Health care professionals from the Division of General and Community Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center offer the following safety tips for outdoor activities under the sun.
- If your child begins to get sick or queasy from the heat, have him / her lie down in a cool, shady spot and give fluids. If this doesn't help, seek medical assistance.
- Children need constant fluids to avoid heat stress. Water is ideal, but lemonade, fruit juices, snow cones and Popsicles" also are good choices.
- Avoid caffeinated drinks. Caffeine is a diuretic, which causes a person to urinate the water he / she should be retaining.
- The sun and heat can be deceptive. Take time out to step indoors or into the shade; let your eyes adjust; then check for sunburn, as well as signs of heat stress.
- Liberally apply sunscreen before heading outdoors. Use a sunscreen developed specifically for children because the ingredients are less irritating. For very young children, use a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 to 45. For older children, an SPF of 30 is fine.
- Do not apply sunscreen to children under 6 months of age, unless recommended by a physician. Instead, use sun bonnets and other methods of shading the infant's face, neck and other exposed skin.
