Written by: Swastika Kusumawati
After a long rainy season, summer is now coming to Japan. Summer might bring joy for us, especially for children because in this season they have summer vacation and usually parents take them to the beach or pool. But, there’s another side of summer that we have to be aware of. It’s heatstroke!
Summer in Japan means dazzling sunshine with hot temperatures (around 32 degrees or more) and high humidity. This situation makes many people in Japan easily dehydrated which leads to heatstroke. Heatstroke can attack everyone, especially for kids that have many activities and still need an escort to maintain their bodies and comparatively sweating more than adults.
In this article, we introduce mom can do to prepare for their kids to prevent heatstroke!
1. Check the weather prediction before going out
Make sure to check weather predictions so that you can wear suitable and comfortable clothes. Wear the right clothes will help you to decrease heat exposure that can cause higher body temperature. Cotton fabric or clothes with cool technology and absorbs your sweat will help you to face summer.
2. Protect your head from direct sun
The heat of sunshine that directly hits your body, especially your head, will easily cause your body’s temperature to be too high and produce much sweat, leading to dehydration. Don’t forget to wear a cap or use an umbrella to prevent direct sunlight. Umbrella with UV cut is recommended to decrease sunshine exposure.
3. Drink often
Heatstroke is caused by overheating the body at hot and humid temperatures. To calmer the body’s temperature, drink often is the key!
The most important is not to drink a big amount at once, but little by little in a short time. When you feel your throat dried or thirsty, it’s time to get a drink immediately, and don’t forget to give your kids a drink more frequently.
What is the best drink for kids? Most of us might think sports drinks are the best for preventing heatstroke because of the mineral in the ingredients, but for kids, actually, it is doesn’t recommend to have sports drinks for adults, especially because of the high sugar content on them.
For kids, preferably to have barley tea (mugicha), mineral water, and aqualite drink for babies that you can get almost in every drugstore in Japan.
4. Avoid the heat
When your kids have outdoor activities such as playing at the park, make sure to finish it in not more than 30 minutes. If you go with a baby stroller, avoid standing on asphalt road for a long time. The position of baby or kids in a baby stroller is close to the road, making babies easier to get heatstroke than the adult.
5. Caring more about kid’s condition
Always watching whatever the kids do and don’t let the kids being alone without your guidance. Kids still can’t manage their own bodies, so we must be aware of how the kid’s sweating, face complexion, and other signs.
