hi Summer is here and wherever you live it is hot outside everybody just wants to jump into a pool swim in a lake go to the beach jump in the ocean whatever it is we have to remember that we need to keep our kids safe even though we're having fun this summer we need to remember pool water safety and on this episode of ask the doc I'm going to answer your questions on how to keep your kids safe in the water and how to be safe for the summer send in your questions to questions allhealth tv.com or allhealth go on Facebook or YouTube or visit the ask the do page on our website allhealth tv.com welcome to ask the do a show where we encourage you viewers to send in your questions so that I can answer them in real time I'm Dr Scarlet constant founder of constant Care Pediatrics let's get started with our very first question about water safety this question is coming in from Javier wos di Dr constant my wife and I just bought a house and for the first time in our lives we have a pool we also have three kids who are two four and seven years old our new pool doesn't have a fence around it besides offence what else do we need to keep everybody safe well first of all congratulations Javier on your brand new home and that's so amazing that you have a pool because you will definitely get lots of use out of it with kids over in the house I really I recommend that you get a fence to surround your pool while it might seem like an expensive Venture it is a very very good investment for your home you need to have a fence in order to protect your kids and not only to protect your kids but to protect those that are coming to your house now that you have a pool it is your responsibility to make sure others are safe and they you know children maybe your children can swim but other CH people's children cannot swim or might fall into the pool and also people that just might be around your house that are not as comfortable in the water so please try to look into getting a pool fence and another way to be safe with a pool in your home is to make sure that your kids are not outside unmonitored even though they can be strong swimmers you really want to pay attention to what's going on outside and to monitor your children as long as they're near the pool things happen kids play they rough house they might fall and you want to make sure that if something does happen you're there to to witness it and to jump into the pool if necessary so first please look into getting a pool fence and secondly make sure the kids are always monitored when outside let's see if we have any other questions coming in here's a question uh from Facebook from Kelsey hi Dr constant I love the beach but I'm scared to death of SW swimming far out into the ocean I like to stay by the shoreline but my niece and nephew are coming for a visit and they love swimming in big bodies of water they're so excited about coming to the beach with me but I'm concerned that I won't be able to keep them safe do you have any advice well Kelsey honest you need to do what makes you feel comfortable if you're going to have kids with you in the ocean you need to stay where you feel comfortable and safe and you need to be in an area where you feel that if something were to happen you can actually help them so if they like to swim out far but you're uncomfortable and something happens you're not going to be willing to go out there and grab them so please stay where you feel comfortable it's also important to note that if the further out you go at the beach the more risk you have for um an undertoe or an undercurrent and that's one the water below the surface is actually pulling in an opposite direction and a lot of swimmers that are not used to going to the beach and that are not very familiar with the ocean don't know how to get out of an undertoe so an undertoe basically pulls you back into the ocean away from the shoreline and what you need to do is if you ever feel that you're being pulled very ever so subtly it's a very gradual pull then you need to swim perpendicular to the pool but that means that the person person that's under in the undertoe needs to not only understand that they're being pulled back they need to remain calm and they need to figure out which direction is perpendicular and calmly swim in the perpendicular Direction so that's a big responsibility and I think for someone that's going to have a few kids with them in the ocean that's a lot to to deal with in the ocean so my advice to you is to stay closer to the Shoreline where you have less risk of an undertoe and you have a a sandb bar or shallow water where you feel safe and you can monitor all of the kids and not worry about anything like that I hope that this helps and I hope that you and your family have a lot of fun at the beach this summer okay here we go we have another question coming in from the all Health TV app let's see this question is from Janine hi Dr constant my partner and I had our first baby eight months ago and since we have a since we have a pool in our neighborhood we're thinking about infant survival classes so our child will be safe if she falls into the water what do you think well infant survival classes are very popular and they're a great idea but I just want you to remember that this does not decrease the incidence of drowning infant survival classes rather are a way for you to learn pool safety and for your baby to be very familiar with the water and get used to being in the water but I don't want you to have the false sense of security that your baby will actually survive a drowning or you can prevent a drowning by having these courses we actually recommend swim lessons between between ages of 1 and four infant survival again less than one year of age is really just going to teach your child a something that we call reflex swimming and it'll help but it will not decrease drowning it will not prevent drowning and you still need to go into the water with your baby and monitor your baby okay let's see who we have next looks like we're getting a question coming in now from Facebook this question is from Oliver our son is nearly 3 years old and loves the pool he can't swim but he's always in the water with us we want to start swimming lessons but we heard the swim lessons don't really take until after a child is four years old is that correct no that Oliver that is not correct we actually suggest that you enroll your child in swim lessons anywhere from ages 1 to four a three-year-old could absolutely learn how to swim and I think it's great that he's comfortable being in the pool and that he enjoys the water so if I were you I would take advantage now while he's comfortable and enjoys it and teach him how to swim I think this will be great for him this doesn't mean that you don't need follow-up lessons in years to come but you absolutely can start now all right so I love these questions coming in everybody really wants to keep their kids safe and they want to know what they need to do to keep them safe let's see who else we have coming in here's a question from Joseph my 15-year-old son has a best friend whose family owns a boat and they invite him to go on it near nearly every weekend they don't really go out into the ocean they prefer lakes and smaller bodies of water our boy isn't really a strong swimmer I guess our question is this what advice do you have to help keep him safe during these boating trips Joseph that's a great question especially you know living down here in South Florida where a lot of us are constantly in the water and and have the um opportunity to get on boats I think the most important thing to remember is whether or not your son is a strong swimmer any passenger on a boat needs to have a life vest the boat you don't you might not necessarily have to wear it the entire time you're on the boat but the boat needs to be equipped with the same number of Life vests as there are passengers and I don't think that you should be embarrassed or feel ashamed to ask the captain of the boat or the owner of the boat how many vests there are ask to see them and make sure there's a vest that fits your son that's number one first and foremost and if that's not there then I would not advise that you allow your on the boat with that said in a small body of water or a lake where your son is not a strong swimmer I absolutely suggest that he wears the life best and this is because he is not going to be comfortable jumping into the lake and swimming with everybody else and remember in fresh water there isn't any salt so they will sink right down to the bottom so if you're not a strong swimmer and can't keep yourself afloat and stay above water and swim with your friends and swim back to the boat you definitely need to have a life best on and also I'd make sure that Joseph is comfortable being on the boat if you don't feel comfortable swimming or trying to get yourself to safety then you might not be comfortable being on a boat so I suggest that you talk to to your son about that okay so we have some more questions coming in this question is from Isabella hi Dr C my son has been diagnosed with epilepsy recently he loves the pool and has always been a strong swimmer but I read that the seizure disorders can increase a child's risk of drowning how can we help keep him safe well Isabella the seizure doesn't necessarily increase the risk of drowning but unfortunately being fatigued out in the sun playing outside might predispose your son to having H an EP a seizure and if a seizure does occur while he's in the water of course you know that he could possibly drown so my suggestion to you is you know the only thing you could do with a child that has seizure disorder and is playing in the pool and going to the beach is make sure that you are always watching him so that if God forbid he does get a seizure you can help him right away but a child with seizure disorder is a child that should never be left unattended in the pool and I and I hope that this helps but that's there's nothing else that you would need to do but you do have to make sure that he is never unattended okay so looks like we have a a couple more questions coming in let's see who else has a question this question is from Lucy hi Dr constant my three and a half-year-old son uh granddaughter came to visit and she used a life jacket in the pool she called it a swim jacket and was very proud of wearing it it seemed a little much for me when I was raising my kids we just put floaties or water wings on them our life jackets necessary for backyard pool safety hi Lucy so this is an interesting question because I know they like there are life jackets life vests floaties they're the front vest there are all these different devices now and we kind of have to sip through them and make sure we understand what they are and what their purposes are so for the young toddlers that are not strong swimmers a lot of parents like to put these floaties on them that actually go on the arms and even across the chest and some swim uh instructors have advised against that because not only well a couple of things it it throws the child into it keeps the child in a perpendicular position and so they don't know how to get into the proper swim position and they don't know how to use their swim skills to get out of a situation they're just constantly vertical and they're um unable to manage in the water it also gives kids a false sense of security so they believe that they can swim and that they're safe uh they get used to that so they usually do advise against it but if you need to put Wings on because your child's in the water and you don't want to carry them the whole time or you just feel that they're safe that's fine uh there are life jackets apparently that are not approved for the boat and some people have been putting their kids in nose and letting them float in the water again I think that's a a preference by the parent where they feel that they might not need to carry their child the entire time or maybe they're safer and they don't need to watch them um but I don't want those to be conf confused with actual light jackets that are supposed to be worn on the boat and that actually have like aov approval for safety on a boat um I don't think that's typically necessary but again it's a preference by the parent and if they feel that that their child is safer this way and that their child won't be submerged in the water then maybe that makes them happy but you absolutely do not need that for pool safety um as long as they have you know floats on or a tube or something a flotation device that they could hold on to and stay above water and be safe then I think that's more than fine I hope that this answer your question I know that it was a little convoluted but there are just so many options now in the water um and I think that parents get a little bit confused as to what what is the best way to protect their child so let's see if we have any other questions about pool safety it looks like we have a question okay well here we go here we have a question actually about immunity and health uh Sharice is asking doctor my husband and I have made vitamins and supplements a part of our daily routine we have a couple kids so I'm wondering if there are any specific vitamins and or supplements that can help boost a child's immune system and how do you feel about gummy vitamins for kids well okay the American Academy of Pediatrics does not strongly recommend vitamins per se they're great and it's wonderful to give them to your kids but it's not a requirement uh the children are not deficient in vitamins uh that where they would need to take supplements in order to replenish them however with with that said I will say that it is been it has been found that fiber and omega-3 are the two components that we tend to be deficient in in the American diet across the board whether it's kids and adults so if you want to add extra fiber to your child's diet or give a fiber supplement that is totally recommended and then also if you want to give Omega-3s which is fish oil that is really great for brain development for ocular health and for memory and we strong suggest that you incorporate that in your child's diet if you'd like to supplement as far as immun immunity and boosting an immune system there aren't vitamins that will do that your immune system is already developing we received our immunity via antibodies from our parents as we are uh you know during the birthing process and with breastfeeding good high good sleep hygiene a good diet those are all things that will will Propel the immune system so you don't necessarily need a vitamin that's going to boost the immune system and I think there was another part of your question where you were asking um about anything that they could have uh at night I think it was just a different type of vitamin honestly oh the gummy vitamins excuse me I forgot about that the gummy vitamins those are great however dentists are strongly against it uh the sugar content and the vitamins actually will um can cause cavities and so a lot of dentists have buys to stay away from the gummy vitamin so I used to give them to my children as well I love them but our dentist asked us to kindly switch to a different type of vitamin okay it looks like we have another question about swim safety from Caroline and um this is a question about CPR let's see Caroline Dr constant we have a two-year-old and are expecting another child we are considering taking infant child CPR classes do you think that's necessary hairline Absol absolutely necessary and as a matter of fact depending on the hospital that you're delivering at they offer the CPR classes in the hospital before you deliver and I strongly encourage you and your partner to take those courses and anybody else that will be considered a caregiver to your child so anyone that's going to babysit or take care of your child for extended periods of time should absolutely take infant child CPR classes this is something that's important and what people don't understand is that the CPR for an infant and a toddler is very different for the CPR protocol for an adult so please make sure that you enroll and I'm glad that you're asking and I'm glad that you're being proactive so looks like we have another question coming in so this question is from Chenise hi Dr constant in a world where we have a new virus to add to the list thanks covid do you have some tips that can help parents prevent the spread of infection in schools and at home hi shenise that's a great question you know it it's really tough because we've lived a life for so long where we knew viruses were around but I don't think we were terribly concerned about the spread and and containing spread and now Co has made us almost hyper aware uh it's true I think that it's very important to teach your children it's going to sound so basic but honestly we forget the importance of remembering to cover your mouth when you cough to cover your face when you needs to wash your hands wash your hands before you eat make sure you wash with uh your hands with soap and water you could use hand sanitizer but soap and water is always a great idea you want to make sure that if the if you can't hand wash you can use a hand sanitizer and teach your children how to do it you want to teach your children to avoid touching their face and really in kids that means picking their nose or putting their fingers in their mouth or biting their nails you want to remind them if they cough or sneeze use a tissue and if you can't then use the inner part of your arm like with your elbow can't tell you how many kids just sneeze into the open air and literally spit on people as they're sneezing that should that should be something that's innate to any child to cover yourself and then lastly the hardest thing that's so important to remember but it's very hard to practice is if your child is sick keep them at home do not give Tylenol or Motrin or an anti-us of medication and then send them on their way just because you contained the symptom that day does not mean you've contained the in the infection so you're still sending your child to school with a communicable disease please keep your child at home regularly disinfect any surface that's been touched by Your Child So a sick child you want to wipe down their the bathroom counter wipe down their room because now you're going to go touch everything and you will continue to spread it so of course at home and in school you want all surfaces to be wiped down and clean finally you want to ensure that there's proper ventilation and again as a parent you really can't ensure this you have to make sure that the school is doing this and hope that they're taking infection control very seriously but just ask and make sure that they're properly ventilating classrooms and at home you want to properly ventilate the common areas where your child has been exposed let number eight what you you want to do is of course vaccinate against preventable diseases so if it's flu season you know it's going around and you want to control the infection make sure your child is getting their flu vaccine anything that is communicable and that has a vaccine you want to vaccinate your child that is by far going to prevent not only the severity of disease but of course the spread of disease so I hope that those things are very helpful to you you know this summer you know I know summer is about fun and getting in the pool but viruses are also still common in the summer we have tons of Summer viruses going around and they spread in camps and they spread in summer school so it is important that we stay safe and that we make sure we contain the spread let's see if we have any other questions coming in from any of our viewers okay well Obby has a question hi Obby hey Doc my boy came home today and told me that a couple of his friends at school have come down with something called gastro totis I've obviously heard of it but can you fill in the blanks like some of the symptoms and is it contagious okay AI gastroenteritis is very contagious and I'm talking within the first couple minutes of exposure So within the first probably few hours of exposure a child will start to demonstrate symptoms and the symptoms I'll discuss the symptoms but first let's watch this video and I'll go into the symptoms and how it spread a viral gastron aritis which we sometimes call a stomach bug or stomach flu that's one of our more common reasons for having an acute onset of vomiting and diarrhea and sometimes with fever uh those cases a lot of times we're going to treat based on the patient's Comfort um we really want to make sure we paying attention to their hydration even with a couple hours of vomiting or diarrhea you can get dehydrated pretty quickly um and we're going to want to make sure that we're just paying attention to how that patient's acting as well on that setting too when it comes to fluids uh when someone is having a lot of vomiting and diarrhea you're not just losing fluids you're losing electrolytes as well and so actually oral rehydration Solutions or therapies which are available over the counter um there are a number of brand names available that patients can ask their Physicians or their pharmacists about but those are the best options that we can offer to our patients if you don't have that available at home it's in the middle of the night you can consider doing a diluted you know apple juice or diluted sports drink but we really prefer the oral rehydration Solutions if possible most viral gastro infections will last about a day or two with the most severe symptoms UPF front on that timeline if things are continuing to improve it's probably safe to continue watching for a couple days but after that if you're not having you resolution for symptoms that's a good reason to go see your doctor at that time okay ABI so to answer your question some of the symptoms of gastroenteritis are abdominal pain nausea vomiting diarrhea or loose stools and or fever and you don't have have to have all of these symptoms in order to diagnose gastroenteritis you might have one or two all or just one of them it is very contagious it is spread by um secretions so by saliva or of course by by the stool and I know that sounds disgusting but if you have a little baby and you're cleaning up after them and you're wiping them and changing their diaper and you might not have cleaned your hands as thoroughly as you thought you you did you will easily spread it so we call that equal oral spread and it spreads very quickly so as the doctor mentioned in the video you absolutely want to make sure that you're hydrating with a component that has electrolytes you want to hydrate and you want to control the vomiting with an anti-nausea medication such as zran and if that's not available you just take little sips and hydrate until the gastroenteritis resolves on its own thankfully usually resolves within 24 to 48 hours okay so let's recap our swim safety because again we really wanted to make sure that we emphasize how important it is to stay safe in the water whether it's pool Ocean or the lake so number one for pools we want to make sure that we have a pool fence or you're going to someone's house that has properly secured their inhome pool this is an underground pool so you want to make sure there's a pool fence children should not go into the pool unattended whether despite their uh their um swimming skills you definitely want to attend uh make sure that the children are attended when they're in the pool remember even if they're a strong swimmer they could be horsing around and playing and falling into the pool so you want to make sure that you're there try to limit adults drinking around children that are in the pool you really want to make sure that you're not drinking and watching kids especially other children's kids are involved for the lake you want to make sure that this is a strong swimmer and there's always a flotation device around a life vest on if you are not a strong swimmer or even a life vest on the boat if you're on a boat you want to make sure that boats have enough life vest for each passenger but in the lake you want to make sure that you have a flotation device because remember you cannot float well in the lake for the ocean do you want to make sure that you're a strong swimmer you're staying close to the shore if you're not comfortable with strong waves undertoe and deep Waters and you want to make sure that you're always paying attention to where the Lifeguard says the limits are in the ocean so that you don't pass those limits where it is a lot more dangerous and then finally you want to make sure that anybody that has a a pool or that's going to that has young children toddler age or infant you want to make sure that you're very well versed in CPR CPR is so important whether it's for pool and water safety or just having a child at home you want to make sure that you take CPR lessons look into your local hospital to see if they offer those those classes usually they do um I think that's very important and then finally we want to remember that if a child has seizure disorder or um any type of predisposition to fainting or seizing you want to make sure that they're always attended when in any body of water I hope that this was helpful I hope that everybody has a happy and fun and safe summer don't forget your sunblock have a great supper send in your questions to questions at all health tv.com or allhealth go on Facebook or YouTube or visit the ask the do page on our website allhealth tv.com e