A new study shows that there may be things lurking in the sand and in the water at the beach that could make your baby sick. Here is what you need to know to keep your little one safe.
When you take your little one to the beach, you are all prepared for safety. You’ve got the sunscreen and maybe even the umbrella or baby tent to prevent burns, you’ve got the little shoes or a towel to protect delicate feet, and you are watching at all times to make sure that your baby is away from the danger of drowning. But did you know that a baby who is happily digging in the sand one day can be sick with a case of diarrhea the next?
The American Journal of Epidemiology released a study that showed that digging or playing in the sand raises the risk of diarrhea in a child under the age of 11 by on average 40 percent (in some cases that risk goes as high as 200 percent, depending on the location of the beach)?
Apparently, there are all sorts of nasties that love to live in the warm sand, including E.coli and other gastrointestinal bugs. These germs can get into your child’s body and cause her to become sick. And although you might be blaming the hot dog or other snack item on the board walk, it was the playing in the sand that probably is to blame.
So other than forbidding your child to enjoy a fun day at the beach, what can you do? The best thing is to keep her hands clean, especially before eating or if you have a child who loves to put her hands in her mouth.
One thing you shouldn’t do is to “wash” her hands in the surf. The water itself may also have many of these same germs, although in general the concentration is lower than it is on the sand itself.
Click here for more articles by Mary Ann Romans.
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