Remember the adage; slip into a shirt, slop on some sunscreen, slap on a hat when taking our grandchildren out into the sun.
Put sunscreen on 15 minutes before going out into the sun and 15 minutes after the first application. Reapply after every 2 hours and also after physical activity, swimming or towel drying.
Wearing a hat with a wide brim or a cap with flaps will help prevent sunburn. Children can burn very quickly on their necks and faces.
Get your grandchildren to wear sunglasses to protect their eyes from the sun. They will feel very trendy.
Babies should be kept out of the sun as much as possible.
If sun burn does occur please consult your doctor or a pharmacist for advice about symptom relief for sunburn.
CHILDREN’S ILLNESS
Let’s protect our grandchildren as much as we can from getting sick.
Make sure they cover their mouths and noses when coughing and sneezing. Ask them to cough into their arms to helps prevent the spread of germs.
Get them to wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating. My granddaughter was taught to sing “twinkle twinkle little star” when washing her hands which has helped her develop a good hygiene practice.
Use tissues and throw them in the bin. Helps stop the spread of germs.
HEADLICE
When children are mixing with others there is a greater risk of head lice spreading. A sign that head lice are present is that the child will scratch his/her head especially toward the back of the neck or scalp. Scratch marks or a rash can be a sign that a child has head lice.
Inspect your grandchild’s head for lice. They eggs stick firmly to the base of the hair very close to the scalp and look like white specks. Eggs found more than 1cm from the scalp are empty egg cases, or the eggs are dead.
If your grandchild does have head lice start treatment immediately. Get advice from the pharmacy about treatment. Please remember to tell the teacher at school or kindergarten, friends and contact of your grandchild, that the child has head lice. This will help reduce the chance of lice spreading to others.
It is probably a good idea to wash all bed linen and towels if head lice are detected.
In New Zealand there is a health information programme called Pharmacy Self Care that has a range of health related fact cards to assist people manage their own health. A number of fact cards, including ones on the topics mentioned above, will be helpful to grandparents. The Pharmacy Self Care programme is in many pharmacies throughout the country, so look out for the Self Care Stand and the fact cards that will provide more information that what is given here. If you have any concerns about your grandchild’s health please consult your doctor or pharmacist.
