By Dr. Meredith Porter, medical director, Inova-GoHealth Urgent Care
Sunshine and trees. Sunburns and skinned knees. Minor injuries and illnesses are as much a part of summer camp as s’mores.
But with a little planning, you can help your kids avoid potential negatives, such as bug bites, poison ivy rashes and dehydration.
Here are six ways to prepare your kids for a day or sleepaway camp.
Manage Medications
Review the camp’s medication protocols and complete all authorizations or forms prior to drop off. Talk to camp directors and counselors about your child’s medication needs. At drop off, confirm counselors have all prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, inhalers, or Epi-Pens.
Emphasize Hydration
Hydration is critical. Kids should drink five to eight cups of water per day, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. On drop-off morning, fill them up with a big glass of water or milk with breakfast. Send them to camp with a full water bottle. Make sure camp leaders keep extra water handy for refills.
Apply Sunscreen
Make sure you apply sunscreen on all exposed skin. Fair-skinned children can sunburn in as little as 10 minutes, and children with darker skin can burn in 30 to 60 minutes. Getting more than five sunburns over a lifetime increases the risk of skin cancer in later years. Sun protection is incredibly important. Pack your child’s backpack with UVA/UVB sunscreen SPF 30 or higher. Apply a base layer before drop-off, and ask camp leaders to remind your child to reapply it every two hours and after swimming, sweating or showering. A rash guard shirt, shorts or body suit with UPF is another great way to protect against sunburns.
If your child comes home with a sunburn, soothe it with methods recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology Association.
- Apply an aloe vera or soy moisturizer or use an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream.
- Avoid “-caine” products, such as benzocaine, as they can cause skin irritations or allergic reactions.
- Do not open any blisters if they form.
- Give your child more water, a cool bath or shower, and acetaminophen or ibuprofen to reduce swelling, redness, and discomfort.
Repel bugs with DEET and proper clothing
Insect repellent can prevent itchy, uncomfortable insect bites. It also helps prevent insect-borne infections, like Lyme disease and the West Nile and Zika viruses. Children under 10 years old should not apply insect repellant on their own. DEET is not approved for infants under two months. Show older kids how to apply it over sunscreen, avoiding their eyes and mouth. Have them carefully spray DEET onto their hands first and rub it onto their exposed skin. Remember to apply in a well-ventilated area, and that a little goes a long way. DEET 10 percent works well for about two hours and DEET 20–30 percent will last about five hours. Only apply once a day.
Campers should wear light-colored, lightweight long sleeves and pants to avoid bites. Ensure they check for ticks after hiking or playing in tall grass. Treat insect bites at home with acetaminophen or ibuprofen to relieve pain, hydrocortisone cream, or an over-the-counter oral antihistamine to alleviate itching, and ice to reduce swelling. If you have a tick bite, the tick may still be attached and burrowed into the skin. If this is the case, use tick tweezers to grab it close to its head and gently remove it. Avoid crushing it or touching it with your fingers, and then wash your hands. Bring the tick to your healthcare provider so the provider can help identify the type and determine whether it’s carrying disease. Antibiotics are commonly required for deer ticks within 72 hours of removal.
Teach plant safety
Engage kids by showing them images of poison ivy, poison oak, stinging nettle, giant hogweed, and other plants that should not be touched. Tell them to inform a counselor immediately if they think they touched or ingested a poisonous plant.
If your child comes home with a mild rash, over-the-counter treatments include topical 1 percent hydrocortisone cream, calamine lotion, and oral antihistamines. Other helpful steps include washing skin and clothing, taking short, lukewarm baths, or applying cool compresses. Children should go to an emergency room immediately if they develop the following symptoms:
- Difficulty breathing or swallowing;
- A rash around one or both eyes, the mouth, or the genitals, or a rash on most of their body;
- Facial swelling;
- Itching that gets worse or makes it impossible to sleep;
- A fever.
Practice water safety
Sign your children up for swimming lessons before they leave for camp. Make sure they know to never enter the water unless there is a counselor or lifeguard present. Children who are not proficient swimmers should always wear life jackets, as well as anyone who is boating, water skiing, or jet skiing. Floatation devices, like water wings, should not be used as safety devices.
Inova-GoHealth is open for non-life-threatening injuries or illnesses from 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
For more expert advice, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine’s Health newsletter.
