Warmer weather marks the start of bee season — and bee stings. It's estimated that as many as half of all children will be stung at some point during childhood.
How to treat them: The longer the stinger stays in the skin, the more irritating venom that's released. So grab a credit card, or use your fingernail, and scrape across the stinger rather than along its length to get it out (don't use tweezers, which squeezes out more venom). Then wash the skin with soap and water. Ease pain, swelling, and stinging by putting an ice pack on the spot every five minutes, or applying a paste made with water and meat tenderizer — which breaks down the allergic proteins that cause the swelling and pain. As the sting heals (it'll take a couple of days), give your child ibuprofen or acetaminophen to control the pain and swelling. And use an oral antihistamine, such as Benadryl or nonsedating Zyrtec, which are more effective than creams, to get rid of the itch. "You want to control the itching because excessive scratching can lead to infection," says Gary Smith, M.D., a pediatric emergency physician in Columbus, OH.
How to prevent them: Avoid brightly colored or floral-printed clothing, as well as scented soaps, sunscreens, and shampoos — all of which are bee magnets. And tell your child to be extra careful when he's eating outdoors. "Bees love to hide inside containers, so never sip from a straw or drink from a can or bottle that's been sitting out," says David B. K. Golden, an associate professor of allergy and clinical immunology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.
When to see a doctor: Your child is having a serious allergic reaction if he has difficulty breathing, is breathing rapidly, develops hives, or becomes suddenly weak or dizzy. Use an Epi-Pen (an injectable syringe of epinephrine) if you have one handy, or give him Benadryl and head to the ER.
Camping, hiking, biking — even hanging out in a tree-filled backyard — can mean an encounter with disease-carrying ticks, who breed and live in wooded areas.
How to treat them: Unlike with bee stings, you can use a tweezer to remove a tick — grasp it by the head and pull it straight out, making sure there are no stray tick parts left in the skin. Then wash the area with soap and water, and allow the wound to heal. Never use folklore methods like nail polish remover, matches, or a lighted cigarette to remove a tick. They don't work, and you'll burn or irritate your child's skin. If she was bitten by a tick in a region that's known for a tick-transmitted disease — Lyme disease in the Northeast; Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in the Midwest — save the tick and have your pediatrician test it to be safe, says Smith.
How to prevent them: Have your child wear lightweight long-sleeved shirts and pants when she's out in a wooded area. Apply a thin coat of bug repellent to her exposed parts, like the hands and neck. Repellents with DEET, an insect pesticide, are the most effective, but always use the smallest amount possible (and only on kids older than 2 months). "Ten percent DEET is effective for two hours; 24 percent DEET should give your child five hours of protection," says Laura A. Jana, M.D., associate director of the Boys Town Center for Child Health Improvement in Omaha, NE. Jana warns against DEET sunscreen combos, since reapplying several times a day to maintain sun protection means your child will be exposed to way too much DEET.
When to see a doctor: If your child has flulike symptoms, a red rash, or joint pain, have her checked for a tick-borne illness.
When it's hot and humid, these blood-sucking insects are out in full force looking for their next meal. A lakeside family picnic at sunset (mosquitoes love nighttime) means these flies get to dine, too!
How to treat them: Use a cool compress to soothe the itching and swelling. You can make your own anti-itch paste out of equal parts baking soda, water, vinegar, and salt — or try a half-percent hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion. Since scratching can lead to infection, try an oral antihistamine or keep the bites covered by clothing or a bandage if your child can't keep her his hands off.
How to prevent them: Mosquitoes breed in still water, so always empty the baby pool at the end of each day, and don't let water sit in empty flower pots or outdoor toys. Avoid using scented products on your child, and use an insect repellent for added protection.
When to see a doctor: Bites that are warm to the touch and are extremely swollen or red after two days could be infected, requiring a prescription topical antibiotic.
The sun is much stronger today than it was in your childhood, thanks to a thinning ozone layer that allows more cancer-causing UV rays to reach the earth's surface. "Unprotected skin can burn within minutes when exposed to summer sunlight during the peak hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.," says Julie Ann Winfield, M.D., a pediatric dermatologist based in San Francisco. Getting just five sunburns in childhood doubles your kid's risk of developing skin cancer later.
How to treat them: A cool compress will soothe red, inflamed skin until the burn heals. Use over-the-counter pain relievers if your child is really uncomfortable.
How to prevent them: Apply a sunblock with an SPF of no lower than 30 on your child about 15 minutes before he heads out. And even if the sunblock is waterproof or water-resistant, reapply it after excessive sweating or a swim, because some lotion does wash off.
When to see a doctor: If your child's been burned over most of his body, or his burn is blistering or oozing, he probably needs to be treated with oral steroids or an antibiotic.
The signs of overheating can be hard to recognize, because instead of feeling hot, your child's skin will feel cool and clammy. She may also be weak, dizzy, nauseous, and complain of headache.
How to treat it: Find a cool, shaded area (or bring her indoors if there's air-conditioning) and apply a cool washcloth to her forehead and back of her neck to lower her core body temperature. Offer her sips of water, a sports drink, or ice chips so she can begin to rehydrate. Before allowing her to go back out to play, call your pediatrician. "She may need IV replacement fluids depending on how severe her symptoms were," says Jana.
How to prevent it: On hot, humid days your child needs twice the liquid she normally drinks when spending time outdoors, says Gardner. A rough guide: Kids weighing 40 pounds or less should drink a couple ounces of water every 20 minutes, those weighing 40 to 88 pounds need 5 ounces, and kids weighing more than 132 pounds need 9 ounces.
When to see a doctor: Get emergency help if your child is breathing rapidly, has a temperature of more than 105 degrees, or if her skin feels dry — all of which indicate a heatstroke, which is life-threatening.
The more time kids spend in the water, the greater the chance that water will build up in the outer ear canal, where bacteria can grow and cause an infection. The classic signs of the illness: red, swollen ear lobes that are sensitive to the touch, and pain inside the ear.
How to treat it: An over-the-counter antibiotic ear drop should get rid of the infection. Meanwhile, to soothe the pain, place a hot-water bottle on the ear, or give your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
How to prevent it: Keep swim time to under an hour if your child's prone to the infection and gets swimmer's ear a few times a season. Have him wear earplugs, and dry out his ears after each swim by wiping his outer ear with a cotton ball dipped in a vinegar-and-water mixture. Don't use cotton swabs; their skinny shape and hard texture make it all too easy to accidentally enter the inner ear canal and puncture the eardrum.
When to see a doctor: If your child complains of painful earaches but shows none of the physical signs of swimmer's ear, have him examined to see if he actually has an inner-ear infection, which must be treated with oral antibiotics.