Are your kids safe from summer? Know the summer health care tips here!

Are your kids safe from summer? 

Know the summer health care tips here!

When we were in childhood, we remember how fun it was to enjoy the summer breaks. But now, it's miserable, all we are getting is scorching sunburns. As adults, you might feel your skin burning while outing. And what happens to our tiny sensitive kid's skin?

Summer started rocking very early this year, and we need extra care to protect ourselves as well as our little ones.

When we are exposed to higher temperatures, our bodies try to release that heat in the form of sweating through skin pores. The sweat will evaporate soon, having a cooling effect on the body thereby regulating the temperature. But kids do not sweat like adults and these cooling actions might not develop completely now and will develop as they grow.

So, in this post, you'll get some practical home tips for your kids and infants protection against summer.

Are you doing these health care measures?

Hydration 

 Drinking enough fluids. Children are more vulnerable to summer because they ignore drinking water. It is our responsibility to make them sip water frequently.

• Turn to healthy fluid choices than plain water. Fill their water bottles with cut fruits infused flavoured water to excite them.
• Avoid high sugar-packed beverages in cans and tins. Do check the ingredients before you offer packed beverages to your kids. Instead give them homemade Aam panna, fresh fruit juices, lassi, chaas, etc.
• Although fibres get lost in fruit juices, it is good to take them for water content rich nutrients and antioxidants. Encourage them to have freshly cut high water content fruits or salads in attractively decorated plates for example cutting fruits in different shapes, arranging different color fruits in toothpicks or their favourite cartoon character style designed fruit platter, etc. Moms have genius ways to feed their children.

How to make children drink more water?

• Insist your kids take water during their class breaks in school.
• Encourage them to always carry their own water bottle whenever they are out like going to play at the park, you all going shopping, cinema, everywhere. 
• Ask them to check their urine color or any irritation while peeing. If it is yellow and concentrated then tell them their fluid consumption is low. Do explain that dehydration will cause nausea and vomiting. 
• Keep their water bottles accessible with easy opening lids.
• Teach kids to observe the feeling of thirst.
• For babies, breast milk or formula milk is fine, but consider giving warm water between their feeds only after the baby turns 6 months.

Summer Food

• Offer high-water content fruits and vegetables as colorful salads to your kids by making them appeal to eat. By this way you can teach about fruits too.
• Children love fruit-infused, flavored yogurts. Also try lassies, milkshakes, coconut water, fruit juices, and smoothies.
• Fresh, naturally ripened seasonal fruits like mango, and Jamun are good to go in summer.
• Do avoid hot spicy, deep oil fried snacks as they will raise the body temperature.

Hair Care at home

Direct exposure of hair to UV of sunlight will cause excessive damage to the hair follicles. It makes the hair proteins degrade causing hair to fall. Following are some remedies to follow.

• Healthy diet - First of all, nothing can do wonders like a balanced diet for hair growth.
• Do not expose kids directly to the sun unless you have to for any reason.
• Use their hair caps, and hats while out.
• Washing of your child's hair with gentle natural extract shampoos is safe to remove dirt and sweat.
• Applying coconut oil for at least 2-3 hours a day is a must to prevent hair dryness in summer.
• Experiment with some cool summer stylish haircuts for your lovelies.

Skincare that works

We all know skincare routine is Cleansing, Moisturizing, and Sunscreens. The same applies to kids but their skin is softer, thinner and more sensitive than ours.

• Cleansers

Cleansers are to remove specks of dirt and impurities but they should be gentle, and harmless to your baby's skin. Choose a formula that has naturally loaded oils, minerals and vitamins that don't strip natural moisture. 

Note the "Dermatologically tested for sensitive baby skin" mark anytime you buy for kids. The pH of any infant's cleansers should be mild between 5.5 to 7 as this pH is non-irritating for baby skin.

• Moisturizers 

 In summer, we allow our kids to bathe more than two times a day thinking that to keep them cool. But, long-time frequent bathing will remove the skin's natural oil causing dryness and itching. So moisturizer demand is huge to prevent that dryness and keep their skin hydrated.

Many paediatric dermatologists suggest parents use cream and ointment-based moisturizers rather than lotions for babies. As per their advice, it is good to avoid some greasy baby lotions in the market and stay away from this list,

• Fragrances
• Petroleum products
• Animal fat
• Alcohol
• Carcinogens like formaldehyde.

• Sunscreens 

Protection against ultraviolet rays is essential from childhood, research says this. Sun damage not only causes premature skin aging and pigmentation issues but also, skin cancer in adults.

But, do we need sunscreens for babies?

 No, for infants of less than 6 months, there is actually no need to expose them to direct sunlight. 

But, our Indian paediatrics says, the deficiency of vitamin D in infants is due to not enough sun exposure. The 10 am to 3 pm sunlight has intense ultraviolet B rays and the modest exposure during this time like 15 minutes has increased the vitamin D level in infants' serum. 

So, after considering so many skin issues in babies related to ultraviolet exposure, doctors suggest giving supplementation of vitamin D to infants till one year of age.

For kids, it is important to provide sunscreen if you have to combat the summer in peak times.

What is the best sunscreen to choose for my kid?

Well, there are plenty of marketed cosmetic products meant for children but as parents, we always end up in confusion comparing the reviews and exploring the product's goodness. We cannot try and test products on kids as we do on ourselves. 

So it is good to consult a paediatric dermatologist for the product composition, role of each ingredient, individual kid's skin texture, and problems like dryness and itching. Customized suggestions will help for their healthy skin all the time, especially in summers.

This way we can ensure that our baby's product is good to do its best for them.

Clothing tips for summer

• The light-colored, loose, breathable fabric baby wear should be the choice for summers. (light colors absorb less heat)
• Just one layer of clothing is sufficient.
• Do not wear tight clothes as sweating will make the clothes even tighter.
• Natural fabrics are best for babies to try as they easily evaporate the sweat.
• Change dress frequently because of sweat, you might feel the bad smell of bacteria in the sweat.
• Try to cover your body well to protect your skin and body from sun.
• Innerwear should be loose, and comfortable as it may often cause irritation and itching. So change at least two in a day.
• Sun protection glasses and hats will also help kids to go through the summer.
• Understand your child's liking for wears as some kids prefer collarless, sleeveless to remain cozy in summers.

Conclusion

Summer is not the same that we saw earlier. It is more adverse causing major health issues for humans. Hence permitting kids to play outside demands our full precautionary routine rather than speaking about the disadvantages of playing in the sun or playing indoors. Staying hydrated helps our own organs to perform their functions and helps the evaporative cooling process easier. Use baby products as per the need and the suggestions from your paediatricians.

Let us help ourselves and our family hit the summer.