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Update: Week of June 29

This Week’s Hot Topic

Who knew that London could be warm and sunny? We’re in a heat wave over here, with temperatures expected to reach 90 today. Unheard of! I usually leaving watering my plants to God but all of a sudden I’ve got to use a hose! The sun streaming off my very pale body hurts my eyes and the burn of the sun is almost painful to my delicate skin. So I guess that means this week’s topic is (once again!) about the sun. I can’t stress it enough.

The American Academy of Pediatrics wants kids covered in long sleeves and long pants all summer long. Seriously. That’s their guideline. Along with hats, glasses and sitting quietly in the shade. I don’t know too many kids who are going to go along with that, so let’s be reasonable. If your kid is going to be out swimming or playing, make sure she is covered in sunscreen, with a minimum SPF of 15. That is a bare minimum, so obviously if you’ve got a higher powered lotion at home, use it. Remember that sunscreen needs to be reapplied at least every 2 hours and after swimming or sweating, even if the bottle says “waterproof.” And if there are clouds outside, that doesn’t mean you skip the smearing; a kid can still get burned even in the absence of blue skies. One more thing: don’t skimp on the stuff; you need to apply sunscreen generously. The bottle is not intended to last for more than a couple weeks. Personally I will rip through a large spray can in about 10 to 14 days just with everyday usage.

What about the little peanuts? As mentioned last week, your sunscreen probably says not to use it in children under 6 months of age. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t safe or necessary. Obviously you should do your best to protect the youngest skin from the evil sun, keeping as many parts covered as possible with loose clothing and parking the stroller in the shade. However, little bits that can’t be covered, such as the backs of hands, feet or noses can have a little squirt of sunscreen.

Another thing to remember when it’s warm out: kids can overheat pretty easily and the younger the kid, the greater the risk. Encourage plenty of fluids, even if your kid doesn’t feel thirsty yet. Very red skin (flushing), sleepiness (out of the ordinary) or irritability are all signs that you need to get inside where it is cool and call your doctor.

Tales of the Truly Bizarre

This one comes from a good pal who is a pediatrician. Melissa has a geographic tongue, which is a normal variation and just means the tongue looks like it is covered in funny patterns. She was trying to demonstrate “stick out your tongue” to a 3-year old. The response she got was “Your tongue is messed up!” (You’ve got to drag out the “messed” like “messsssss’ddd UP” to really make it work. )

Dr. Lara Zibners, Jun 30, 2009

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