Keeping kids well during summer fun

Summer fun quickly can give way to unexpected health issues, note pediatricians at California's Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Palo Alto.

As director of advocacy at the hospital's center for healthy weight, Lisa Chamberlain understands how summer can exacerbate obesity, particularly for children in low-income families. "Kids who play sports during the school year sometimes can't participate in summer sports and end up indoors watching TV," she notes. "Some kids also have a lot of unsupervised time and their diets become less healthy. Depending on a child's interest, each youngster should have one to two structured summer activities that can get them out of the house daily. Community organizations, the local Y, and area parks are a good place to start."

Also important is healthy eating in an ever-growing fast-food world. "Picnics, playing outside, and summer travel make it all too easy for kids and families to feast on junk food," laments dietician and nutritionist Julie Matel. "However, with proper planning, there are lots of ways to create healthy summer treats, such as popsicles made out of pure fruit juice." Matel also suggests kids stay hydrated by drinking water that has been flavored slightly with fruit juice.

Remember, too, that fidgety youngsters make for tough travel. "A good idea for long road trips is to take breaks at rest stops," advises Chamberlain. "Let the kids get out and play for a while" In addition, "filling a cooler with healthy snack bars, crackers, and bottled water can help parents avoid filling kids with junk food."

Whether traveling by plane, train, or automobile, Chamberlain stresses preparation. "Successful planning and packing needs to take into account the age and developmental stage of the child. Younger children need more distraction since their attention span is short. Parents should bring a series of small things like books, magnetic games, crayons for drawing, and stickers so that they have one new activity to offer at needed intervals."

Sadly, every summer there are tragic stories of children falling out of open windows. "This is a very dangerous situation, especially for small kids," explains physician Swati Agarwal. "For all rooms above the first floor, parents should install window guards, and furniture has to be moved away from windows. We know how they love to climb."

Moreover, only helmets will prevent serious head injuries. "There are no exceptions to this rule," stresses Bernard Dannenberg, director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine. "We've all heard it before and it's never been more true: Whether it's a scooter, skates, skateboard, or bike, helmets are essential when protecting kids from head injury."

Finally, there is the matter of rest, and altering a child's sleep pattern can be difficult. As director of the Pediatric Sleep Clinic, Rafael Pelayo notes that it is possible to transition kids to a summer sleep schedule effectively. "Sleep is a core value and parents should be role models for their kids. This means parents and kids should try to maintain the same sleep schedule on weekends as on weekdays, even in the summer," he concludes.

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