Every new parent enters their first summer season with a certain amount of reservation. With so many things to be wary of, combined with the natural anxiety of being a new parent, it can be challenging to be confident about one’s capabilities. As any parent will tell you, a certain amount of trial-and-error will come into play. On the other hand, a little bit of common sense will go a long way too.
While it is natural to want to keep your baby’s skin covered, parents must be careful not to overdress the little one. Yes, it is good idea to keep baby’s skin protected from the sun. Just be sure that your baby is not overdressed. Try to use clothing that is made from light cotton or linen, and always be sure to cover the wee one’s head with a great, big hat.
It is next-to-impossible to completely avoid the sun in the summer months. Many parents opt to keep their children out of the sun, as opposed to using sunscreen and letting them roam free. This is a very thoughtful approach, but not always practical. Be sure to use a high quality sunscreen, with an SPF rating no lower than 30, when you are in the sun with baby. And don’t forget that the little one will need sunscreen when in the pool, too!
Insects are another consideration, especially those pesky mosquitoes! In the past they were more of an annoyance than a health concern, but in recent times there are some valid concerns regarding West Nile Virus. Aside from the standard mosquito prevention techniques advised by the public health authorities, there are a few alternatives available. As a parent, I would not feel comfortable applying DEET to may baby’s skin. DEET is an extremely poisonous and toxic chemical designed for the military, not for babies. Try using scented oil such as tea tree oil or rosemary. These are safe, natural alternatives. If you are going to be spending time in the wilderness, make sure baby is wearing light clothing that leaves very little skin exposed.
If your little one is old enough to ride a tricycle, be sure that you have a good quality helmet for him or her to wear. Every year, hundreds of children are rushed to the hospital for easily avoidable injuries. Play it safe, and make sure your child always wears a helmet when playing with any moving toy with wheels. For smaller children that are just learning to walk, why not consider using a baby harness? This way, you can let your child run free without having to worry about scrapes and bruises! Have a great summer, and play safe.
Rachel Thompson is the proud mother of two young children, and a member of the editorial team at thebabydepartment.com – a wonderful online resource for parents and caregivers with information about crib safety, bath time, toys and more.
June 1, 2008 at 3:44 pm
My biotech company has had encouraging results treating West Nile virus encephalitis since 2003: 81% treatment success rate in people (22 of 27), 75% in horses (6 of 8), and 50% in birds (6 of 12).
Our approach works best when people first have symptoms of a fever and headache. But we’ve been able to help people even a few years after the initial episode of WNV encephalitis.
Our first 8 WNV patients were published in a peer-reviewed medical journal in 2004 (1). We’re eager to see if our approach works again this year.
The drugs we use are already approved by the FDA for blood pressure, AND ARE SAFE FOR BABIES. They seem to be anti-inflammatory, too. People with a normal immune system who get sick from the West Nile virus appear to overdo their immune response to the virus. Our approach is meant to gently calm down their exaggerated immune response, the so-called “cytokine storm.” It can be used in the very old, the very young, and everybody in between.
It can also be used for almost any virus except the herpes viruses, which is why our approach was included in the BioShield II Act of April 28, 2005, co-sponsored by Senators Lieberman, Hatch, and Brownback. The bill was never debated, but our approach was mentioned in Section 2151 (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s109-975). In 2004, I briefed the White House and the Dept of Homeland Security about it. The UN is aware of our approach in the context of bird flu, although they haven’t tested it, preferring to push Roche’s drug Tamiflu instead.
Although our approach looks quite useful, the CDC has refused to collaborate with us since early 2004. State public health authorities, taking their cue from the CDC, tell reporters that they’ve never heard of us, or that they don’t believe our data, which is neither professional nor helpful. Public health authorities used to run clinical trials. Now they merely test blood samples.
The CDC has become like the Hanes lady. Nobody dies of WNV unless the CDC says they did. The CDC’s total lack of interest in testing a promising treatment boggles the mind. What public health has become over the last 50 years is a sad story in itself.
On the other hand, in classical American fashion, the vacuum in public health represents a business opportunity.
The drugs we use cost about $1 a tablet. We use one or two pills a day. They’re carried in every drugstore on earth. We don’t sell the tablets, we just sell the license to use them. But we have no great illusions that we’ll be able to collect license fees for such short-term use. Frankly, this is a colossal loss-leader for us: equivalent to AOL’s handing out free Internet hours.
But it this treatment works, it will be a pretty sweet deal for public health, which is GenoMed’s main goal.
Anybody who wants to download our WNV trial protocol can do so for free at any time by clicking on the “West Nile trial” link on our company’s homepage at http://www.genomed.com.
Incidentally, contrary to popular belief, the people who get sick from West Nile have unusually strong immune systems, not “weakened” ones. Only if you’re taking chemotherapy or Prednisone is your immune system “weak.” Otherwise, you should hope for no cytokine storm when WNV comes around.
Reference
1: Moskowitz DW, Johnson FE. The central role of angiotensin I-converting enzyme in vertebrate pathophysiology. Curr Top Med Chem. 2004;4(13):1433-54. PMID: 15379656 (For PDF file, click on paper #6 at: http://www.genomed.com/index.cfm?action=investor&drill=publications) — see Table 2 for WNV patients
Sincerely yours,
Dave Moskowitz MD FACP
CEO, GenoMed, Inc.
http://www.genomed.com
“The public health company™”
Ticker symbol: GMED (on the Pink Sheets)
June 9, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Hi there! We live in a VERY warm part of the country and near the beach so we are constantly worried about the sun for our little one. My baby is a beach rat like me and we have found a WONDERFUL product to use to protect him from the sun. Halo’s Technical Comfort System outfits have been great for us and our little outdoor baby! They have an SPF 30 to protect him and i don’t have to worry about so much sunscreen. You can get them at halosleep.com we LOVE them and they come in so many colors…they wick the sweat away and keep him cool!