This article is one that ran last summer in the middle of a heat wave. By the time this article was published it had been reported that three children in Kentucky had already died because of the heat.

I am republishing this article because of its importance. I received a great deal of email regarding this article. In one of those emails a Grandmother wrote to tell me that she greatly appreciated the article but wished she had read it about two weeks earlier. Her young granddaughter had been playing outside while she and her mother visited with the grandmother. The little girl had overheated and become ill. Thankfully the little girl survived but it took a couple weeks for her to fully recover.

In an effort to help prevent these kinds of incidents from happening at all I felt that now would be a good time to republish this article. I hope that you enjoy it and please feel free to join us in the Forum for the Kids and Heat: Beware! Discussion.

Heat exhaustion is the first indicator of a heat related health problem. Kids playing in the heat, not getting enough liquids and wearing unsuitable clothing can aggravate the situation and need to be monitored closely. Children can be much more sensitive to the heat than we realize.

If you begin to see your child suffering from increased breathing and pulse rates, dizziness, nausea, fatigue and/or headache, it’s time to take action. These symptoms may be followed by pale, cold clammy skin and/or cramping in the stomach or legs. However, it appears that the most telling sign for a child suffering from heat exhaustion is a very warm body temperature but a lack of perspiration, in other words, hot dry skin.

To treat heat exhaustion bring your child in from the heat. Have them remove as much clothing as they are comfortable with. You can put them in a tub of slightly cool lukewarm water but make sure it’s not cold water. Cold water will cause shivering and actually increase the body temperature. Before you try the bath though you may want to consider placing cool cloths on their forehead and then wiping them down with another cool cloth. If they begin to have cramping in their legs gently stretch the leg muscle but do not massage it. Give them lots of cold water, juice or Pedialyte. Pedialyte is awesome stuff that no household should be without. It replaces a lot of the minerals that are lost and the body needs.

If they do not begin to cool down and feel somewhat better rather quickly you should seriously consider seeking medical attention. If they lose consciousness or have rapid shallow noisy breathing seek immediate medical help. These are signs of heat stroke and heat stroke can be fatal. Do not take a chance if you suspect heat stroke, call for help.

Do not for any reason leave a child in a car unattended. The temperature in a car can reach well above 120 degrees in as little as ten minutes depending on the temperature, humidity and if the windows are rolled down. Darker cars or cars that have lots of windows heat up even faster. If you leave your child in a car in the heat unattended even if the windows are cracked you are taking the big risk of losing your child.

Heat stroke damages the circulation system, kidneys, brain and lungs in very little time. The best way to avoid it is to take care to avoid the heat as much as possible especially when the heat index is above 90 degrees. Drink lots of fluids like juice, water or sports drinks while avoiding sodas. Wear lose lightweight clothing and avoid the direct sun in the heat of the day. Enjoy your summer but beware of the heat.