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12:01

Admin - Welcome to MomHouston's Summer Safety live chat

12:02

Admin - Dr. Sara Rizvi, a pediatrician and assistant professor in teh Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine is joining us to answer all of your child wellness questions.

12:02

Admin - Welcome Dr. Rizvi.

12:02

Dr. Sara Rizvi, Baylor College of Medicine-Texas Children's Hospital - Good afternoon and glad to be here... lets talk about ways to keep kids safe and healthy during all those activities and events this summer!

12:03

[Comment From Traci]
Hi, this is so nice to have the opportunity to ask questions. I have a 7 week old and we are going on vacation in a few weeks. I was wondering when I was able to gewt him into a pool holding him

12:08

[Comment From Traci]
is this working I can't see anyone chatting?

12:08

Admin - It is working. The doctor is typing your reply now. I will post the next question after she finishes. Thank you

12:11

Admin - I apologize. We are having technical difficulties. Please be patient.

12:14

Admin - I will go ahead and post Dr Rizvi's reply:

For very young infants (those under 6 months of age) it isn't recommended to have them in pools or the ocean for a number of reasons:

1. Their immune systems are still developing and they may be more susceptible to bacteria they get exposed to through these activities. Despite poolwater chlorination, pools STILL do represent a large exposure to bacteria...and ocean water is the same.

2. Small infants may also have a hard time regulating their temperature and staying warm in pools and other water bodies 3. Water safety can be an issue as well.....ANYTIME an infant is in ANY body of water, whether it is a pool or ocean or even a bathtub they should be supervised closely-hands on for those small infants and "touch supervision" meaning the child should be within touch reach of an adult for older children.

For these reasons I'd advise that you NOT expose your infant to pools or ocean just yet. Wait until he is AT LEAST 6-9 months old. Then pools with adequate supervision and holding may be ok for a brief time. Remember that if the water is too chilly for you and feels cold to you that it is too cold for the infant. Hot tubs are NOT ok for children under 5-the exposure to the heat may be too much for them.

Sara

12:16

Admin - We should be back online shortly. Thank you for your patience

12:18

[Comment From Chip]
Is there any drawback to slathering on the sunscreen on our 2 year old? I basically cover her head to toe but was wondering if there are side effects besides the explosion of laughter and pool shenanigans.

12:19

Admin - I'll post Dr. Rizvi's response to Chip's question in just a second.

12:21

Admin - There are no real side effects of sunscreen applicaton. Some children who have skin conditions such as exzema may be sensitive to some chemical sunscreens. Those are the ones that contain either PABA or other chemica sunblocks such as Mexoryl.

the best sunscreens to use for children therefore are physical sunblockers. Thsoe are the ones containing Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide. These block the sun by creating a film on the skin surface whereas the chemical sunblockers absorb into the skin. Both are safe but physical sunblockers cause less skin irritation.

--Dr Rizvi

12:22

[Comment From Don]
We have swine flu currently in my house (myself and a 3 year old with asthma and his two older siblings) We've been prescribed Tamiflu and Phenergan and for the most part, we're staying on top of things. Are there any other things we can do to make this go faster or lessen our symptoms?

12:24

Admin - Sadly no. Time and rest and plenty of fluids are the best medications for influenza. The Tamiflu will help shorten the course somewhat, but there isn't any other good alternatives. Good handwashing will prevent the spread to others. The infection usually does not persist beyond five to seven days so I would seek your pediatrician's advice if the children are sicker longer than that.

--Dr Rizvi

12:27

[Comment From traci]
Is it to hot for my 7 week old baby to go on a walk with me in the morning

12:29

Admin - My recommendations are because of Houston's high heat and humidy to avoid exposing a child to those weather conditions between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun's rays are the strongest. A small brief exposure outdoors is ok, but make sure the infant is dressed in light colored clothing that covers the arms and legs and a hat to protect from the sun. Avoid over-exposure to the heat and sick infants should not spend any time outdoors.

--Dr. Rizvi

12:29

[Comment From Guest]
I have a two year old daughter and I'd like to take her to the beach. I've never taken her, and have barely gone myself. What dangers should I be aware of there? Are jellyfish a concern?

12:33

Dr. Sara Rizvi, Baylor College of Medicine-Texas Children\\\'s Hospital - There are a number of things to remember when going to the beach.....the first and foremost is SUN SAFETY-be sure to use a sunscreen with SPF of at LEAST 30 and apply liberally and reapply often after sweating or swimming. Most parents don't apply enough.
There are two types of sunscreen-chemical blockers which absorb in the skin (like PABA, mexoryl, octyl methoxycinnamate, etc)
and physical blockers like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Kids skin generally is a little more sensitive so the physical blockers are more gentle on their skin.

12:35

Dr. Sara Rizvi, Baylor College of Medicine-Texas Children\\\'s Hospital - The NEXT issue is WATER SAFETY- be sure that children are adequately supervised in the ocean, direct handholding for young childre nd touch supervision for older kids, make sure they are wearing safety-approved lifejackets when in the water or on watercraft....floaties are not enough. Supervise all water activities to be sure all watercraft operators are using them safely around children and monitor the water current strength as well. Obey posted markers and no-swim zones...they are there for a reason.

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