10 Summer Safety Tips

Keep Kids Healthy and Safe This Summer

Summer is full of good times and fun, kids look forward to summer break all year long. Summer coincides with many activities, sports, trips and adventures, along with the good times also brings new sets of concerns.

There are summer health tips for kids that can be followed that will help children to make their summer break as safe as possible.

1. Summer Health Tip for Kids: Swimming Safety

There are basic swimming safety tips that can followed that could save a child's life during the swimmingseason. It is wise idea to teach your child to swim and/or take your child to swim lessons. Always make sure a child of any age is being supervised even if the child is an excellent swimmer. Although swimming is great fun, there are safety factors that should be considered when at a pool, for example no diving in the shallow end, running, pushing or holding another person under the water. When it rains and storms, no one should be in the water due to the possibility of lightning strike. Explaining and demonstrating these simple summer health tips to children can greatly reduce the chance of a crisis and give kids a better understanding of the importance of water safety.

2. Summer Health Tip for Kids: Sun Protection

Skin cancer is a great concern for kids and adults, skin cancer is on the rise but taking a few precautions can help reduce the chance of skin damage caused by the sun. Make sure kids wear at least an SPF 30 sunscreen every time they go outside even if it is not a sunny day, the overcast skies can be just as damaging to the skin as sunny skies. Have kids where a hat and sunglasses if they feel comfortable, it is a great way to protect the ears, head, neck and eyes from sun exposure as they areas tend to be susceptible to sun damage.

3. Summer Health Tip for Kids: Bug Bites

Older kids can benefit from wearing insect repellent but making sure to wash the repellent off at the end of the day once their outdoor activities are over is equally as important. Younger children can benefit from being covered as much as possible such as long sleeved, light weight and light colored fabric as a good choice. If bug allergies are a concern such as bee stings, make sure to have the appropriate medications on hand and make people aware of your child's medical concerns whom are often around your child.

4. Summer Health Tip for Kids: Staying Hydrated

Kids should be drinking water throughout the day to stay hydrated, a water bottle carried around through the day can really help to prevent dehydration and sluggishness. Drinking lots of water is so important especially when kids are out in the hot sun and children's bodies tend to lose a lot of water through sweat.

5. Summer Health Tip for Kids: Bicycle Safety

Children get around by bike and most love to just ride around the neighborhood but knowing the rules of the road and protecting the body while bicycling is of great importance. Most drivers license facilities offer bicycle safety brochures for free and taking the time to go over the rules for bicycle traveling can really help to keep a child safe. There are many areas of the body that can be protected while riding a bicycle but the most important area to protect is the head, bicycle helmets are readily available at discount stores and specialized sporting good stores.

6. Summer Health Tip for Kids: Summer Allergies

Summer time allergies can create havoc for a child, meeting with a physician before summer starts and making a plan of action of allergy prevention for your child can really help to alleviate the allergies before they start and help to make your child's summer more enjoyable.

7. Summer Health Tip for Kids: Hot Cars

It is imperative to never leave a child of any age in a closed up car in the summer for even a few minutes. Even on a cool day with the sun shining can cause a car to heat up quickly, kids especially infants can overheat and get heat stroke in a matter of minutes. The few minutes saved by not removing a child from a vehicle is not worth the risk of death to your precious cargo.

8. Summer Health Tip for Kids: Fireworks Safety

Kids should never be allowed to play with any type of fireworks of any kind. Fireworks of any type give off tremendous heat and a serious burn or body part damage is always something that is possible when fireworks are being used. Fireworks should be left to the professionals.

9. Summer Health Tip for Kids: Poisonous Ivy and Other Poisonous Plants

Educating kids on the poisonous plants that may surround their play area is the first and most important step in poison prevention. If poisonous contact does occur, make sure to have any over the counter medication or prescription medication on hand so that the medication can be applied immediately to the affected area.

10. Summer Health Tip for Kids: Playground Safety

Many of the bumps and bruises that children receive come from the playground. If a child follows simple safety rules such as no pushing, kicking, running too fast and waiting your turn, many of the injuries can be prevented. Most schools have playground rules and explaining to your child that the same playground rules learned at school apply even during the summer may help to reduce the chances of a hurt child.

The summer health tips for kids highlighted here can make for a more enjoyable summer for you and your child. While summer should be fun, laughter and good times, keeping that summer fun going can happen by following some simple summer health tips for children.

Sources:

www.pediatrics.about.com

www.entnet.org

http://www.associatedcontent.com

Spring Time and Children's Health

Spring time is now here. For most children, this means more outdoor activities (swimming, camping, bike riding, etc.). For all parents, this means being extra vigilant to keep your child safe and healthy.

This article discusses some tips to keep your child safe and healthy this spring, including:

• Avoiding and Treating Spring Allergies, which can cause your child to have a lot of sneezing, plus a clear runny or stuffy nose, itchy and watery eyes and a cough, especially when he has spent a lot of time outside.
• Water Safety to protect your children when they are swimming or boating. Most importantly, always supervise your children around the water.
• Sun Safety to prevent damage from too much exposure to the sun. Regular use of sunscreen in children can lower their risk of skin cancer by almost 78%. But remember that sunscreen only works if you use it correctly and it does not substitute for limiting too much sun exposure. Many parents make the mistake of using sunscreen and then allowing unlimited sun exposure.
• Using Insect Repellents Safely to prevent bites from mosquitoes, etc. which can make your child miserable.

Help your child enjoy Spring by following the basic health and safety tips that are described in the rest of this article.

By Vincent Iannelli, M.D., About.com Guide

Keep Kids Healthy As Winter Gives Way to Spring

When days get longer and the weather begins to warm up, it's a sure sign that spring is around the corner. After months of cold temperatures and gray skies, just about everyone looks forward to spending time outdoors taking in the sights, sounds and scents of the season. But with temperatures rising and flowers, trees and grasses beginning to bloom, it's also time to protect kids from seasonal allergies and sun exposure. Here are some tips for keeping kids healthy all spring long.

* Look out for signs of seasonal allergies. Hay fever, also known as allergic rhinitis, is a common problem in both infants and children. Common symptoms include repeated sneezing, a stuffy or runny nose with clear drainage or congestion, itchy eyes and nose, throat clearing, sore throat, and/or a cough that tends to worsen at night and in the morning. Kids with seasonal allergies also tend to breathe through their mouth a lot and may have dark circles under their eyes.

* Limit kids' exposure to common allergens. While it's impossible to keeps kids clear of all outdoor allergens, there are some common-sense steps that can help minimize their impact, such as keeping kids indoors and closing windows in the early morning when the spring tree pollen count is highest, not hanging clothes outside to dry and bathing kids at bedtime to help minimize nighttime allergies.

* Protect skin from the damaging effects of spring sun. After being indoors for much of the winter, kids are eager to spend as much time outdoors as possible. To protect their skin during the spring months, break out the sunscreen and their favorite hats. When choosing a sunscreen for a baby, toddler or young child, look for a product that offers broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection with a minimum SPF of between 15 and 30. Also consider a product that is water resistant and one that is hypoallergenic and free of fragrance.

* Don't forget about eye protection. The lenses of children's eyes are extremely sensitive. Just as taking care of kids' skin can help prevent skin cancer in adulthood, eye protection can protect kids' eyes from developing certain conditions, like cataracts and macular degeneration, later in life. Everyone, including kids, should wear sunglasses year-round, but especially during spring and summer. Make sure to choose sunglasses that provide 100 percent UV protection. Hats with brims large enough to shade the eyes, while not as effective as sunglasses, also offer moderate protection from the sun.

Information by: http://fwnextweb1.fortwayne.com/adv/special/2010/springfever/article0014.html