Kids’ common summertime ailments and how to treat them

Sometimes kids at summer camp bring home more than arts-and-crafts projects.

Scuffed knees, poison oak rashes, an arm covered with mosquito bites and a head full of lice are some of the less pleasant show-and-tell items parents can expect.

A little bit of preparation can help make summ

er more fun for all, experts say.

Remind kids that the best campers remember good hand-washing habits, wear sunscreen and spray on mosquito repellent.

If children are packing off to sleep-away camp for the first time, doctors say there’s another malady that often occurs: homesickness.

A bit of talk before you say good-byes may be the spoonful of love that prevents the ills. Kids should be comfortable asking counselors to call home, especially if they’re not feeling well, doctors say.

Here are some tips for parents to help cure summertime boo-boos and other minor ailments:

Scuffed knees

Part of the joys of childhood is exploring and allowing imaginations to run wild.

Sometimes kid run into the ground.

“Their curiosity will always exceed their judgment,” said Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson, a pediatrician at the Everett Clinic.

The results can be scuffed knees and scraped elbows.

Left unattended, cuts and scrapes can become infected and cause serious problems.

The best cure isn’t everything but the kitchen sink, it is the kitchen sink, Swanson said.

“Most physicians recommend washing with tap water,” she said.

A good cleaning can disinfect and prevent problems. It’s not a bad idea to follow up with some antibiotic ointment. Swanson recommends Bacitracin.

If there’s debris in the wound that isn’t coming out, see a doctor. They can apply numbing agents that allow deep cleaning with fewer tears.

Other warning signs are significant swelling, oozing and wounds that don’t stop bleeding. Don’t let anyone’s imagination run away; call the doctor.

Head lice

Just because kids are on summer break doesn’t mean that head lice are on vacation too.

“Mid-July and August are some of our busiest times,” said Nancy Gordon, who owns a small chain of salons called Lice Knowing You, which recently opened a location in Mill Creek.

Gordon specializes in removing head lice. Her stores sell a variety of products to prevent and cure infestations.

“Lice is a big problem at summer camps,” she said.

(The Snohomish Health District doesn’t track statistics on lice, but they tend to get fewer calls in the summer, officials said.)

The best way to prevent lice from spreading is to keep long hair in a pony tail or braids, use lice repellents, teach kids not to share hats and brushes, and practice regular head checks, Gordon said.

“If parents discover lice … don’t freak out,” Gordon said.

Instead, use nonchemical remedies, or take your kid to one of her spas for a delousing treatment.

Poison oak

Summer isn’t summer without ice cream, baseball and a bottle of Calamine lotion.

Pack a bottle of the pink, anti-itchy lotion for your camper to bring relief to poison oak rashes.

Once kids wrestle with a poison oak plant, the toxic oils leave a blistery, very itchy rash.

Parents should wash the affected area with soap and water as a first line defense, Swanson, the pediatrician, said.

While kids may get some soothing from topical products including Calamine, a better treatment is Benadryl, which helps ease the itchiness, she said.

“If the skin is open and raw and sore,” get professional advice, the doctor said.

Mosquito, tick bites

While some pests are nuisances, mosquitos and ticks bring the added danger of serious illness.

West Nile Virus and Lyme disease can be present in Western Washington, said Mike Young, a spokesman for the Snohomish Health District.

“We would like people to avoid mosquito bites as much as possible,” he said.

That means keeping backyards free of standing water and packing repellent with kids when they go to camp.

The chemical Deet is most effective, but other products are available, including mosquito repellent clothing.

Avoiding ticks involves wearing long pants and a thorough inspection after hikes in the woods, Young said.

Just like poison oak, problems from bug bites in children can result from infection if the sore is scratched open, Swanson said.

That’s why anti-itch medicine is especially good at night, when some children scratch during their sleep.

“Kids have a really hard time controlling themselves with scratching,” she said.