Journal Entry

Guide to safe summer fun

When summer’s rays break the horizon, it means family fun for everyone. Longer days, splashing at the beach, cookouts, and camping mean at least three months of good times. But, all that fun can be petered out by a nasty sunburn or a trip to the emergency room. A measure of good sense though can ensure that your family enjoys each and every day before the leaves turn.

Sun safety

One of the best things about summer, the bright sunshine, can be dangerous. The sun’s rays can send the temperature blisteringly high. Be aware of the forecast and pay attention for words like, “heat wave.” On especially hot days, keep your kids indoors, especially during peak sunlight hours.
When you are outside, make sure your family is protected from the sun’s rays by applying sun block that’s labeled with both UVA and UVB spectrum protection. Remember that you need to reapply frequently; check the products’ labeling instructions. Keep broad brimmed hats and sunglasses on hand too.

When playing outside, keep everyone in your family hydrated even if they don’t appear thirsty. To avoid heat related illness, spread snacks and small meals throughout the day instead of eating large, heavy meals and make sure you and your kids take frequent breaks in the shade if you’re working or playing hard.

Watch everyone for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke (sometimes called sunstroke). These signs can include cool, moist and pale skin (red skin if the person was just physically active), headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting to more severe symptoms like decreased alertness, increased body temperature (up to 105), moist or dry skin, rapid weak pulse or rapid shallow breathing.

Water safety

Water and fun go hand in hand. However, drowning is a very real danger. Swimming classes are a fantastic resource for young children to acclimate to water, build their confidence and skills; but it is dangerous to believe that children can be left unsupervised. Firstly, the American Academy of Pediatrics notes that children are not developmentally ready for formal swim instruction until their fourth birthday; so while toddler swim classes will get children comfortable in water, they are not adept swimmers. Secondly, young children are not capable of making risk-taking decisions on their own. Parents need to make sure that everyone is swimming in supervised areas, obeying posted signs and noting local forecasts. Pick another day for a swim if it looks like stormy weather, lightening or high winds and surf if you’re swimming in open water.

If you are taking the boat out, make sure you’ve got all the right equipment for the proper number of people. That means life vests that fit all the passengers. An adult life vest for a small child will be useless in an emergency. Check the emergency supplies, like batteries, flashlights and maps and make sure they are in a watertight floatable container too. And, make sure you have enough fuel and that your engine is serviced and working before your pull away from the dock. Finally, alcohol and boating will sink your good time in a flash.

Playground safety

Kids wouldn’t be kids if they didn’t fall off the monkey bars or scrape their knees at the playground. But, there are preventable injuries that occur at playgrounds. Injuries can occur at playgrounds because children are playing on toys that are simply too big for them. Use your best judgment when supervising your children at the playground and steer them toward areas that are appropriate to their size. And, police your local playgrounds. Many injuries occur because of poor maintenance. Look for exposed bolts or open “s” hooks that can catch clothing or become trip hazards. And, of course, play structures should have padded surfaces underneath. This can be anything from woodchips to bouncy rubber.

Don’t bug me!

Pesky bugs can ruin a campout faster than you can swat them away. They bite, they sting and they burrow in your skin. And, before you’ve gotten home, you’re scratching yourself raw and swearing that you’ll buy stock in Calamine lotion.

Mosquitoes: Usually they’re in wooded and grassy areas like lakes and ponds. They have a reputation for carrying the West Nile Virus, but this rare. To help calm the itching from a bite, apply hydrocortisone cream. To prevent bites, stay indoors at dusk when they are most active; or, dress in long sleeves and pants.

Ticks : These tiny guys, ranging in size from a pinhead to a small seed, live primarily in wooded areas. They are responsible for transmitting the nasty Rocky Mountain fever and Lyme disease. To remove a burrowed tick, use tweezers and clean the area with antibiotic. You don’t need to call the doctor unless there’s a subsequent fever or rash. To prevent tick bites, use insect repellent and wear long sleeves and pants and always wear shoes and socks in wooded areas.

Fire Ants : These ants are easy to spot because they are red. They live in the Southeast and Southwest in mounds they make from fine soil. If you’ve got these mounds in your yard, have them professionally removed. To help with the discomfort of a bite, wash the area and put an icepack on it for 10-15 minutes. Call the doctor if there are signs of an allergic reaction (swelling or difficulty breathing). To prevent bites, steer clear of the mounds and keep shoes and socks on.

Bees and Wasps : Bees and wasps like sweet things, like flowers in gardens, meadows, parks and woods, and the smell of food and of decaying garbage; so, you’ll find them at parks and beaches where there is plenty of picnic trash. To remove a stinger, scrape a credit card over the skin and apply ice to the area. Call the doctor if there are signs of an allergic reaction (hives, dizziness, difficulty breathing). To prevent stings, teach children not to swat at bees and keep your sweet stuff covered to avoid attracting the pesky guys in the first place.

A note on insect repellent

Spraying an insect repellent with a 30% concentration of DEET on your exposed skin will help repel insects. But, you shouldn’t spray insect repellent on babies under two months old. For added protection, you can spray your clothes and camping gear, like sleeping bags, with a repellent called permethrin. Permethrin has to be sprayed outdoors and cannot be sprayed on skin. It is nontoxic.

No one ever looks back on summer and says, “Phew! I’m glad that’s over with!” That’s because summer is fun. Keep it that way by keeping your family safe and making sure they can enjoy all the days summer has to offer before fall brings winter in on its heels.

References:

www.americanredcross.org

www.parents.com