Seven tips to avoid heat injuries in children
Summer is a wonderful time to play outdoor sports, but it’s also a vulnerable season for heat-related injuries in young athletes. Children are more prone to illnesses resulting from activity in high temperature for several reasons. They do not sweat as well as adults do, and the ability of the body to transfer heat from the blood to the skin is lowered in the athletic child. The three most common types of “heat injuries” are heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Here are some common sense rules for avoiding heat injuries in your exercising children:
1. Get children to drink plenty of fluids. The recommendation is eight ounces of fluid for every 30 minutes for a 90-lb child. Water is always best, while fruit juices and soda are bad choices.
2. Stop practices or competitions when it’s too hot or humid outside, or move the practices indoors or to a shady area.
3. Adjust schedules of sports activities with the temperature and get frequent breaks during activity.
4. Wear appropriate clothing. Cool, lightweight cotton helps the body get rid of excess heat. Avoid protective equipment that’s too heavy or covers too much skin.
5. In hot, humid weather, start practices light and gradually increase in intensity.
6. Closely watch children with chronic medical conditions (such as diabetes, kidney disease), those with acute illnesses (fever, vomiting or diarrhea that can lead to dehydration), the overweight, and those with prior episodes of heat injuries. Ask the pediatrician about how to maintain normal hydration in these children, since they are especially vulnerable to the risk of heat injuries.
7. During hot, humid weather, consider the possibility of heat illnesses in th young players: confusion, dizziness, nausea, sleepiness and feeling ill. Get the child to cool down and drink fluids. If the child does not recover quickly, take him to an emergency room. It could save the child’s life.
Courtesy of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Section on Sports Medicine and Fitness; Kids Growth
Tags: athletics, child, children, Children's Health, childrens health blog, childrens safety, dehydration, family, family health, health, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat injuries, heat stroke, Infant Care, Safety and Health, kids, kids health, kids health blog, kids health notes, sports, Teen HealthRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Diseases and Medical Conditions, Fitness, Sports and Outdoors
0 opinions for Seven tips to avoid heat injuries in children
No one has left a comment yet. You know what this means, right? You could be first!
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: