There are three main reactions a child might have to a hot
environment: heatstroke, heat exhaustion, and heat cramps. All heat reactions
are caused by an excessive loss of water through sweating. To prevent your
child from having a heat reaction, follow these suggestions:
- Make sure your child drinks a lot of cool water whenever
she is working or exercising in a hot environment. Water is ideal for
replacing lost sweat. Very little salt is lost in sweat. Special
glucose-electrolyte solutions such as Gatorade offer no advantage over water
unless your child has been exercising for over an hour.
- Have your child take 5-minute water breaks every 25
minutes in the shade. Teens should drink 8 ounces every 30 minutes.
Encourage your child to drink water even if he is not thirsty. He may not
feel thirsty until he is almost dehydrated.
- Don't give your child salt tablets. They are not
necessary. They also slow down stomach emptying and delay the absorption of
water, which the body badly needs.
- Dress your child in a single layer of light-colored,
lightweight clothing. Your child should change clothes if they become wet
with perspiration.
- Athletic coaches recommend that exercise sessions be
shortened and less vigorous if the air temperature is over 82 degrees F (28
degrees C), especially if the humidity is high.
- Limit the amount of time your child spends in a hot tub to
15 minutes. Encourage her to have a friend with her in case either of them
should have a heat reaction. Children who have fevers or have just exercised
vigorously should not go into hot tubs or saunas. Their bodies need to
release heat instead of getting hotter.
- Protect infants with fevers from heat stroke by not
bundling them in blankets or too much clothing.
