SIP Summertime Injury & Prevention Tips

Bee Stings

If you see a stinger, remove it by scraping it off the site. Rub the sting site for 20 minutes with a cotton ball soaked in a meat tenderizer solution to neutralize the venom and help relieve pain. If you don't have meat tenderizer available, make a paste out of baking soda and water.

For persistent pain, try massaging the area with an ice cube for 10 minutes. Give Tylenol or Motrin immediately for pain.

Call the office if:

  • Hives are present
  • If there are more than 10 stings
  • If your child starts to act very sick

Call the office or 911 if breathing or swallowing becomes difficult

Itchy Insect Bites

Use Calamine Lotion or baking soda paste or meat tenderizer to help reduce the itching associated with insect bites.

For severe or painful bites, use 1% hydrocortisone cream 4 times daily

Preventing Insect Bites

Mosquito and chigger bites may be prevented by applying an insect repellent sparingly to clothing and exposed skin.

Make sure that the product is formulated for children and contains less than 10% of DEET, if any at all

Do not put repellent on the hands.

Wash clothing thoroughly before allowing your child to wear it again.

Wash your child's skin thoroughly when he comes inside for the day.

Tick Bites

The simplest way to remove a tick is to pull it off using a pair of tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible (try to get a grip on the head of the tick). Pull upward in a steady way. Do not twist or jerk it.

Wash the bite and your hands with warm soapy water.

Apply antibiotic ointment to the bite area.

Swimmer's Ear

Swimmer's ear is an infection of the skin lining of the ear canal.

Symptoms include:

  • Itchy painful ear canals
  • Pain when outer ear is moved up or down
  • A 'plugged up' feeling
  • Clear discharge that may become yellowish

Water in the ear canal can get trapped and make the canal damp, swollen and prone to infection. Kids swimming in pools or in oceans are less likely to get swimmer's ear than kids who swim in lakes due to the high levels of bacteria found in lake water in the summer months.

Home Care:

Make a solution of ' strength white vinegar ear drops. Fill the canal with the solution. After 5 minutes, remove the solution by turning head to the side. Do this twice a day. You can also use Tylenol or Motrin to help reduce the pain.

Preventing Swimmer's Ear:

  • Limit time in water
  • Dry ears thoroughly when not in water (Do not use Q-Tips)
  • If child has multiple recurrences, rinse ear canals with rubbing alcohol for 1 minute each time they finish swimming or bathing
  • Another remedy for prevention consists of a solution made of 50% rubbing alcohol and 50% white vinegar. The vinegar helps restore the normal acid balance to the ear canal.
  • Do not use earplugs. They jam ear wax back into the ear canal. The wax builds up and traps water behind it to increase the risk of swimmer's ear.

Sunburns

Always use a sunscreen of SPF 15 or greater and apply 30 minutes before going out in the sun to give lotion time to penetrate the skin. Remember to cover the ears, back of neck, nose and shoulders. Reapply after swimming, sweating or toweling off.

Do not use butter, ointments or Vaseline.

Do not buy creams or sprays with benzocaine as an allergic rash may result.

If you get sunburned

  • Use ibuprofen for pain relief. The sensation of pain can last over 48 hours.
  • Drink plenty of water
  • Use 1% hydrocortisone cream three times a day
  • Use cool baths or compresses several times a day
  • When skin peels (usually about a week after the burn) use moisturizing creams
  • For broken blisters, trim off dead skin and apply antibiotic ointment. Then wash off and reapply the ointment twice a day for 3 days.