Dehydration

[steph_goodrum]

Dont't forget to keep topping up the water levels for young children. A friends 3 year old son was almost hospitalised after a day at the beach, much of which he spent asleep in a deck chair with a windbreak and parasol around him, every time he woke he was drinking, but was taken ill during the night and the doctor actually called back 3 times during the night without being asked as he was so worried about him, saying that if he hadn't been a bit better when he came he was going to send him to hospital. And this was at CLACTON BEACH, so you can imagine how much more intense the Florida sun is and even if the children are sleeping, especially babies, try and wake them regularly and offer them a drink.

steph

[athurstance]

Make sure you take a drink yourself at the same time. I learned that the hard way. I'm always so careful with the children making sure they drink enough. Once we'd been on the beach for a while and I'd been offering the boys drinks to keep them ok and I was having the odd sip myself but obviously nothing like enough. I was so ill on the way home - absolutely awful headache, nausea followed by violent sickness, disorientation. It came on very suddenly and I was driving up the motorway at the time. Fortunately I was able to pull in and get some water down me. After 30 minutes I was fine. One of the most bizarre experiences of my life and it could have been very dangerous.