Keep Summer Fun!

It is that time of the year again - summer and swimming, playing outside and having fun weather! Let's think about some ways to keep those kids healthy and happy this summer!

If your kids spend any reasonable amount of time in the water, you should think about preventing the worst earache you can get - swimmers ear, or otitis externa. This is a bacterial infection (not a "fungus" as some believe) that is caused by excessive moisture in the ear canal over a period of several days. It hurts like crazy - the child cannot stand you to touch the ear, and will have probably have trouble sleeping.

The best cure is prevention. Simply go to the store and get a hair-tint or similar resealable plastic bottle with a snout to squirt in the ear easily. Then fill it half full of plain white vinegar, and half full of rubbing alcohol. (Label it plainly with fingernail polish - magic marker will wash off with the alcohol.) Each time your child is through swimming for the day, or at least for a few hours - flush the ear canals out with a good squirt of this mixture. The ears will stay dry and will have the normal, slightly acidic pH that inhibits germs from multiplying on normal skin.

Don't waste your money on commercial swimmers ear preparations - make it yourself, and be sure to use it for everybody in the family. And if your child's ear starts getting really itchy after a lot of swimming - that is probably early swimmers ear. Stay out of the pool for a day, and flush the ear at least four times a day with the vinegar and alcohol. You will nip it right in the bud. Back in the water when the ear stops itching!

Sunscreen is an absolute must for everybody with all but very dark skin. Ultraviolet light is very damaging to young skin for the long term and leads to premature aging and a high risk of skin cancer years down the road. We really want to avoid painful sunburn, too. In addition to the discomfort, that really raises the long term risk of skin cancer. Use a sunscreen rated at least SPF 30 whenever your kids are out in the sun, and reapply at least as often as recommended - my advice is more often. Take those claims about it not washing off with a grain of salt!

Sunglasses are something we don't think about for young children, but they are just as important as sunscreen for the long term. The most common form of catarracts is caused by years of unprotected exposure to the sun's rays. Do your children a favor for their old age: get them good quality sunglasses that are rated for ultraviolet protection.

Carsickness in your child can really ruin a trip. If your child gets carsick, remember you can get Dramamine® without a prescription in any drugstore along the way. The dosage is on the bottle.

Bee and wasp stings:

remove the stinger by scraping to the side with the edge of a knife - don't squeeze it with tweezers because you will inject more venom
Ice to the sting to relieve pain and swelling
Give oral Benadryl® one teaspoon per 25 pounds body weight
Give some acetaminophen (Tylenol®)

Good First Aid medicines to pack on the trip:

Dramamine if anyone gets carsick.
Benadryl® Elixir (diphenhydramine) for allergic reactions, stings, or to settle down an unruly toddler for sleep. Dosage: one measuring teaspoon per 25 pounds of body weight.
Ibuprofen syrup for fever or pain. One measuring teaspoon per 20-25 pounds of body weight every 6-8 hours.
Going to the beach?
- Old-fashioned adhesive tape helps to remove jellyfish stingers - put the tape over the sting, then pull it off
- Then flood the sting with rubbing alcohol to help destroy the toxin
- Adolph's Meat Tenderizer® (papain) is also great for jellyfish stings. Rub onto the sting as soon as possible to neutralize the toxin.

Miscellaneous tips:

Baby's talcum powder will get the sand off your legs without water. Just rub it on and brush off.
If your beach has tar balls, you can get the tar off your feet with Vaseline® rubbed on and wiped off with a paper towel.

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