SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- As temperatures rise in mid-March, a pediatric emergency physician at Rady Children's Hospital is warning parents that the heat can pose serious threats to children -- including dehydration, drownings, and window falls.
Dr. Justin Assioun with Rady Children's Hospital said families trying to cool their homes by opening windows may be unknowingly creating a dangerous situation for young children.
Assioun said during heat waves, the hospital sees a surge in children falling from windows on the second story or higher.
Here's what he recommends parents to be vigilant in doing to prevent the injury: "First thing, remove the furniture as best as you can or remove it away from the window so kids can't climb up onto that window ledge and put their pressure on that window screen. But also going to your local hardware store online, there are window guards. These are sort of grid systems or bars that do fit within the window frame."
Assioun said those guards provide a much stronger barrier than a standard window screen.
"It gives a much stronger support so that if a child were to get up onto the window and put, you know, pressure onto it or their body weight onto it, it's not going to give them that, and it prevents that second-story window fall," Assioun said.
Rady Children's Hospital is also reminding parents to:
1. Keep their kids hydrated
2. Apply sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher
3. Wear a hat
4. Wear sunglasses when outdoors
Parents should watch for warning signs of heat-related illness. Assioun said the signs are:
1. Increased fatigue
2. Sweating more than usual
3. Dry lips
4. Sunken eyes
5. Confusion or saying nonsensical things
If those symptoms appear, children should move to a cool area, drink extra water, and use a cold cloth. Parents should also assess whether a doctor's visit is needed.
Parents at softball practice in La Mesa on Thursday shared how they keep their kids from overheating during long afternoon practices.
Michael Paa, whose daughter plays in 8U softball at Robb Field in Ocean Beach, said hydration is a top priority.
"As you can see, there's not a ton of shade all around, so I think it's important for her to stay hydrated, so she always has a water bottle with her," Paa said. "Also, she usually wears a hat when she's out in the sun."
Alex Reynolds, who was at Peninsula Youth Softball Association practice, said her team brings extra tools to beat the heat.
"We also bring little like mister sprayers for the girls to cool down when they come in for water breaks and maybe some Gatorade, like a hydration packet, stuff like that," Reynolds said.
Michael Garcia, whose two daughters play softball, said his family follows a strict routine when the kids are out in the sun.
"The rule of thumb is for us is like if they're out in the sun for an hour, we make them go sit out and shade for like 5 minutes just to cool the skin down. And then make sure they're drinking, you know, if they have a water bottle with them or if we have water with them with us, we always give it to them, you know … That's the first question we ask: Have you drunk any water? You know, are you hydrated? And I'm like, your cheeks are red, sit down in the shade, you know, find some shade and put some more sunblock on. So that's a rule,” Garcia said.
Rady Children's Health recommends that "kids drink the amounts of water below according to their age. It is important to note that children should drink the number of 8-ounce cups of water equal to their age, with a minimum of 64 ounces of water for children over the age of 8."
