Just say the words head lice and you’ll have parents, teachers and pediatricians cringing. These little creatures, about the size of a sesame seed, mostly affect school-aged children between 2 and 12 years old. Lice also create unnecessary fear and panic.

As children return to school in the fall, our office starts getting calls from worried parents about lice and nits (lice eggs). In some cases, parents call us in tears and tell us that their son or daughter has been kicked out of school until all the lice and nits are gone. Not only do we have to work to get rid of the lice, but we have to fight to get the child back to class.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently issued a report that provides good recommendations for dealing with lice.

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Kids spend a good part of their day playing outside in the summer. But before they go outside, it’s important to protect them from the harmful effects of overexposure to the sun.

Do you know the difference between sunburn and sun poisoning?

The symptoms of sunburn may include redness, swelling of the skin, pain, blisters and peeling skin days after the burn. If your child gets sunburn, give him or her a cool bath or place cool washcloths on the sunburned area. You also can give your child acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Apply a moisturizer, like aloe or hydrocortisone cream to the sunburned skin. If the skin blisters, don’t break them open, because they can get infected. It’s also a good idea to keep your child out of the sun until the burn is healed. (more…)

Kids and teens are fascinated with water, especially after a storm like our area experienced last night. The rush of the waves, the hype from grown-ups and sometimes, the closing of activities, all create excitement.

Understanding this, it is important for the adults to watch out for kids during and after storms. Deciding to go walk across, go swimming or fishing in a river can be very risky. Others may decide to use a raft or inner tube to go whitewater rafting. My advice? Just don’t do it.

Children also tend to go in groups to check out the water. If one child gets caught in a current, another child may try to save him or her. This can result in a double tragedy. If you or your child sees someone who has fallen in the water, call 911. Do not try to save the other person.

As powerful weather continues to hit our area, be careful. Watch your children. Make sure you are present at all times.

-Marlene Melzer-Lange, MD, is the medical director of Emergency Services at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin