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Summer Health Hazards

How to keep your kids safe and happy for the rest of the summer

by: Sydney Loney

rom heat stroke to bee stings, here are five common health hazards threatening to spoil your kids’ summer fun–and what you can do to prevent them.

1. Sunburns

Prevention: There are three important things you can do to prevent your children from getting burnt by the sun:

•  Limit their sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun's rays are strongest.
• Cover them up with long-sleeved, tightly woven clothing and a broad-brimmed hat.
• Apply children’s sunscreen liberally 30 minutes before going outdoors, even on cloudy days. [Click here for the latest on the safest kids’ sunscreens.]

Treatment: You can reduce the pain, swelling and discomfort of a sunburn with a nonprescription anti-inflammatory medication, cool compresses and an aloe vera lotion. But if they have a burn that blisters, you should take them to a doctor, says Dr. Sanjeev Sharma, an emergency physician in Toronto.