Fun in the Sun!

“Can we play in the sprinkler, Mommy?” asked my 4-year old daughter.  I looked up from my computer to see sweet puppy-eyes on a cute little face asking me to grant her this one simple request.  It was hot outside and the pools weren’t open yet.   It sounded like a perfectly fun and reasonable thing to do today.

Then I thought about what I had to do to set this up.  Herd four excited kids into bathing suits, sunblock each squirmy kid (perhaps one of their least favorite activities of all time), find the sprinkler toy thing (I bought it last summer on sale... where did I put it?), turn on the water feed to our backyard hose faucet (still off from the winter), and then all the cleanup that would be involved afterwards (from the wet toys to the wet kids).  So… being the slightly distracted mom that I was (focusing on something for work on the computer), I paused to figure out how I could get out of this one.

“The neighbors are playing in theirs,” she quickly added, noticing my hesitation.  “We NEVER get to play in our sprinkler… PLEEEEEEEEEEEE-ASE?!?!”  (puppy eyes again)

So I gave in.

And they had a blast!  Even I had fun as I sprayed my screaming, laughing kids (and myself) with our hose as I tried to figure out how the new sprinkler contraption worked.    All in all, it was a good couple of hours in the near-summer heat.  The kids were wonderfully exhausted afterwards, ate dinner without complaint, and went to bed early.  Happiness and contentment all around.

Summer is a great time to be outside, to be at the pool and play in the water.  It’s the time most of us go on vacations – often to the beach or other sunny places.  So, being safe in the sun is incredibly important to ensure that we are just having fun and that no harm will come from it.

With skin cancer being the most common form of cancer in the United States, it is vital to protect your kids (and yourself) from too much sun exposure.  Each year there are more new cases of skin cancer than the combined cancers of the breast, prostate, lung and colon.  One in five Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime.  Depending on the study you read, anywhere from 23-80% of a person’s lifetime exposure to the sun occurs before age 18, so it's important to limit the ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure to your child's skin.  Prolonged exposure to UV rays from the sun is thought to contribute to skin cancer and precancerous skin conditions.  

To protect your child, here are some things you can do:

1.      1.  Use sunblock (starting at any age – including your one-month old!).  Use a waterproof sunscreen of SPF 45 or higher.  Make sure that it’s rated to protect against UVA and UVB rays.  Reapply frequently, especially if your child is getting into the water.  Even on cloudy days, apply sunblock because ultraviolet rays penetrate the clouds and are still being absorbed by our skin. 

2.      2.  Wear long sleeve sunshirts and pants that protect against UV rays. 

3.      3.  Wide-brimmed sunhats are useful, especially the kind that extends down to cover the back of the neck.

4.      4.  Choose sunglasses that block 99-100% of UVA and UVB rays.

5.      5.  Avoid being outside during peak sun hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. if possible.  If your child’s shadow is shorter than your child, then the sun is very strong and it’s time to find shade or be indoors.

6.      6.  Give extra water and fluids to prevent dehydration.  Avoid caffeinated fluids which can actually cause dehydration because caffeine is a diuretic and makes your body need to urinate more.

Kids with fair skin, freckles, have light colored eyes (blue or green), or have red or blond hair are all at higher risk for developing skin cancer.  Boys are at higher risk than girls.  Your child is also at higher risk for melanoma if you have a family history of skin cancer.  

What to Do for a Sunburn? 

Despite your best efforts to protect your child from the sun,  he/she may end up with a sunburn.  Unfortunately, there is not a quick fix for this.  Sunburns can take several days to heal and the full extent of the burn is sometimes not visible until 12-24 hours after the sun exposure.

Here are some things to try:

1.       1.  Cool it down – a cool bath, placing cool towels or cool compresses to the sunburned area

2.       2.  Aloe or moisturizing creams – put the cream on a on small area of skin first to make sure that your child is not allergic to aloe or the ingredients in the cream.  Do not use benzocaine numbing sprays, especially on children under two years of age.  Rarely, benzocaine can cause a disease that prevents oxygen from being carried on red blood cells in the body correctly.

3.       3.  Do not pop blisters open – the skin on the blister protects the immature skin underneath from infection.

4.       4.  Taking Tylenol or Motrin for pain can be helpful.

5.       5.  Do not pick at the peeling skin – use a moisturizing cream.

Call your child’s doctor if there is severe sunburn that covers a large portion of the body with blisters, or if your child also has one of the following symptoms:

Fever

Headache

Confusion, paleness

Nausea or vomiting

Muscle cramps or pains

Fainting

These can be signs of heat exhaustion which is more serious than just a sunburn.

Luckily, with good care, you can prevent sunburns and keep your child’s skin safe.  Pools open this weekend, so hopefully the weather will be good and everyone will have a great start to the summer swim season.  Happy Memorial Day, and thanks for reading!