method of removing sand from tiny hands before they dig into a moist baggie full of grapes and little feet before they trek all that sand into the car, etc. That was a beach hack I learned from you guys, who always left the tip in the comments of my beach-hating posts.

To be fair, your children forcing you into the water isn’t always a bad thing. And I’ll admit, it’s nice to be forced out of your fully-clothed comfort zone and realize summer is pretty boring when you are acting like an adult.

During our weekend away, I managed to impress my daughter by doing all the pool acrobatics and hand stands I remember doing in the pool as a kid. (Note: pool acrobatics and hand stands can also make your newly adult-self super nauseous.) And I got to play doctor when little mishaps happened.

During our weekend, we saw Harlow go to town in the sand and Mazzy conquer her fear of the ocean. We saw them learn to fly a kite, test out a new bike and slobber all over an ice cream cone.

Summer is what childhood is all about, as long as you are fully prepared for all of the unexpected elements (and by elements, I mean shards of wood). You need to remember that the sun might make your skin glow but the sweat might make you break-out. You need to remember that green grass and tall trees smell wonderful, but also might your allergies act up. You have to know that bare feet and bathing suits come with bug bites and bruises.

Luckily, if you are ever in doubt, you can turn to HealthyEssentials.com for insight and answers to everyday questions about how to handle the unexpected mishaps that happen along the way.

With all this in mind, I give you my top 12 summer essentials:

To find coupons for these Healthy Essentials, visit the Healthy Essentials website here!

Yes, I know, I know, everyone else is posting summer essentials like bikinis and sunglasses— but let’s be real. You’ve got a daughter who scraped her pruned feet on the bottom of the pool and a baby who had a little adventure in a patch of poison ivy. You’ve been wearing the same one-piece for the past three years and have no plans to buy a new bikini. And you know, the second you drop $200 on a brand new pair of sunglasses, your baby is going to remove them from your bag and bury them in the sand.

Ever try to find a pair of sunglasses buried at the beach?

I have. That was three years ago and I’m still looking for them.

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This post was sponsored by Johnson’s Healthy Essentials, but all thoughts and splinter stories are my own.