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Keep Your Kids Safe and Healthy This Summer
From sunburn to swimmer’s ear, the summer months present a set of
health challenges that kids and parents don’t usually deal with
during the rest of the year.
Dr. Macharia Carter-Smith, a pediatrician with
Texas Children’s Pediatric Associates – Pasadena, offers some ways
to deal with a few common summer ailments.
What’s the best way to deal with sunburns?
The best thing to is to try to prevent them. It’s best not to expose
infants younger than 6 months old to too much sunlight. If you have to take
them into the sun, dress them in lightweight, long pants, a
lightweight, long-sleeve shirt and a hat with a brim. Using a
stroller or umbrella, provide them with shade whenever possible. If
no shade is available, place sunscreen on exposed areas like their
face and the tops of their hands.
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Macharia Carter-Smith, M.D.
Dr. Macharia C. Smith
is a pediatrician with TCPA-Pasadena. She is a member of
the American Academy of Pediatrics and enjoys reading,
drawing and traveling in her spare time. |
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Make sure your older children
wear
sunscreen. You should use at least
an SPF 15 that protects against both UVA and UVB rays. Apply it to skin
15 to 30 minutes before they go
outside, giving it time to absorb.
When playing, have kids take a break
and step into the shade roughly
every half hour. The time out of the
sun will help prevent burns. Reapply
sunscreen every 2 to 3 hours.
No matter how well prepared you are,
though, at some point some children
do get a sunburn. If this happens,
you can treat it with a cool
compress to the burn and
over-the-counter pain killers. If
the burn is bad enough that it
blisters, bring your child to your
pediatrician.
How do you handle dehydration?
Like sunburns, the best way to
handle dehydration is by trying to
prevent it in the first place. Make
sure your kids have plenty to drink
before they go out to play. While
they’re taking breaks from the sun,
give them water or a sports drink to
keep them properly hydrated. Keep an
eye out for signs of mild
dehydration. Children who act
rundown, complain about a dry mouth
or are urinating less than normal
could be slightly dehydrated. At
this point, it’s probably best get
out of the heat. Go inside, make
them rest and give them plenty of
water.
What about bug bites?
To prevent bites, use an insect
repellant that is at least 30% DEET,
which repels some insects that can
carry disease, such as ticks and
mosquitoes. After playing outside,
wash your children off to remove any
excess repellant.
For the most part, the bites and
stings that do occur aren’t serious. If
a stinger is present, remove it with
tweezers or drag a hard edge,
such as a credit card or fingernail,
sideways across the stinger. You can
treat the surrounding area with ice and
over-the-counter pain medicine, or with
an oral antihistamine or
non-prescription hydrocortisone cream
for itching. In some cases – usually
when there are multiple stings or bites
– a child may develop a more severe
reaction to the insect’s venom. This is
signaled by nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,
dizziness or difficulty breathing. If
this happens, seek medical treatment for
your child immediately.
What steps should I take to keep
my kids safe around a pool?
If you have a pool in your back
yard, the American Academy of
Pediatrics recommends that you
completely enclose it with a fence.
The gate should open outwards and
should close and lock itself
automatically. Whether at your own
pool or at a neighborhood pool,
young children should never be alone
by the water. If they’re swimming or
playing by the pool, make sure you
keep them within arm’s reach.
What exactly is swimmer’s ear and
how do I treat it?
Swimmer’s ear results from water
sitting in the outer ear canal,
which can cause irritation and even
an infection. To prevent it, after
swimming have children tilt their
heads to each side and shake, which
will help the ears drain. Dry the
outside of the ear thoroughly with a
towel. Don’t stick anything inside
the ear to dry it, though. An object
inserted in the ear can damage the
eardrum.
If your child develops an earache
after swimming, or if clear or
yellow discharge is draining from
the ear, he or she has probably
developed swimmer’s ear. At this
point, you should take your child to
the pediatrician, who can prescribe
eardrops to treat the condition.
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