Family health - Keeping your family healthy and happy this summer

Babies and young children can become extremely ill in the sun due to dehydration, heat stroke and sun burn.

Follow these tips to help protect them.

Protect them from the sun

• keep babies under 6 months old out of direct sunlight
• for older babies, keep them out of the sun from 11am – 3pm
  • if you do go out, keep them out of direct sunlight
  • do not cover your baby’s pram with a coat or heavy clothing as this will trap the heat inside
  • the same applies to car seats
• apply sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30. Apply it as soon as your baby or child has been in water and also regularly throughout the day
• put your baby or child in a wide brimmed hat or one with a flap to protect the back of their neck and their ears from the sun
  
  

Hydration

• babies who are fully breastfed may want to breastfeed more than usual
• mothers who are breastfeeding should make sure they drink plenty of water
• children should drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day
  • you can also offer frozen lollies made from water and provide plenty of fruit and salad to keep their fluid levels up

A good indicator that a baby is getting enough fluids is if it has six to eight pale wet nappies in a 24-hour period.

Keeping cool

• paddling pools are a great way to keep cool but keep them in the shade
• keep blinds or curtains closed during the day to keep the room cool, your child will sleep most comfortably when their room is between 16c and 20c
• do not leave your child in the car

For more advice on how to keep your child safe in the sun, please visit this webpage.

Vaccines

One of the best ways to protect your child is by keeping them up to date with their vaccinations. Infectious diseases can be caught in any part of the world so prevent this from happening by reducing the booking your child in for their vaccines.

Remember that vaccines are safe and effective, and they could save your child’s life.

If you are going on holiday with a child this summer, please make sure they have they had their Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine.

There are more and more cases of measles in the UK and Europe. This has resulted in serious illness and even deaths in a number of adults and children.

Measles are highly infectious and are spread by water droplets that are coughed or sneezed by infected individuals. You can find out more about the vaccinations your child needs and when by visiting West Yorkshire Healthier Together.

Some vaccines will cause mild discomfort such as pain, swelling or redness at the site of injection. Fever can be expected after any vaccination but is more common with the Men B vaccine. Give paracetamol with or soon after Men B vaccination and do not wait for a fever to develop.

Visit this webpage for more information.