Odds are you wouldn't let your daughter play catcher in a
baseball game without a facemask. You wouldn't send your son onto
a football field without a helmet, either. But here's a sports
precaution you may overlook - getting kids to drink water and other
healthy fluids.
Our bodies are about 60 percent
water. During hot weather, if young athletes don't get enough water
to replace what is lost through perspiration, they face the risk of
dehydration. Dehydration means not having enough fluids in the
body to function normally and can lead to serious heat-related
illness.
Pediatric emergency medicine experts,
like those on staff in the Children's Emergency
Center, treat a number of North Texas children each year for
heat-related illnesses.
Children face a
higher risk of dehydration because:
- Their
bodies aren't as efficient as adults' at cooling themselves by
sweating.
- Their muscles generate much more heat than
adults'.
- Their bodies have a greater surface-area to
body-mass ratio than adults. The smaller the children, the faster they
absorb the sun's heat.
Dr. Sue Hubbard, a pediatrician
on the Children's medical staff, says one simple way to head off
dehydration is to serve children sports drinks in a flavor they
like. Research has shown that children will drink almost twice as
much if they're given sports drinks. Many nutritionists say that
water is best and that children should avoid caffeinated beverages
such as sodas.
To keep children hydrated, have them
drink 12 ounces of fluid 30 minutes before they take the field.
Then, for every 20 minutes of activity, they should drink 5 ounces if
they weigh 90 pounds or less and 9 ounces if they weigh more.
During the first hour after activity, children should drink every 20
minutes.
Dr. Hubbard says parents should be
especially wary during the first two weeks of warm weather. The body
must adapt to the heat and tends to sweat more. That makes it crucial
for children to take it easy at first and gulp down healthy
fluids (one gulp equals about half an ounce).
Signs of
dehydration
Thirst is the first sign of dehydration,
but some children on the playing field may ignore thirst. After a
while, other signs of dehydration begin to
appear:
- Dry lips and mouth.
- Decrease in reaction
time.
- Decrease in physical
performance.
- Irritability.
- Nausea.
- Headache.
- Apathy.
- Disorientation.
Children with any of these
signs should be taken to the shade to rest and given water or sports
drinks. If, after several hours, the child still feels dizzy or
faint, or has not had much output of urine, the child should be seen
by a doctor. Disorientation, inability to drink or pale skin
indicates a serious condition that should be treated as a medical
emergency.
To hear more from Dr. Hubbard and other pediatricians on a
variety of health topics, tune
into the Your Child's Health radio show on KVIL FM 103.7.
Resources
Children's Medical Center
Dallas
