Extreme heat can cause illness, dehydration, and even death. People who are at greater risk from these effects of heat are children, senior citizens, and those who live in urban areas. And as everyone gets ready for a heatwave, parents must especially be concerned for their children since they are the ones who will be greatly affected.
To help you, here are five tips on how to keep your children safe and cool during a heatwave.
1. Limit outdoor activity
Children may feel bored indoors and insist on going outside your backyard and play with your sprinklers. You can let them. However, you must limit their time outside to 30 minutes max, or make them go outside while it is early in the morning or the time is closer to sunset.
Before letting them play outside, make sure that they are wearing light clothing - both in color and in the material. You must also put sunscreen on them.
2. Keep them hydrated
Make sure to keep your children hydrated by drinking plenty of water. The suggested six to eight glasses of water every day is good to follow for children. You should also check your babies' diapers for concentrated (dark in color) urine that can indicate dehydration.
And since you are at it, let them have some of their favorite popsicles and cool drinks, although you need to limit them as well. You also need to remember the cool drinks are fine but not extremely cold because it may cause them stomach cramps.
3. Seek air-conditioning or cool areas
To battle the heat and other heat-related illnesses, seeking to air-condition is the best form of protection.
If you do not have the luxury of having air conditioning at home, you may want to bring your kids to your house's cool areas or bring them to the nearest places that have to air-condition.
4. Check your children frequently
Check on your children how they are handling the heat. Putting them under cool showers can help reduce the heat. Giving them a cool cloth to rest on the back of their neck, or running a cool washcloth over their arms and legs, can also help. The little ones might like to be given a small bowl of cool water and a cloth to give themselves a fun birdbath on hot days.
5. Know how to identify heat-related illnesses
It is important to determine and be informed about the difference between various heat-related illnesses for you to address them properly.
Learn the symptoms of these heat-related illnesses such as heat stroke, exhaustion, cramps, and severe sunburn. If your children show these symptoms, seek medical assistance immediately. For a complete list of health conditions caused by extreme heat exposure, and how to remedy them, you may refer to the CDC website.
With a little precaution, you and your children can be safe from the illnesses brought by the extreme heat. We hope that these tips can help you in addressing such matters. Stay inside your air-conditioned homes, and stay hydrated!
