The heat wave affecting millions of people across the United States has led some parents to wonder: is it safe for my children to play outside?
With school vacations, children are spending more time at home or in summer camps. Additionally, there are always youth sports and younger children going to daycare.
For Dr. Jess Weisz, a pediatrician at Children’s National Hospital in Washington D.C., keeping children safe in the heat depends on adults’ common sense. She is more concerned in weeks like this one ending, when temperatures exceeded 35 degrees Celsius.
“Certainly, with this current heat wave, we definitely need to pay attention to children who stay outside,” Weisz told NPR’s Morning Edition.
However, there are ways to keep your children safe in the heat.
“Take lots of breaks, especially if they are doing physical activities, drink plenty of water and also use sunscreen,” Weisz said. “That can be a hat. It should be sunscreen.”
The main reason to keep an eye on children while they are outside in the heat is something many parents are familiar with.
“Honestly, children are more likely to play than to be disciplined enough to take breaks. So that’s where parenting needs to come into play, as well as adults and caregivers,” Weisz said.
Younger children’s bodies also have more difficulty regulating their own temperature, so Weisz recommends that “tiny little babies” stay in the shade.
Daycares and summer camps
Dr. Weisz encouraged those caring for children this summer to think about changing their schedules during the heat wave.
“The easiest advice is to schedule outdoor time outside the hottest hours, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. It’s harder for daycares, where that time tends to be drop-off and pick-up,” Weisz noted, “but for schools and camps, if they can do more outdoor activities early in the morning or late afternoon, when it’s less hot, that can keep children safer.”
That’s exactly what’s happening at the Curiosity Preschool and Childcare Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, where director and preschool teacher Jawairia Royle has moved outdoor playtime to early morning. She is also helping the children drink plenty of water.
“As a teacher, I need to constantly remind them: your body is like an engine. It can overheat. So, you need to fuel up with water,” Royle said.
The heat wave was a happy coincidence for the daycare’s learning theme this week — safari.
“We’re talking about how outdoor animals cool off. So, one of the things we’re talking about is how elephants have these giant ears and cool off by flapping their ears back and forth,” Royle said. “And I think the kids are doing really well at absorbing and understanding.”
That doesn’t stop children like five-year-old Mila Zudic from being disappointed about having to stay indoors most of the day. “I like to go down the slide outside and I also like going to the parks,” she said.
Source: npr.org by Adam Bearne