How to prepare your child for summer camp season in The Woodlands

THE WOODLANDS, TX – The 2022-2023 school year is officially ending soon, and – if not already – thousands of parents are scrambling to figure out what to do with their little loved ones during the summer break. Fortunately, The Woodlands area has dozens of summer camps all ready to take them in and keep them exercised, educated, and entertained. For a comprehensive list of camps, click on this link to go to the Woodlands Online Summer Camps Guide: https://www.woodlandsonline.com/spgs/summercamps/.

Peter Dagher is the Lead Nurse Practitioner at Memorial Hermann-GoHealth Urgent Care. He volunteers at a Houston-area summer camp as a camp nurse and loves all things camp. He sat down with Woodlands Online to discuss ways to prepare your children for summer camps.

Dagher points out that injury and illness are as much a part of summer camp as s’mores and camp songs; the key to keeping those accidents minor is to be prepared and know what to do if they occur. He has three main tips for parents preparing to send their kids off to camp.

“First off, you need to manage medications,” he said. “Review the camp’s medication protocols and complete all authorizations or forms prior to drop-off. Talk to camp directors and counselors about your child’s medication needs. At drop-off, confirm counselors have all prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, inhalers or EpiPens.”

Second, Dagher stresses the importance of protecting oneself from the blazing rays of the sun. “Load ‘em up with sunscreen. Children can sunburn in as little as ten minutes, and children with darker skin can burn in 30 to 60 minutes. Getting more than five sunburns over a lifetime doubles a person’s risk of melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer. If your child comes home with a sunburn, soothe it with methods recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology Association.”

Among its suggestions, the AADA encourages parents of a sunburnt child to:

• Apply a moisturizer that contains aloe vera or soy or use an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream;
• Avoid “-caine” products, such as benzocaine;
• Allow blisters to heal without popping them;
• Give the child more water, a cool bath or shower, and acetaminophen or ibuprofen to reduce swelling, redness and discomfort.

Third, Dagher points out how plant safety can keep your child safe and even alive. “Engage your kids by showing them images of poison ivy, stinging nettle, giant hogweed, and other plants that should not be touched. Ensure your child knows to tell a counselor if they think they touched or ingested a poisonous plant.”

According to the AADA, children should go to an emergency room immediately if they develop difficulty breathing or swallowing; a rash around one or both eyes, the mouth, or the genitals or a rash on most of their body; facial swelling; itching that gets worse or makes it impossible to sleep; or a fever.

Memorial Hermann-GoHealth Urgent Care recently opened its second center in The Woodlands near the H-E-B in Market Street.The first Woodlands center opened last month at 10868 Kuykendahl Rd., about six miles west of the new location.