Are Your Children At Risk for Dehydration This Summer?

Last updated on September 2nd, 2019 at 07:46 pm

Welcome to summer, the kids are out of school, summer camps are in full swing, family trips all over the country have begun and just in case you haven’t noticed, it’s hot outside. It is turning out to be one of the hottest summers on record with temperatures reaching triple digits in many parts of the country. As it heats up, summer safety becomes a serious issue. With all this fun and traveling going on please don’t forget to ask yourself one very important question, “are my children hydrated well enough to handle this heat?” the answer is most likely no.

Thousands of children each year are admitted to hospitals with heat-related illnesses and most go home, but there are the cases every year where children end up overheating and dying because they were not hydrated properly. As I write this, it’s a beautiful 94 degree Saturday here in Miami with all the humidity you can handle and that means one thing for us here at the fire department. A huge increase in the amount of heat illness related calls we are going to run and most of them will be on children.

As parents when we think of dehydration, we think of our children being sick and having a bout of diarrhea and or vomiting, and the doctor tells us to keep them hydrated with plenty of fluids. That is all well and good and as good parents we make sure our little campers get plenty of fluids and are back healthy A.S.A.P., But the kind of dehydration I am talking about is the kind we as parents tend to overlook in the rush of our day to day lives and that is the everyday dehydration of our very active children. By the time a child says he is thirsty, he is already dehydrated, and with studies finding that 50% of children participating in sports activities were already dehydrated we need to be hydrating our children before, during, and after physical activity as well as keeping an eye out for the signs of heat-related illnesses.

Recommendations for hydrating children ages 6 to 12 include:

• 4-8 ounces 1 to 2 hours before activity
• 5-9 ounces every 20 minutes of activity
• After activity, replace lost fluids within 2 hours

Recommendations for hydrating young athletes ages 13 to 18 include:

• 8-16 ounces 1 to 2 hours before activity
• 8-12 ounces 10-15 minutes before activity
• 5-10 ounces every 20 minutes of activity

Being able to recognize the signs of heat-related illnesses is critical and should be done by us the parents as well as the coaches. A basic awareness of the signs of heat-related illnesses could make all the difference, so here are some key points to be on the lookout for as recommended by Susan Yeargin, PhD, ATC.

Types of heat illnesses

Athletes who exercise in hot or humid weather are particularly at risk of heat illnesses:

• Heat cramps
• Heat exhaustion
• Heatstroke

Symptoms of impending heat illness

In addition to educating young athletes about both the importance of hydration and the dangers of heat-related illness, ensuring that they are drinking enough fluids, and taking precautions to reduce the risk of heat injury in children in hot and humid weather, you need to watch your child for symptoms of impending heat illness:

• Weakness
• Chills
• Goose pimples on the chest and upper arms
• Nausea
• Headache
• Faintness
• Disorientation
• Muscle cramping
• Reduced or cessation of sweating

A child continuing to exercise when experiencing any of these symptoms could suffer a heat illness.

Heat cramps

Symptoms:

• Thirst
• Chills
• Clammy skin
• Throbbing heart
• Muscle pain
• Spasms
• Nausea

Treatment:

• Move child to shade
• Remove excess clothing
• Have child drink 4 to 8 ounces of fluid with electrolytes (sports drinks) every 10 to 15 minutes

Heat Exhaustion

Symptoms:

• Nausea
• Extreme fatigue
• Reduced sweating
• Headache
• Shortness of breath
• Weak, rapid pulse
• Dry mouth
• Rectal temperature less than 104?F.

Treatment:

• Move child to cool place
• Have child drink 16 ounces of fluid containing electrolytes for every pound of weight lost
• Remove sweaty clothes
• Place ice behind child’s head
• Seek medical attention, if no improvement

Heat Stroke

Symptoms:

• No sweating
• Dry, hot skin
• Swollen tongue
• Visual disturbances
• Rapid pulse
• Unsteady gait
• Fainting
• Low blood pressure
• Vomiting
• Headache
• Loss of consciousness
• Shock
• Excessively high rectal temperature (over 105.8F.)

Treatment:

• Call 911
• Remove sweaty clothes
• Immediate and continual dousing with water (either from a hose or multiple water containers) combined with fanning and continually rotating cold, wet towels on head and neck until immersive cooling can occur.

As parents we tell our kids to study and do their homework so they will be prepared, well we as parents need to do our homework as well when it comes to recognizing the signs of heat-related illnesses and staying on top of hydration. Luckily for those parents who live and breathe on their iPhone there is help. iHydrate is an app that reminds you to hydrate yourself and your children before, during and after activities. App or no app, stay alert, keep those children hydrated and please remember, when in doubt call 911.

Summer and Beyond: How to Get Your Special Needs Child To Read

Last updated on July 3rd, 2020 at 03:08 pm

Many schools have started assigning Summer Reading to keep kids in good habits and also to avoid the dreaded summer brain drain, where they lose some of the skills learned during the academic year due to lack of practice. Sometimes the reading assignment can be fun, like a competition to see who reads the most pages or books or minutes. Sometimes it can be a straight assignment like a project or a report. But even if your school doesn’t specifically assign any reading, it’s a good idea to encourage your kids to keep reading all summer long.

I know many kids with special needs or learning challenges absolutely hate reading. It is truly unpleasant for them, so who can blame them? For now there are other ways to make books appealing. When my kids were little we used them to play games like The Floor is Lava and Dominoes. Then I read the books to them after play time. Reading to your child is important even if you think they are “too old” for it – they are not. Something as simple as “Hey, this is interesting, listen…” may get them motivated to explore (or listen) further.

Ideas to keep kids reading – or get them reading

• Let them read whatever they want – manga, movie novelizations, comic books all count. I even let my daughter read a toy catalogue once because it was the only thing that motivated her.
• Let your child be your tour guide. This works on vacation or locally. Let them do research on a location that interests them and pick out some place to visit. This also works with restaurants and reading menus.
• Take them to the library. Check your local locations for puppet shows, clubs or events…and hey, look, there are lots of books, too! Maybe one will catch their eye. Again, let them choose. You may not want to read a novel with a gory zombie on the cover but if it gets them interested, so be it.
• Bring books to places where you will be waiting, like doctors and dentists appointments. Put baskets of them in the bathroom.
• Audio books can also help kids with visual processing and other challenges. Many are free online through your local library or other sites – just do a quick search.
• Who are your child’s heroes? There are biographies on every historical figure, sports star and celebrity.
• Yes, it’s okay to let them reread Harry Potter again – as long as you get them thinking about what they noticed this time that they never did before.

Another way to get kids with special needs or challenges interested in a book is if the story is about a kid with challenges. Students will recognize their own struggles and situations and pick up some new strategies. Feel free to read the books yourself – grownups may learn some of the clever ways these kids avoid work and play their teachers.

Here are some reading suggestions about children with special needs for teens. Ask a bookstore employee, teacher or librarian for other suggestions.

• Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper features a girl with cerebral palsy
• Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt follows a girl and her older brother as they discover they have dyslexia
• El Deafo by Cece Bell, a graphic novel about a girl with a clunky hearing aid

Have you or your child read a great book lately? Let us know about it!

 

A Perfect Picnic for Family Health and Fun

Last updated on July 11th, 2016 at 12:27 am

 

 

Summer Safety Checklist for Parents…From Our Top Paramedic

Last updated on July 31st, 2018 at 06:22 pm

School will soon be out, summer will officially be upon us, and the kids will be looking for things to do. All of these things are going to happen soon so it is time to break out the summer safety tip checklist to ensure that we not only have a fun summer but that we also have a safe summer. The two most common emergencies we encounter in summer time are heat related illnesses and water emergencies. Heat related illnesses can range from cramps and dizziness, to fainting and passing out.  The key to heat illnesses is to stay vigilant with your kids and hydrate them.  If you know they will be outside during the day, then they need to hydrate before, during, and after outside time.  Stay aware of the signs of heat problems.  Cramps, dizziness, dry red skin, and nausea are just some of the warning signs.  If you encounter any of these heat problems with your children, please move them to a cool place with shade or air conditioning, and slowly cool them down with cool towels and water, and if the heat problems are causing your child severe problems, with breathing or blacking out, then call 911 immediately.

Water emergencies can range from falling off a boat to drownings in pools.  The key to water safety and children is 100% focus with no distractions.  Kids can drown in a very small amount of water and it can happen in what seems like a blink of an eye, so the best strategy is to never let them out of your sight when near or in the water.  If your child does not know how to swim then swimming lessons can be a fun summer activity that lasts a lifetime.  If you and your children will be on a watercraft of any kind, please remember to wear life-jackets at all times and obey the rules of the water.   If your child is going to a summer camp with a pool or traveling to a pool then purchase them their own flotation jacket or shirt to take with them.

If your child is going to camp this summer, please take a little time and do your homework on the camp and its counselors.  Finding out things like how many kids will be in the camp, what is the counselor to kid ratio, are all camp staff members certified in CPR, how is the camp set up? Is it near water? Etc.  Asking questions like these will let you know how committed the camp is to your child’s safety. If your child is staying home during the summer, the questions are almost the same.  Who is watching the child, do they know CPR, can they swim, will they have 100% focus at all times with your child,  can they handle an emergency with your child like a fall or something more severe?  Having an older sibling stay home and watch a younger one during the summer can both a blessing and gamble, so make sure everyone is clear about what is expected and what to do in an emergency.

The two things we always tell people are

– Nobody is drowning proof, and

– Hydrate hydrate hydrate.

Thank you and have a safe summer.

Summer + Kids = Swimming Lessons + Fun

Last updated on May 8th, 2015 at 09:21 am

Summer is fast approaching.  End of school concerts and events.  The trees and flowers are blooming.  Remember how you looked forward to that long summer break?  No school!  Twelve long weeks of sunshine and fun!

And then I became a mother.  Suddenly 12 long weeks of summer became more of a challenge.  The first couple of weeks are always great, everyone needs a break from the over-scheduled frenetic school year schedule.  An exhale from the 6am wake-up calls, packing lunches, and scrambling to fit in homework, soccer practice, violin lessons around life’s other commitments.  Home all day becomes bored all day.  Bored kids = cranky kids.  Cranky kids = cranky mom.  Which is why as soon as spring break ends I’m grabbing my calendar and trying to schedule the right balance of camps and activities to keep my kids and myself happy, active, and engaged so that we really do enjoy summer and still like each other by the time school starts again.

Topping your list should be time in the water, because water makes everything about summer better.  It cools you off, lifts your spirits, wears you out in the best possible way, is a great way to hang with friends, improves health, and is just plain fun.  Here are some ideas for summer water activities to add to your calendar:

• Put those year-round swim lessons to use and enroll your children in a local swim team, which is usually a fun and social manageable level of competitiveness for even the most cautious of swimmers. That nudge of racing with all your friends cheering on the deck can make a child realize that yes, they have been learning to swim, and they are actually a better swimmer than they thought, and it’s fun!  Swim team can build confidence and make a child more interested in continuing in swim lessons.  Make sure you find a team that fits your child’s level of competitive spirit.  If they have a relaxed spirit, stay away from the Olympic hopeful team, but if your child has a competitive streak, find a more competitive team.  The goal is to strengthen their swimming skills, not make them hate swimming.
• Take swimming lessons. If your school year schedule is too much for swimming lessons, summer is the perfect time to get your child into swimming lessons.  Even a few weeks of regular lessons makes a huge difference with skill and confidence.  No child wants to be the one sitting by the side of the pool or the lake while their friends all splash and have fun.  Knowing how to swim opens social doors, not just being safer around water and learning a lifelong skill.
• Explore a new water sport.   Snorkeling.  Scuba diving.  Water polo.  Surfing.  Paddleboarding.  Junior Lifeguards.  Once you know how to swim, the possibilities are endless.  Reinforcing to your children that knowing how to swim makes so many more fun activities available to them will really cut any resistance to continuing swim lessons.  My kids are at the point where they are happy to continue swim lessons because they are seeing how many things they can do with that basic skill.  Neither is into competitive swimming, and both are already strong swimmers, but they have seen how many cool things they can do in the water.  They understand that the stronger a swimmer they become, the more fun activities are available.

Like reading or math, swimming is a skill that becomes stronger and more exciting and fun over time.  Take advantage of summer to keep the momentum going by showing your kids the world of possibilities that comes from being a strong swimmer.  Your kids will thank you for many years, and you’ll be able to look back at the summer with fonder memories.

Summer, Families and BBQ Safety

Last updated on October 5th, 2015 at 11:12 pm

It’s official, the kids are out of school and summer is here. All the things that happen during the summer will soon be upon us and grilling on the barbeque is certainly on that list. The list of safety precautions for the 4th of July and fireworks is a mile long and will be on every news station for the coming weeks. What will not get too much air time is the list of safety tips for Barbeque grills and the dangers of grilling. Being in the Firefighting profession, I have seen what happens when people take the Barbeque for granted and do not give the grill the amount of respect and preparation it deserves. From terrible burns to adults and children to house fires, grills definitely deserves your attention.

Grilling facts from NFPA

Be sure to use safe grilling practices as the peak months for grilling fires approach – June and July. Gas grills constitute a higher risk, having been involved in an annual average of 7,200 home fires in 2007-2011, while charcoal or other solid-fueled grills were involved in an annual average of 1,400 home fires.

Facts & figures

• In 2007-2011, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 8,800 home and outside fires. These 8,800 fires caused an annual average of 10 civilian deaths, 140 civilian injuries and $96 million in direct property damage.
• More than one-quarter (27%) of the home structure fires involving grills started on a courtyard, terrace or patio, 29% started on an exterior balcony or open porch, and 6% started in the kitchen.
• In almost half (43%) of the home outdoor fires in which grills were involved, half (51%) of the outside gas grills, and 29% of gas grill structure fires, the fire started when a flammable or combustible gas or liquid caught fire.

So while the grill is going and the steaks are on this summer, please remember that you need to be aware of the grill at all times. Now, when the grill and kids are brought together, there is an added level of awareness needed. Kids are naturally curious and that can be very dangerous when a live burning barbeque is involved so when the kids are around it is a good idea to introduce them to the barbeque and establish some safety rules such as a safety zone around the grill and not walking behind the grill and having a zero touching policy.

While at the Trauma center this past year with an adult patient, I met the parents of a 5 year old girl who was in surgery because their daughter had grabbed the grates on the grill and severely burned her hands. The father told me took his eyes off the grill for 1 minute to get a drink and that’s when his daughter went to the grill. It happens that fast.

So please be safe with the grill this summer. Have fun, eat well but be safe.

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