As much of the country is experiencing extreme heat, it is very important to realize how the heat can put your child at risk.
Though every person needs to take precautions, in dangerous heat it is especially important to carefully watch kids and seniors as those demographics are at greater risk of sustaining a heat injury.
Children do not acclimate to the heat as well as adults, as they don’t sweat as effectively.
According to Jerold Stirling, a pediatrician at Loyola University Health System, children “absorb more heat since they have smaller bodies and a higher ratio of surface area to body mass.”
No matter your child’s age or where they are it is crucial for supervision and intervention when temperatures reach extreme levels. Children lose track while they are involved in play and they are not as tuned in to their body’s cues. They also forget to stay hydrated. For every 20 minutes of exercise, kids should drink 8 ounces of water.
For infants and toddlers keep an eye on their urine, if it is dark yellow, they are dehydrated.
“Children’s clothing should be light and loose… what your kids wear really do make a difference,” said Stirling.
