ATLANTA — It’s getting harder to find relief from the heat in metro Atlanta, where temperatures are in the nineties for another week.
While adults typically know when to take a break, children have more difficulty acclimating to the heat.
Amanda Batlle, Manager of Injury and Illness Prevention at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, says heat-related injuries and illnesses often rise in the summer because kids don’t know when to stop, and younger bodies don’t handle the heat either.
“Unlike us as adults, where we have fully developed sweat receptors, kids don't have the same abilities. Younger children aren't able to sweat or aren't able to sweat as well,” Batlle said. “Their thermoregulation, meaning their body’s ability to control their temperature, is not the same as ours. Also, they don’t have that knowledge of ‘I’m feeling thirsty. I’m not feeling well.’”
Batlle says the quick rise in temperatures kept many children from properly acclimating to the heat this season.
“It went from kind of cooler weather to all of a sudden this really hot heat wave, so many of us, our bodies aren’t necessarily ready,” Batlle said.
Mom Maria Pumarejo hands 3-year-old Bella a water bottle at the Chastain Park playground in Atlanta. She says keeping her daughter hydrated in the summer is vital.
“Maybe she’ll say she’s thirsty, but for the most part, she won’t. They won’t stop playing, so I definitely keep water bottles on hand at all times,” she said.
To protect children from the high heat, the usual tips apply: avoid peak heat-of-the-day hours, cool down in shade and air conditioning, and drink plenty of water and electrolytes.
Batlle warns some of the activities families use to cool down could dehydrate you more.
“Many families, when it starts to get hot outside, their natural inclination is, ‘Let’s go to the water,’ like the pool or the lake. Water can be dehydrating. It doesn’t allow our body to be able to naturally sweat. Additionally, being in the water is a workout. A lot of times, we use energy. We’re burning off calories,” she said.
Another prevention tip: Apply sunscreen.
Batlle says sunburns are a natural cause of dehydration, so avoiding a sunburn will keep children better hydrated.
Babies under six months should avoid direct sunlight altogether, Batlle says, because their bodies cannot sweat.
Canopies for shade are okay for stroller-aged children, but avoid stroller covers, which can trap heat and cause children to overheat.
“What we see is families that either have adaptors that might completely enclose the stroller, or they might put blankets on there, and what that does is it traps that hot air in the stroller and doesn’t allow for ventilation or any cool breeze to hit the child,” Batlle said. “So, similar to how maybe a car might heat up, it can negatively impact the child and cause them to overheat.”
In older children and teens, Batlle says acclimating to the heat is key.
“In middle school and high school, we think about the sweaty and smelly teens. They are definitely sweating, so that’s great. Their body is able to regulate, but we do want that acclimation period,” she said. “And then especially for kids that are really exerting themselves, like at football practice, we would want some electrolyte replacements and some carbohydrates to go with those fluids. It doesn’t mean a sports drink. It can be a banana that goes along with your water.”
For Pumarejo, alternating indoor and outdoor play will help keep her toddler active this summer.
“I’d say a lot of indoor playgrounds are probably the best bet in the summer,” she said.