Ticks, sun, and bites

When the mosquitoes bite,
when the bee stings,
when the sun’s a fad,
just simply remember these words of advice
and your child won’t feel so bad.

Dr. Todd Blake examines 3-year-old Andrew Whitnell.

Each spring as days get warmer, Dr. Todd Blake, a pediatrician at the Children’s Clinic, begins reminding his patients and their parents about the perils of summer. Sunburn, ticks, and mosquito bites can make playing outside a little miserable.

Misery can be avoided or at least minimized, Dr. Blake says, if you follow these tips...

Sun Safety
Taking steps to prevent sun exposure now in your children will not only lessen the chance of painful sunburn, it also will help prevent cancer later in life. “Fifty to 80 percent of sun exposure occurs by the time you are 18 years old,” explains Dr. Blake. “The better we are at teaching parents and teens, the better we can help prevent skin cancer later.”

Children should use sunscreen of at least SPF 15 (Sun Protection Factor) or higher (SPF 30 or higher is preferred) when outdoors. Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before sun exposure and reapply every two hours. Make sure that it blocks both UVA and UVB rays.
Sunglasses, which help to protect youngsters’ eyes from harmful sun rays, should block 99 to 100 percent of both UVA and UVB rays.
• Wide brim hats block the sun from the face and neck. Though it may look cool, wearing a baseball cap backwards does little to protect the face from sun.
• Children less than six months old should be shielded entirely from the sun, says Dr. Blake. “To prevent exposure, parents can dress their children in tight-weave, long-sleeve cotton clothing, but lightweight to make them as cool as possible,” he explains. “Heat exposure is also a greater threat to infants because of basic physiological differences.” Sunscreen should be avoided with infants, but minimal amounts can be applied if sun exposure cannot be avoided.
• Self-tanning products do not always have SPF to protect the skin from burning.

The sun is at its worst between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and can even be harmful on a cloudy day. Dr. Blake says that if your child does burn, then use a cool, wet compress to alleviate the discomfort in conjunction with Ibuprofen products.

“There is no safe tan,” he warns. “Tanning is the body’s physiological response to protect the skin.”

Bug Safety
“Avoid places where you know bugs are going to be,” says Dr. Blake. “Bugs will be around standing water and are worse during dusk and dawn.” Here are some steps you can take to prevent bugs from bothering you and your child…

• Avoid using scented soaps and perfumes and avoid wearing clothing that is bright or has floral patterns on it because they attract bugs.
• Once a day, when going outdoors, apply a bug repellent that contains 6.5 to 30 percent DEET. A product with 10 percent DEET will provide two hours of coverage while one with 24 percent DEET will provide five hours of coverage. “You should pick the percentage based on your estimated time of exposure,” explains Dr. Blake.
• At the same time, take these precautions when using DEET: Never use it on infants less than two months old. Avoid spraying on the hands and faces of young children, under clothing, or on broken skin. Some products contain both DEET and sunscreen, but should be avoided because you may need to reapply sunscreen while DEET should only be applied once during the day. When your child is back inside, Dr. Blake recommends that you wash off the excess DEET that may still be on the skin.

While other bugs may cause discomforting bites, a parent needs to worry about mosquitoes and ticks because of the diseases they can carry. Mosquitoes can spread West Nile virus and ticks may spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease. Symptoms include headache, rash and fever.

Ticks are generally found in tight areas of clothing like the waistband or socks or on the upper neck area in the hair. Dr. Blake recommends that parents check their children during bath times at night. If you do find a tick, gently grab it with tweezers and use slow extraction. The tick usually will release on its own.

When you or your child is bitten this summer by any bug, there are a few steps you can take to help with the discomfort that may follow. A cool compress can help on a bug bite. Antihistamine can be taken to stop itching. Vitamin B therapy also can be used as a means for preventing mosquito bites.

Water Safety
Other precautions to be taken during the summer include safety around water. All pools need gates with locks. “It only takes enough water for a child to put his nose into for him to drown,” says Dr. Blake. “Kids should just be watched continuously.”