Six tips before taking your child to the beach

At the edge of a swimming pool, a lake or at sea, summer holidays are often concern for young parents.And for good reason: at the water's edge, babies deserve special attention, between the risks linked to swimming and those linked to the sun.An investigation, carried out by Mmedia, the council site created by the French Association of Ambulatory Pediatrics (AFPA), however shows that certain received ideas have a hard life.

Avoid the sun at the zenith

In summer, the sun reaches its highest point at 2 p.m..This is when the sunscreen, vertical rays are the most dangerous.The pediatricians recommend to avoid exposing a child within two hours preceding and depending on the zenith, that is between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.."Even under a parasol, a baby is not properly protected, since it does not stop all the rays of the sun," explains Dr. Alain Bocquet, pediatrician and manager of the Mmedia site.It is best to equip itself with an anti-UV tent ».For Pierre Cesarini, director of the solar security prevention association, no barrier is in any case fully effective against UV."It takes a large parasol, oriented towards the sun and well pressed," he explains.The best is to hang towels there in order to prevent the rays which are reflected by the sand ”.

Do not wait to put it in the water after the meal

Half of the 659 parents interviewed in May 2016 for MPADIA said they were waiting two to three hours after the meal to swim their child, for fear of hydrocution.Consequence of a thermal shock between the temperature of the skin and that of the water, the hydrocution is not linked to the digestion, correct the pediatricians of the AFPA."Parents make their children wait on the beach for long hours, when no scientific reason justifies this expectation to swim after a meal," explains Alain Bocquet.The hydrocution intervenes when the swimmer, who has just exposed the sun, quickly enters cold water.To avoid it, it is imperative to get wet gradually."In addition, we must think of regularly moisturizing young children, and even more in periods of high heat," adds the pediatrician."It is in any case better to organize swimming before noon and after 4 pm," recalls Pierre Cesarini.

Swimming from an early age

Four parents interviewed in ten bathe their child before he reached the age of 6 months.AFPA recalls that at this age, a child has a bodily surface twice as large compared to his weight than a young adult, and therefore that he cools much faster."Take care of the first signs of cooling of the baby, which manifest themselves in goosebumps, tremors, the teeth that slam, the bluish lips and the cold skin," recalls Dr. Bocquet.To avoid hypothermia, pediatricians also recommend removing wet clothes from the child and drying it quickly.

Banish the classic buoy

"If no flotation system can replace parents' vigilance, the buoy remains the least security of them," writes the association.Random quality, risk of puncture, size not always suitable ...: pediatricians recommend leaving aside buoys for the benefit of floats jerseys and "Puddle Jumper" buoys.This system in one piece, made up of two armbands connected by a ventral buoy, has a dorsal plastic loop that the child cannot withdraw alone.This equipment can therefore be worn as soon as the child plays near the water, and it does not require being inflated, due to the layers of polyethylene foam which it is composed.

Sunglasses: a necessity

Only half of the parents interviewed protect their children's eyes with sunglasses.However, children's eyes are very fragile due to the permeability of the crystalline in UV.From an early age, even in covered weather, children must wear sunglasses."You have to take care to take a frame suitable for small ones, with resistant lenses in category 3 or 4 and bearing the European community standard," adds Dr. Bocquet.

Clear, covering and ventilated clothes

All parents who participated in the survey protect their child's skin with sunscreen."The big problem of solar creams is that people use them to replace the two main protections: shadow and loose and clear clothes," explains Pierre Cesarini.Clear clothes have the advantage of thinking UVs, while dark clothes absorb energy and increase body temperature.

Anti-UV clothing can also be a good solution."And it is not because the child has sunscreen that can be dwell on the beach," warns Pierre Cesarini.On the other hand, AFPA pediatricians recall that it is necessary to apply it before going to the water's edge, and to put back after each bath, even if the cream is resistant to the water.They recommend chemical and mineral filters, as long as they belong to an infantile range."The chemical filters have two major drawbacks: they are only effective 30 minutes after the application and have a harmful action on the marine environment," explains Alain Bocquet.Mineral filters are effective from the application and less allergenic.On the other hand, their sticky texture and their white color are less pleasant.In any case, take care not to leave the sun protection products in the sun, at the risk of distorting their composition.

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