Heat index is becoming an increasingly common reference in weather reports. Heat index is how humidity affects heat in human bodies that use sweat’s evaporation to cool off. A heat index at or above 90 degrees F, as identified by the National Weather Service, can be dangerous, especially for babies, young children and children in sports.
High temperatures and extreme heat can cause children to become sick very quickly. It can cause dehydration, heat exhaustion, heat cramps and heat stroke. Heat stroke is a medical emergency.
Signs of heat illness are as follows: Feeling faint or extremely tired, confusion, loss of consciousness, severe or unusual headache, fever, intense thirst, decreased urination for many hours, nausea /vomiting, breathing faster and harder, skin tingling, or muscle spasms.
Heavy activity such as sports or jogging should be done in the cooler parts of the day, cancelled or delayed if the heat index is high. Heat indexes greater than 105 degrees can harm even well-trained athletes. Schools and parents should carefully monitor children and see that they stay well hydrated.
Exercise is important and we want children to be able to play outside but during the days of high heat limit play outside to brief visits to the pool or beach, scheduling cooler time outside after checking the heat index, inside play on crafts, reading, board games, hide-and-seek. Libraries are air-conditioned and great places to read and to learn on school breaks. Then there are malls.
Water is critical for all living things to survive. Along with milk, plain water is the best drink of choice. Tap water in most communities is the best source, less expensive than sports drinks, sodas and juice. Check with your city to see if lead levels are not elevated. Water in plastic bottles is not as safe as most tap water. There are water filters for homes to protect against lead and some against plastics.
Healthychildren.org suggests staying well hydrated in normal conditions, infants over 6 months can be introduced to water. They only need about 4-8 ounces per day until they are a year old because the rest of their liquids come from breastmilk or formula. To stay well hydrated, children ages 1-3 years old need about 4 cups of fluids per day, including water or milk. This increases for older children to around 5 cups for 4-to 8-year-olds and 7-8 cups for older children.
They also state that amounts vary with the individual and may need to be adjusted depending on levels of activity and high heat and humidity. Adding fruits and vegetables to water or ice cubes makes the drinks more fun.
When exercising vigorously children from 9-12 years old generally need to drink about 3-8 ounces of water every 20 minutes and teens need to drink about 34 -50 ounces per hour. If vigorous exercise extends beyond 1 hour in a day or your child is sweating a lot, electrolyte-supplemented beverage may be necessary.
If a child’s symptoms are concerning, seek medical help.
by Sally Robinson, MD Clinical Professor
Keeping Kids Healthy
Published July 2024