You need not be lost in the Arctic or drive a dog team in the Iditarod to be concerned about snow blindness. It can happen in a matter of hours to infants being carried in backpacks through snow country, to toddlers frolicking in the snow, and to teenagers out for a morning of skiing or […]

Posted in Outdoor Recreation, Sun, Uncategorized No Comments »
Tags: snow, Sun, sun bllindness, sunglasses, ultraviolet, winter

If you took our email quiz, all of the answers are TRUE.
You need not go traveling to catch the flu - but it does help. Weekends visiting out-of-town relatives, skiing holidays, cruises, and air travel, for example, place your kids in close contact with people from different localities near and far. In flu season (December […]

Posted in Outdoor Recreation, Safe & Healthy Travel No Comments »
Tags: flu, flu outbreak, flu season, Vaccine

Caring for sick children is never child’s play. And the last thing you need is a set of outdated notions about limiting their activities because they are sick.
Here is what you should know:
1. Keeping sick children in bed or “quiet” serves no purpose.
It only makes them more irritable — and irritating. Rest does not […]

Posted in Outdoor Recreation 1 Comment »
Tags: colds, fever, outdoors, weather

Swimming: The source of many illnesses
Most kids’ favorite summer activity is swimming, no matter if it’s splashing in a small backyard pool, or on the beach of a five-star resort. But the reality is that no fun activity is totally safe and healthy. For information on water safety, see TenTips: Waterfront. For avoiding illnesses from […]

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Tags: Diarrhea, Infants, Intestinal illnesses, Respiratory infections, Skin conditions, Sun exposure

Visiting Mexico City: 7,550 feet. Viewing the Grand Canyon: 8,000 feet. Skiing in Colorado: 8,000 feet (with some slopes going higher.) Driving up Pike’s Peak: 14,000 feet. At these elevations most children run circles around their huffing and puffing parents. But some children will show symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS), and a rare child […]

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Tags: Acetaminophen (Tylenol), Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), Altitude, Aspirin, Asthma, Coughs, Dehydration, Fatigue, Frostbite, Headache, Hypothermia, Ibuprofen (Advil Motrin), Infants, Intestinal illnesses, Loss of appetite, Nausea, Respiratory infections, Seizure disorders, Sleep, Sore throat, Sun exposure, Toddlers, Vomiting

Family vacations in snow country can be just as healthy, comfortable, and rewarding as more traditional stays in warmer climes - if you know how to cope with the cold.
Here is what you should know:
1. Children do not get colds from the cold.
Colds come from viruses. Colds may be more common in cold weather because […]

Posted in Outdoor Recreation No Comments »
Tags: Cold weather, Common cold, Diarrhea, Frostbite, Hypothermia

Forget the historic sites, colorful sunsets, and gourmet meals. Most children prefer swimming and water sports on family vacations. But the recreational water health and safety conditions you find at home don’t travel with you, especially overseas. You become the lifeguard for your children, and the person to evaluate health issues and the safety of […]

Posted in Outdoor Recreation 1 Comment »
Tags: Toddlers, Tropics, Vacation