5 Ways To Protect Your Kids
Five Ways to Protect Your Children this Summer
It is during this summer period that a large proportion of injuries occur. It is best to take precautions and be safe rather than sorry when it’s too late. Following are some tips to help parents keep their kids safe this summer:
1. Swimming Pool Safety
Most cases of children that drown occur in their own family swimming pool. Hundreds of children per year also require medical attention for submersion injuries.
Statistics on drowning incidents:
- 65% of cases occur in a family member or friend’s pool
- A drowning can happen in the same amount of time that it takes to answer the telephone.
- Child drownings happen so quickly that there is often no splash or noise to alert others to the
problem.
- Parents did not expect their child to be near the pool when the accident occurred in 69% of
drowning cases.
- Most of the reported drownings occurred while parents were supervising the child.
- It only takes a matter or seconds to determine either life or death or the probability of brain
damage.
Ways to keep children safe around the water:
- Have a fence surrounding the entire pool area that is at least four foot tall.
- Ensure the open/close feature of the gate is tall enough to be out of reach of children and that it has
a self close feature.
- Never leave the child unsupervised around the pool area.
- Infants and toddlers should always be at least at arms length from an adult.
- Keep a portable phone nearby.
- Keep rescue devices close by. A good piece of equipment is an extended pole with a hook on the
end.
- Do not use ‘floaties’ as a safety vest.
- Have the child wait half an hour before re-entering the water following eating. This is to allow
proper digestion of food.
2. Sunburn
It is as a child where most destruction of the skin occurs due to the sun. Although sunlight is necessary as it is the best source of Vitamin D as well as offering health benefits such as fighting depression, it is important to protect against over exposure. Too much exposure could result in mild first degree burn or more severe second degree burns which blister the skin.
How to protect your children from Sunburn
- Dress the child in protective clothing – hat, long sleeve shirt and long pants.
- Use natural Sunscreen lotion like UV Natural without nasty chemicals.
- Eye protection is important! Ensure the child wears sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection from
radiation.
- Between the hours of 11am to 3pm limit your child’s exposure to the sun. This is when the sun’s
rays are at their most harmful.
- t is possible to get sunburnt through clothes as they only have an SPF of 5.9, so keep this in mind!
- At the onset of the warmer days, limit the child’s sun exposure to 10 minutes a day and progressively
increase this time so that in a matter of weeks, the child will be able to have normal sun exposure
with as little risk of skin cancer as possible.
- Increase antioxidant levels in the child’s body by consuming whole vegetables. This will provide
protection against sun induced radiation damage.
3. Heatstroke
As the child sweats more and loses excess amounts of water in the warmer months, it can lead to dangerous heat related conditions such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke. Therefore, it is vital to ensure children revitalise with pure water, as soft drinks and fruit juices contain a sugar content which is high which will in turn raise insulin levels. Parents should give their children fluid breaks every 25 minutes.
If a child is experiencing any of the following symptoms, they should be taken to the hospital immediately for treatment:
- Quickened pulse
- Unconsciousness or confused state of mind (in this case, it is advised to cool down the child’s body
temperature immediately. Place the child in a cool shower or wrap a cool wet towel or blanket
around the body.)
- Skin that is red, dry and hot to the touch
- Showing symptoms of shock brought on by low blood pressure
- Body temperature that exceeds 40 C – this is life threatening
- Pounding headache
- If the child is conscious but showing signs of heatstroke, give them at least one glass of cold water
every 15 minutes.
Signs the child is suffering from heat exhaustion
- Dizziness
- Weakness
- Sweating
- Fainting
- Skin is pale and cold
- A doctor should be called in the instance the parent believes heat exhaustion is occurring to their
child and should also give them at least one glass of cold water every 15 minutes.
How to prevent a heat related illness
- Dress the child in light coloured and light weight clothing
- Limit the amount of time the child spends in the heat
- Ensure the child takes water breaks every half hour
4. Insect Bites
Watch out for wasps and bees as these bites are the cause of most allergic reactions that can turn serious.
Warning Signs of a Severe Life-Threatening Allergic Reaction
- Unable to breathe due to swelling in the throat and nose
- Dizziness
What to do if your Child is Stung
- Keep the area clean
- Get the stinger out as quickly as possible
- Place ice on the area to reduce swelling
Protection against Mosquitos
Stay away from aeroguards or repellents that contain DEET, which is a deadly neurotoxin and has been associated with a range of health problems. Most repellents are made from DEET which can cause seizures and dizziness.Some natural options instead are:
- Check the local health food store for natural repellents that do not contain chemicals.
- Plant some marigolds and Citronella around the house to keep mosquitos away; as they do not like the scent these plants give off.
- An effective product that contains no toxic chemicals is Neem-based Outdoor Botanical Gel. It will soothe the skin as well as keep insects away.
- Garlic acts as a repellent against insects, so this is another reason to eat this food!
- Teatree Oil is great as mosquitos hate the smell.
5. Food borne Illnesses
Young children tend to be the majority of those hit with food borne illnesses, in summertime in particular. Warm weather is a haven for bacteria, and being the weather for barbeques and picnics where food is often left laying around for long periods of time, this does not provide for a good combination.
Symptoms of Food borne Illnesses
- Diarrhoea
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Cramps
- High fever and bloody stools in severe cases
How to Protect Your Food From the Heat
- Clean vegetables and fruit in cool water
- Keep raw foods away from cooked foods
- Scrub fruits with rough surfaces with a soft brush
- Keep marinated foods in the fridge
- Clean your hands thoroughly with soap and water prior to food preparation or eating
- Hot items packed should be kept at a temperature of 60 C or above
- Cold items should be kept in a cooler at 5 C or below
- Never leave food out past one hour when the temperature exceeds 32 C.
Guidelines to follow Should you be Struck with a Food borne Illness
- Keep hydrated by eating ice or take sips of clear fluid once the vomiting has ceased.
- The person can be treated with a dairy free probiotic.
